Clair Obscur's creative director Guillaume Broche reveals the RPG's brilliantly bonkers story.

Clair Obscur's recent reveal trailer was a real eye-opener. I wanted to know what was going on in this dark fantasy world that is reminiscent of Final Fantasy and Persona. It's just a little bit bonkers. Guillaume Broche is the game's creator, and it was a real treat to be able to ask him questions about the game, as well as see the game in action.

The mysterious being known as the Paintress, who is a seemingly all-powerful being, wakes up once a year in Expedition 33's Lumiere city and paints a cursed number on a large monolith that sits in the middle of the city, ticking it off. The Paintress will paint the number and everyone of that age will turn to smoke.

The maximum age of the population is decreasing. In order to solve this problem, a city expedition is sent out every year into the unknown to find the Paintress, destroy her and stop her annual culling. To date, none of these missions have been successful. This has led to the operatives from Expedition 33, which is the next age group to 'die,' embarking on their hail-mary mission. Expedition 33 is in a race against the clock to find and eliminate the Paintress.

How and why did Broche end up on this plot about Expedition 33, a voyage into the unknown?

"I love this" laughs Broche. "Because I don't believe there was a specific thing that prompted it one morning. Like, 'Oh why don't you do that?' I love stories about people who venture into the unknown and have to face their fears. They have no idea where they are going and what's in front of them. You just go, and hope for best. You just walk around and ask yourself, "What's happening?" These are the stories I enjoy.

"I like the dynamic of the group. They have a goal but it's not clear what that goal is. You're thinking, "I don't know what I should do or where I should go." "We wanted to bring this sense of discovery here."

After seeing the game, I can also attest to that feeling of discovery. The plot is unclear at first, including the identity of the Paintress, the fates of the other missions, the reason for the culling of the population, and even the reality itself, with its surreal environments. As the journey of Expedition 33 continues, the player will learn more about the world and characters.

You can watch the Expedition 33 reveal trailer above if you haven't already. The game will be released in 2025. Keep an eye out for it as we move into the new year, especially if you are a fan of RPGs with turn-based combat.