Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Technical Performance Review - UE5 Visuals & Console Performance
It feels like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 came out of nowhere and instantly appeared on everyone's "Game of the Year" list. It's one heck of a debut, but under all that hype, how does it run technically. Luckily, the people over at Digital Foundry, specifically Oliver Mackenzie, got under the hood and took a look at the game's graphics and performance.
A Visual Feast Powered by Unreal Engine 5
The overall technical impression. Very positive. Expedition 33 is a visual feast, it appears, both in its art direction and in how it uses the newest Unreal Engine 5 features. Lumen lighting system, Nanite for geometric detail, and virtual shadow maps are a few of the main technologies used to achieve the excellent visuals. The game boasts a varied selection of environments, ranging from realistic cities to fantasy forests and even underwater settings, all of which are nicely rendered.
A common annoyance in most UE5 games, objects fairly noticeably popping into existence, seems to be nonexistent here, which is a massive plus. That said, it is not entirely flawless. Reflections are reported to look best for the most part on very shiny surfaces, and shadows, while for the most part good, can appear a bit harsh in places. On the plus side, the game has excellent special effects during combat and very good global illumination.
Performance Across the Consoles
Here's how the different consoles handle Clair Obscur: Expedition 33:
- PlayStation 5 Pro
- Quality Mode: Targets 30 FPS, with better lighting and shadows for the best possible visuals.
- Performance Mode: Targets a solid 60 FPS, with a bit of graphical compromise for much smoother gameplay.
- PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X
- These consoles offer the same choice between Quality (30 FPS) and Performance (60 FPS) modes.
- The most significant deviation from the PS5 Pro is resolution, which is lowered (Digital Foundry noted resolutions like 864p for the 60 FPS mode compared to 1080p on Pro).
- Performance is generally stable at both the 30 and 60 FPS targets with only minor dips.
- Xbox Series S
- There is only a 30 FPS mode on this console.
- It also includes widespread graphical cutbacks, like the removal of Lumen reflections and less complicated lighting overall.
- Image quality and general graphics are inferior to those on the more powerful consoles.
Why Performance Matters Here (Especially for Combat)
Digital Foundry's expert says that Expedition 33 is one of the visually striking role-playing games of its era – no small achievement for a relatively small development team. The gameplay itself, however, is all about precise timing for parries and dodges.
This mechanical focus puts such importance on frame rate. Performing at 30 FPS, especially with performance dips, can apparently make the frenetic combat feel sluggish and frustrating. Because of the graphical compromises and the limited 30 FPS target, the pro actively suggests not playing the game for the first time on Xbox Series S, suggesting the gaming experience loses a lot.
Based on tests by Digital Foundry.
