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DARK SECRETS: 3 | Rare Historical Photos

'The prejudice against turn-based RPGs isn’t completely gone': despite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's massive success, its director reckons real-time action games still have an easier time

But this isn't why Clair Obscur has a parry system, honest.

PC Gamer

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's director had 2 scrapped scenes from the game's ending, gives props to mocap actors who 'saved' it at the last minute

"It was just a thousand times better."

PC Gamer

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's possible endings aren't particularly cheery because the French JRPG's creative lead likes "really sad stories" and wanted to give players "an impossible choice"

But it also gives players the chance "to finally take things in their own hands"

GamesRadar

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says "prejudice against turn-based RPGs isn't completely gone," even if fellow JRPGs like Persona and Dragon Quest sell millions of copies

"I could talk about the prejudice forever"

GamesRadar

'I’d prefer working as a small team'—Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs think their studio is 'just the right size', with no real plans to expand it yet

Ah yes, the goldilocks method.

PC Gamer

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 studio is "just the right size" for a "full-priced turn-based RPG," so don't expect its success to lead to AAA ambitions: "I'd prefer working as a small team"

Sandfall Interactive is happy as it is

GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads follow up meeting their JRPG idols at Square Enix to exchange "visions and ideas" with praise from another genre icon over dinner: "My favorite game"

Sandfall Interactive developers have been busy

GamesRadar

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs are the new popular kids on the RPG block, visiting both Hideo Kojima and Final Fantasy creators Square Enix for 'a creatively rich exchange of visions and ideas'

Popular, tu vas être pop-u-lar.

PC Gamer

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's success impressed Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima so much he invited its devs over to his studio to sign copies of the French JRPG

The man is full of crossovers

GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's gut-wrenching early twist started as a joke from an abandoned game, but the director greenlit it immediately: "I think it's very important for the themes"

My heart . . .

GamesRadar

One of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's funniest moments was actually "random improv"

Sometimes the best things happen in the moment

GamesRadar

A vital piece of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's story literally came to the RPG's lead writer in a dream: "I realized, 'Oh actually, this story might work'"

The "final piece" of the story was then given to the team from the creative director's mother

GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 started as a "completely different game set in Victorian England," not the French turn-based RPG we now know and love

It was originally called "We Lost"

GamesRadar

It's not just Final Fantasy and Persona – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is also inspired by my favorite JRPG gem Shadow Hearts, confirming a theory I've been sitting on for weeks

Judgment Ring, is that you?

GamesRadar

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GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director is more pleased about his French JRPG's acceptance in Japan than he is about its "acclaim in any other country"

It makes sense given how inspired he was by previous JRPG greats

GamesRadar

With the caveat he got "really, really, really lucky," Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director shares classic advice: "You have to make a game that you will like"

"I think it will always resonate if there's a sense of honesty and truth and joy in the game"

GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says what we all know is true: "Persona 5 is the best game in the world when it comes to battle depictions and UI"

Straight facts

PC Gamer

A Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dev has formed an anime rivalry with the godlike buildcrafters who only needed 'like, one week' to beat his record of dealing 3.4 billion damage with one attack

Number go up.

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GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs had an internal competition to see who could hit for the most damage – and players broke their record "in like 1 week"

Fans of the RPG have developers beat

GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director says the studio itself is "like an RPG party" of people who came together randomly, and treating "stupid ideas" seriously is essential

I love it when a plan comes together

Destructoid

Missing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 already? Here’s 9 games that will fill the hole left by the RPG’s end

It's like an itch I can't scratch.

PC Gamer

Clair Obscur's director has an old YouTube channel full of masterful no-hit Devil May Cry videos because of course he does

You'll never guess what his favorite fighting style is.

GamesRadar

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director is more than just a Devil May Cry fan: his YouTube channel is nothing but impressive DMC 5 challenge runs, which absolutely tracks

Now I'm motivated to play this game

GamesRadar

Watch in horror and awe as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director uses early builds of characters like a vtuber model in the only video on Sandfall's old YouTube channel

If that is Lune, boy has she changed a lot

Creative Bloq

Fans are surprised by the early concept trailer for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

You won't believe how different the year's best video game could have looked.

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