Expedition 33: Clair-Obscur's Historic Dive

Sandfall Interactive’s founder and creative director shared key details about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Read on to learn more about its historical influences and gameplay innovations.

Real-world Influences and Gameplay InnovationInspiration Behind the Name and Story

Sandfall Interactive’s founder and creative director, Guillaume Broche, offered insights into the real-world inspirations for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s title and narrative on July 29.

The game's title's first part is captivating. Broche noted that "Clair Obscur alludes to the real-world artistic and cultural movement in France during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He also stated, “it shaped the game’s artistic direction, and also reflects the game's overarching world."

The meaning behind Expedition 33 is clear. "Expedition 33 represents the Expedition group led by protagonist Gustave to vanquish the Paintress," with a new expedition dispatched annually to Achieve this objective. The Paintress in this game inscribes a specific number on her monolith to obliterate everyone of that age, which Broche calls "the Gommage." The reveal trailer depicted the main protagonist's partner perishing after the Paintress inscribed the number 33, representing her current age.

Broche also mentioned that La Horde du Contrevent influenced the game’s narrative. He characterized it as "a fantasy novel about a group of explorers traversing the world." "Generally, tales of venturing into the unknown despite immense risks, such as the anime/manga Attack on Titan, have always held great appeal for me."

Innovating Classic Turn-based RPG

Moving forward, Broche discussed the importance of graphics in this game. "There hasn’t really been any attempt at making a turn-based RPG with high-quality graphics for a good while,” he said. “That left a deep hole in my gamer heart. We took it upon ourselves to create something to fill that void."

Though there were real-time turn-based RPGs in the past, like Valkyria Chronicles and Project X Zone, the game advanced the genre by introducing the reactive turn-based battle system. Broche stated, "You can take time during battles to formulate your strategies, but during the enemy’s turn, you will have to react in real-time to dodge, jump, or parry enemies to trigger a powerful counterattack."
Broche also revealed the inspiration behind reimagining classic turn-based RPGs. "We were inspired by action games like the Souls series, Devil May Cry, NieR, and their rewarding gameplay was something we wanted to integrate into a turn-based setting."

Looking Forward

Broche offered key details about the game, sharing insights into its lore and narrative through real-world inspirations. Meanwhile, the use of high-quality graphics and the implementation of the reactive battle system will offer players a novel approach to combat. Besides strategically planning actions between turns, players must also respond to enemy attacks in real time.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is slated for release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC by 2025. Although the release date is still some time away, Broche left a message for future players. "We’re glad to see so many fans are excited for the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! As our first title, we’re thrilled with the reception we’ve seen so far, and we can’t wait to show more in the lead-up to launch next year."