Today, on Thursday, April 10th, the last character trailer for the hotly anticipated turn-based RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, was released, highlighting the friendly but bloodthirsty Monoco. This character spotlight is the fifth and final trailer, and arrives only 2 weeks before the game’s release on April 24th.
Just in case you aren’t aware of who or what we are talking about, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG game, and a brand new IP, from fledgling Montpellier-based game studio, Sandfall Interactive. The team has been very forthcoming with their inspirations, citing iconic franchises such as Persona and Final Fantasy, and their DNA is clear to see in Expedition 33.
The premise of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is truly brilliant. Every year, the Paintress paints a new, decreasing number, killing everyone of that age. Every year, an expedition sets off across the world to destroy the Paintress “so she cannot paint death again.” You are Expedition 33. A singularly unique, yet also simple premise that perfectly suits the game’s lavish and imaginative Belle-Epoque-inspired world.
A reactive turn-based combat system gets players more involved, adding active blocking, dodging, parrying, and free-aim mechanics, to name a few. Explore a beautiful and exciting altered world, filled with secrets and chance encounters. Follow the story of the expedition, mould each party member how you see fit with deep leveling systems, and see their mission through to the end.
So, now we are all up to date with what Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is, let’s get acquainted with the members of the expedition!
Gustave
Gustave was an engineer, focused on providing for and protecting the people. But now that he is an Expeditioner in his last year of life, he means to do what he can to stop the Paintress and give the children of Lumiere a future.
Gustave is voiced by Charlie Cox, who plays the Man without Fear himself in the Daredevil series. He wields a pistol and sword in combat, giving a mixture of melee and ranged actions. His pistol can be used to free-aim to shoot at enemy weakpoints, and he can do combo attacks, parrys and counter, as long as timed correctly.
Maelle
An orphan from a very young age, Maelle has never felt at home in Lumiere. Only in her mid-teens, she is the youngest member of the expedition by far, but that’s not the only thing that sets her apart from the others. She sees the expedition as an opportunity to explore the world, and hopefully find her place in it.
Maelle is voiced by Jennifer English, widely known as Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate III. Maelle wields a rapier, and has three different stances: Defensive, Offensive, and Virtuose. Using her skills charges up her stances, and switching between them makes the most of these.
Lune
The daughter of a prominent family of researchers, Lune feels the weight of responsibility to complete her parents’ work; to uncover the secrets of the Paintress.
Lune, voiced by Kirsty Rider from the Sandman series, is the expedition’s mage. Her abilities create and use one of five different Stains: Fire, Lightning, Ice, Earth, and Light, so learning which ones do what will be the key to fully mastering Lune’s elemental powers.
Sciel
Sciel seems the most unburdened by the reality they all face, but her calm expression hides a darker past. A farmer turned teacher, she has already come to terms with death, and only seeks to do what she can each day as it comes.
Voiced by Shayla Nyx, who voiced Farida Nazeri in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, wields her scythe in battle, stacking Sun and Moon charges to apply and consume Foretell stacks respectively. When both charges become active, Sciel enters Twilight, boosting damage, increasing Foretell application, and raising the Foretell cap on enemies for massive payoff.
Monoco
Today’s character trailer, and the last one before the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is released, goes to the brilliantly bizarre Monoco. He is a Gestral who joins the expedition upon meeting them while journeying to confront the Paintress.
Monoco is voiced by Rich Keeble, who plays Mr Arnold in Good Omens, and fights with a grandaro, or what looks to be a giant bell on the end of a rod. His special talent is using the feet he collects from defeated enemies to turn himself into them during battle; strange, but effective!
And there are the members of the 33rd expedition, or five of them, at least. According to the official Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 website, there are six playable characters to level up and build your party from, but we only have five Expedition 33 character trailers. No doubt the team at Sandfall Interactive wants to keep this character as a surprise!
While we here at the Gamer Social Club have not had the chance to get hands-on with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, we are counting down the days till the game’s launch – though that may be in poor taste!
Tomorrow Comes!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 releases on April 24th, 2025, on PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5.
Check out our other coverage of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to learn more about the game, or plan ahead with the game’s achievement/trophy list.
Are you looking forward to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Let us know in the comments.
