Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an eagerly anticipated turn-based RPG developed by Sandfall Interactive, is making waves in the gaming community with its unique approach to the genre. After a compelling showcase, the game's director, Guillaume Broche, shared further details on the inspirations driving this ambitious project.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Takes Inspiration from FF, Persona, & Classic JRPGs
Blends Turn-Based Mechanics and Real-Time Elements
Set against the backdrop of France's Belle Epoque era, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an innovative turn-based RPG that skillfully integrates real-time elements. The game draws significant inspiration from the iconic Final Fantasy and Persona series, yet aims to establish its own unique identity within the genre.
Following a successful hands-off demo at Summer Game Fest, creative director Guillaume Broche provided insights into the game's development. In an interview with Eurogamer, Broche expressed his passion for turn-based games, highlighting his desire to create a title with high-fidelity graphics. "I'm a very big fan of turn-based games and was deeply lacking something that had high-fidelity graphics," Broche stated, citing Atlus' Persona and Square Enix's Octopath Traveller as influences that fueled his vision. "If nobody wants to do it, I will do it. That's how it started."
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 focuses on a compelling narrative where players aim to stop the enigmatic Paintress from painting death again. The game's world, featuring unique locales like the gravity-defying Flying Waters, promises an immersive experience.
The combat system in Expedition 33 blends turn-based action with real-time responses. Players must input commands during their turn but also react quickly during enemy attacks to defend effectively. This innovative approach draws comparisons to renowned turn-based RPGs like the Persona series, Final Fantasy, and last year's Switch hit, Sea of Stars.
Broche was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic response to the game. "It was very overwhelming," he remarked. "I was expecting turn-based fans to show interest, but I wasn't anticipating such excitement from the community."
While Persona serves as an influence, Broche clarified in a discussion with PC Gamer that the Final Fantasy series, specifically the eras of Final Fantasy 8, 9, and 10, had a more profound impact on the game's development. "I don’t hide my love for the Final Fantasy 8, 9, and 10 era. I think a lot of the core of the game definitely takes inspiration from that," he explained. He emphasized that while the game draws from these classics, it is not a direct imitation but rather a reflection of his formative gaming experiences.
"The game is more like [what] I grew up with, and kind of built my creative tastes on. So I would say we take a lot of influence from them but not directly trying to pick things from them." He added, "And on the Persona side, yeah, we definitely took a look at what they were doing in terms of the camera movements, and the menus, and how everything has been created dynamically, and trying to do something that really feels dynamic, but is also more like our own thing, in a way. Because, also, we have a very different art style. We just wanted to do it our own way."
In the expansive open world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players have complete control over their characters. They can seamlessly switch between party members and utilize unique traversal abilities to navigate and solve environmental puzzles. Broche, describing the game as an homage to classic turn-based titles, playfully encouraged players to "break the game with crazy builds and like, stupid combinations," as he told GamesRadar.
"Our dream is to make a game that will profoundly touch players as much as the classics impacted our lives," the development team shared in a recent PlayStation blog post. "And hey, even if we fail, we lay the trail for those who come after, right?"
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is slated for release on PC, PS5, and Xbox in 2025.
