"Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Showcases FF and Persona Inspirations"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an eagerly anticipated turn-based RPG from Sandfall Interactive, is making waves in the gaming community with its unique approach to the genre. After a compelling showcase, the game's director has shed light on the inspirations fueling its development.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Takes Inspiration from FF, Persona, & Classic JRPGs

Blends Turn-Based Mechanics and Real-Time Elements

Drawing inspiration from the Belle Epoque era of France and iconic JRPGs, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is poised to redefine the turn-based RPG genre by seamlessly integrating turn-based mechanics with real-time elements. The game, developed by Sandfall Interactive, takes significant cues from the legendary Final Fantasy and Persona series, aiming to carve a distinct niche within the gaming landscape.

Following a successful hands-off demo at Summer Game Fest (SGF), creative director Guillaume Broche shared insights into the game's inspirations in an interview with Eurogamer. Broche, a fervent fan of turn-based games, expressed his desire to create a title that combines high-fidelity graphics with the strategic depth of turn-based gameplay. "I'm a very big fan of turn-based games and I was deeply lacking something that had high-fidelity graphics," Broche stated, citing Atlus' Persona and Square Enix's Octopath Traveller as "stylish and nostalgic" influences that shaped his vision. "If nobody wants to do it, I will do it. That's how it started."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG that introduces real-time elements, centered around a compelling narrative to prevent the enigmatic Paintress from painting death again. The game's environments, such as the gravity-defying Flying Waters, are as unique as its storyline.

Combat in Expedition 33 demands real-time reactions, where players input action commands in a turn-based format but must also respond swiftly during enemy attacks to defend. This innovative approach has drawn comparisons to renowned turn-based RPGs like the Persona series, Final Fantasy, and last year's acclaimed Switch title, 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 stand up and say 'oh this looks cool', but I wasn't expecting this community to be that excited actually."

While Persona is a notable influence, Broche clarified to PC Gamer that the Final Fantasy series, particularly the Final Fantasy 8, 9, and 10 eras, had a more profound impact on the game's development. "I don’t hide my love of action for the Final Fantasy 8, 9, and 10 era. I think a lot of the core of the game definitely takes inspiration from that," Broche noted. He emphasized that while the game draws from these classics, it is not a direct imitation but rather a reflection of the tastes he developed growing up with these titles.

"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 open world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players have full control over their characters. They can switch between party members seamlessly and utilize unique traversal abilities to solve environmental puzzles scattered throughout the game. Broche described Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as an homage to classic turn-based games, expressing his desire for players to "break the game with crazy builds and like, stupid combinations," he humorously 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 wrote in a recent post on the PlayStation blog. "And hey, even if we fail, we lay the trail for those who come after, right?"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is set to launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox in 2025.