Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Photo Mode explained

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has delivered some breathtaking visuals and cinematic storytelling to the fans. But while the Belle Époque-inspired visuals of the game beg immortalization, the interactive debut of Sandfall RPG has left many fans to wonder if there’s a tool available to freeze the dreamlike vistas. Here is all you must know about Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Photo Mode.

Sandfall Interactive, the small indie studio, prioritizes the core gameplay over the extra features like the Photo Mode. To craft the dynamic turn-based combat, dystopian narrative, and skill synergies of the game had already stretched the resources of the studio thin. Implementing the robust photo mode with the free camera control, UI toggles, and lighting tweaks would have demanded some significant development time, especially for the team that’s juggling the technical demands of Unreal Engine 5.
The performance might even play the role. The lush environments of the game, covering floating cities and more, push the visual boundaries. The Photo Mode could strain the hardware and risk the frame drops during the intense combat sequences. This is why the stability of the debut title outweighed the game’s screenshot potential.


The art direction of Expedition 33 blends Baroque chiaroscuro with the avant-garde creature designs. It creates some scenes that are worthy of the gallery walls. Just imagine to capture the magic casting ethereal glows of Lune over the twisted Eiffel Tower ruins or anything similar.
If you were someone who was looking forward to the feature, for now, you must rely upon manual screenshots by pausing the cutscenes or having awkward angling of the camera in the middle of the combat while hiding HUD through pause menus or the external tools, especially available for PC.
Now, what’s interesting is that Sandfall has not completely ruled out adding the photo mode later. As of now, the creativity of the community will highlight the artistic impact of the game, even if the capturing will need a bit of patience.
The absence of Photo Mode in Clair Obscur Expedition 33 stings, but it is a perfect trade-off for the polished combat and its performance. Whether or not Sandfall addresses the concern of the fans post-launch, the haunting beauty of the game ensures the players will find ways to immortalize the world with one screenshot, even if it's imperfect, at a time.