Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Devs Admit They Did Not Expect Players to Love the Game This Much
After sweeping award stages and earning widespread acclaim, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has continued its momentum far beyond expectations. The artistic RPG from Sandfall Interactive rose from an indie project to becoming Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, and post-launch support has remained consistent. Even in December, there are more English patches and dungeons to play.
Despite its success, the development team has now revealed that they never anticipated just how deeply players would engage with the game’s content.
Developers Did Not Expect Full Completion Playstyles
According to a report by GamesRadar, game designer Michel Nohra spoke with Edge magazine and shared candid thoughts about player behavior. He admitted that the team initially believed most players would focus mainly on the main story and move straight from beginning to end without exploring every optional activity.
Instead, the opposite happened. Many players chose to complete nearly all side quests before confronting the main bosses, resulting in characters that were far stronger than expected by the time they reached key story encounters.
When Dedication Changes Difficulty
This unexpected playstyle led to an imbalance that surprised the team. Players who completed every quest and activity often found boss battles easier than intended, which reduced the sense of challenge during major story moments. While the team was genuinely happy to see such strong support and dedication, they also admitted feeling some regret about not including more endgame challenges for highly committed players.
Michel explained that the team underestimated just how many players would fully immerse themselves in every system the game offered.
Lessons Learned About Balance and Communication
Although Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is currently in a state the developers are proud of, Michel noted that balance adjustments would be the one aspect he wishes could be handled differently. In particular, he felt the team should have communicated more clearly that boss difficulty was tuned around players progressing naturally through the story rather than farming or completing all side content beforehand.
The developers now recognize that different playstyles require clearer expectations, especially for players who enjoy maximizing progression before major encounters.
About Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG with real-time elements. Players follow a group of travelers tasked with hunting down The Paintress, a mysterious villain who paints a new age number each year, causing everyone of that age to vanish. In the current cycle, the number is 33, forcing the protagonists to act before another tragedy unfolds.
Combat combines traditional command-based systems with real-time movement, allowing players to dodge attacks, counter enemies, and chain combos dynamically.
The story follows Gustave, Maelle, and several other travelers who all share the same fate of turning 33 that year. Their journey unfolds in a richly detailed fantasy world inspired by the Belle Époque era, featuring striking visuals and refined art direction. For fans of modernized JRPG experiences, this title stands out as a must-play.
Origin: Games Radar
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