The acclaim of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the backstory behind its development seem to parallel Hollow Knight, demonstrating the raw potential smaller-scale independent games continue to have within the industry. While the stories and worlds of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight might be far removed from one another, these debut games from their respective indie developers represent two sides of a coin that AAA studios seem to miss the mark on. With most RPGs focusing on action as of late, the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s turn-based combat and Hollow Knight‘s blend of Soulsborne and Metroidvania genres offer like-minded, refreshing alternatives.
Despite prior and ongoing comparisons to modern RPGs like Avowed, The Outer Wilds, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the inspiration behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was prompted by the classic games in the Final Fantasy series. Just as Hollow Knight took influences from older platformers, such as Metroid, Faxanadu, and Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, both games succeeded in exploring areas of game design that AAA developers had seemingly written off. With a film adaptation already confirmed for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and anticipation building for Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s release, the gaming industry could arguably learn the same lesson from either game’s success.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Makes a Case for Final Fantasy Returning to Its Roots
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has proven, without a doubt, that the classic JRPG formula isn’t dead, and it’s time that Final Fantasy take notice.
Like Hollow Knight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Breaks the Mold
Guillaume Broche, founder of Sandfall Interactive and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s director, spoke to the BBC about how unorthodox the game’s development had been, such as recruiting its team via Reddit and embracing remote work during COVID-19. However, likely informed by his experience working for Ubisoft before founding Sandfall Interactive, Broche recognized that the initial conception of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went against the grain of the gaming industry, ranging from its small-scale team to its seemingly outdated turn-based mechanics. Ultimately, Broche attributes part of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s success to the adaptability and skill of this team and its dedication to the game’s vision:
“We have, I think, an amazing team mostly of junior people, but they are so incredibly invested in the project and talented.”
“Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me after all these years.”
The story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s development and success isn’t new, however, as it shares various similarities with the journey Hollow Knight took from Ludum Dare’s 2013 game jam to a nominee at The Game Awards in 2017. Much like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the developer behind Hollow Knight, Team Cherry, began as a small team that broke from conventional game development, such as releasing its Hungry Knight game jam entry to Newgrounds and crowdfunding its game development via Kickstarter. Moreover, just as Broche spearheaded Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s development, so too did Team Cherry’s founders, Ari Gibson and William Pellen.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight Represent Growing Trends in Gaming
The success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 after Hollow Knight and other indie hits like Stardew Valley, Hades, and Cuphead, regardless of bigger budgets or teams, points to a growing disparity between indie and AAA game development. More specifically, it suggests that the gaming community is increasingly interested in newer, more innovative approaches to classic game design, such as turn-based combat or Metroidvania platformers, instead of hyperrealistic graphics and live services.
In addition to their mold-breaking approaches to game development and design, both Hollow Knight and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 set themselves apart from most games with distinctive styles, characters, and stories. Similar to how Hollow Knight embraced its darker tone in contrast to its cartoon-like design, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 blends its influences from other series like Final Fantasy and Persona with its artistic premise and reworked Victorian-era concepts. As a result, despite how different they might appear on the surface, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight both represent a growing trend in indie games that shows no signs of slowing down.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
