Clair Obscur: FF & Persona Homage in 'Expedition 33'

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an upcoming tactical RPG by Sandfall Interactive, is already generating buzz with its unique spin on the genre. Following a successful showcase, the game's director has given more details into its inspirations.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Takes Inspiration from FF, Persona, & Classic JRPGsCombines Turn-Based Mechanics and Real-Time Elements

Inspired by the Belle Epoque era of France and legendary JRPGs, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an upcoming turn-based RPG by Sandfall Interactive, is already generating buzz with its unique blend of turn-based mechanics and real-time elements. The game draws heavily from the iconic Final Fantasy and Persona series and aims to carve out its own niche in the genre.

Following a successful hands-off demo showcase during SGF, creative director Guillaume Broche shared more about the inspirations behind the game. In a conversation with Eurogamer, Broche expressed his passion for turn-based games, noting that it served as a motivation to produce a turn-based RPG title that boasts high-fidelity graphics. "I'm a huge fan of turn-based games and I was deeply lacking something that had high-fidelity graphics," Broche explained, citing Atlus' Persona and Square Enix's Octopath Traveller as "stylish and nostalgic" alternatives that fueled the 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 incorporates real-time elements, with a storyline focused on preventing the enigmatic Artist from ever painting death again. The game’s environments, like the gravity-defying Aqueous Expanse, promise to be as unique as the game's narrative itself.

Combat in Expedition 33 requires real-time reactions. Players input action commands in a turn-based format, but must also respond quickly during enemy attacks to defend. This approach has drawn comparisons to notable turn-based RPGs such as the Persona series, Final Fantasy, and last year’s Switch hit title, Celestial Sea.

Broche was taken aback by the positive response the game has received. "It was very overwhelming," he commented. "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 one influence, Broche clarified to PC Gamer that the Final Fantasy series, particularly the Final Fantasy VI, VII, and VIII eras, had a more significant impact on the game’s development. "I don’t hide my love of action for the Final Fantasy VI, VII, and VIII era. I think a lot of the core of the game definitely takes inspiration from that," Broche noted. He mentioned that while the game draws from these classics, it is not a direct imitation. Instead, the game reflects the tastes he developed growing up playing 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."

Out in the open world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you have full control of the characters. Players can switch between party members on the fly and even use unique traversal abilities to solve environmental puzzles scattered throughout the game. Since Broch described Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as an homage to classic turn-based games, he said he actually wants 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 dev 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 sometime in 2025.