Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Picking Up Where Lost Odyssey Left Off

Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 don't get made anymore. And that's because games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 can't be made anymore. French developer Sandfall Interactive's influences were obvious to me from the moment I began playing the game, and confirmed when director Guillaume Broche and producer François Meurisse effusively recounted the joys of playing Final Fantasy, Persona, Zelda, and many other Japanese titles.In terms of gameplay, Expedition 33 looks to be moving in the right direction; drawing from its clear inspirations while also adding interesting twists and new takes. But many other games have done this--in this respect, Expedition 33 isn't notably unique or rare. What does, however, differentiate this game from its contemporaries is how it evokes the vibe of a transitional period of time when JRPGs and its flag bearers struggled to find their place on a new generation of consoles.While Sandfall Interactive often looks to Final Fantasy as a point of comparison, for me, it is much closer to the games Hironobu Sakaguchi made in the nascent years of the Xbox 360, back when Microsoft was courting Japanese developers and gamers in hopes of expanding its presence in the region.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Mar 3, 2025 - 17:46

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Picking Up Where Lost Odyssey Left Off

Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 don't get made anymore. And that's because games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 can't be made anymore. French developer Sandfall Interactive's influences were obvious to me from the moment I began playing the game, and confirmed when director Guillaume Broche and producer François Meurisse effusively recounted the joys of playing Final Fantasy, Persona, Zelda, and many other Japanese titles.

In terms of gameplay, Expedition 33 looks to be moving in the right direction; drawing from its clear inspirations while also adding interesting twists and new takes. But many other games have done this--in this respect, Expedition 33 isn't notably unique or rare. What does, however, differentiate this game from its contemporaries is how it evokes the vibe of a transitional period of time when JRPGs and its flag bearers struggled to find their place on a new generation of consoles.

While Sandfall Interactive often looks to Final Fantasy as a point of comparison, for me, it is much closer to the games Hironobu Sakaguchi made in the nascent years of the Xbox 360, back when Microsoft was courting Japanese developers and gamers in hopes of expanding its presence in the region.Continue Reading at GameSpot