Next year looks to be loaded with massive titles such as Grand Theft Auto 6, Monster Hunter Wilds, and countless others. But one I have my eye on is an ambitious first game from a new studio.
A 2025 turn-based RPG called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made waves at an Xbox showcase earlier this year, and the team at Sandfall Interactive just unveiled the first extended look at gameplay for its first title. And it’s looking incredibly promising.
COE33, as I like to call it (because the full title is a bit of a mouthful), twists the turn-based combat genre by adding real-time combat mechanics. Sandfall calls the battle system “Reactive Turn Based,” as seen in the trailer below, where the party can do things like dodge, jump, and parry enemy attacks.
Attacking also includes some timing-based, quick-time event-like button presses to maximize offensive abilities, something reminiscent of the combat in 2023’s Sea of Stars. But COE33 wraps all of this in an incredibly beautiful world with stunning graphics and what is potentially an engaging story.
The nearly seven-minute video shows off the game’s unique environments as the expedition team explores what looks like a seafloor as water bubbles float around them and culminates in a boss fight that displays the combat in all its glory. And I think it already sold me on the game.
Sandfall says you can switch your party leader at any time to let them lead the expedition into the wilderness, while also customizing your party’s appearances with outfits and hairstyles that are discoverable in the game.
Fans of old-time turn-based RPGs like the old-school Final Fantasy titles and countless other nostalgic series may find a new love in COE33—and it’s one game I’m greatly looking forward to next year.
