Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had an absolute sweep at The Game Awards 2025, winning nine awards, including Game of the Year. It even broke the record for most nominations at the event. While it’s hardly surprising that it won so many awards, it lost out on just two of the categories it was nominated for.
Almost every aspect of the game is award-worthy, from its music, art, narrative, direction, and even combat. Director Guillaume Broche recently spoke about the combat philosophy of the game, saying it follows a “very Japanese” formula. It throws some difficult enemies at you right from the start, but they can be beaten at lower levels if you’re good enough.
A Clair Obscur No-Hit Run Is Possible
In a conversation with Denfaminicogamer (via Automaton), along with GPTRACK50’s Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Broche talked about Clair Obscur’s combat philosophy and difficulty. It differs from many “Western” RPGs by presenting tough enemies and bosses right at the start of the game, rather than later on in the game.
“In Western games, you don’t often see an obviously overpowered boss placed early on,” he said. “One of the reasons I love JRPGs is precisely this experience of challenging something and eventually overcoming it. Even if I’m told it’s impossible, I want to keep trying, even if it takes me three days. And when I finally win, I become overwhelmingly stronger. That feeling is irresistible.”
If You’re Mad Clair Obscur Won Best Indie, You’re Comparing It To The Wrong Game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is exactly the sort of game to win Best Independent Game. They just don’t usually win Game of the Year too.
Broche noted that the game was specifically designed under the assumption that players would return to beat tough optional bosses who they had a hard time with at the start. However, they also ensured that deaths would not feel unfair or frustrating, and players would feel like they could be beaten with a bit more experience.
In order to ensure this, Sandfall Interactive has to ensure that the combat system would follow a very specific formula – that the game could be beaten without taking a single hit, no matter the level. Luck and random patterns were completely removed from the combat system.
“Traditional turn-based RPGs feature a plethora of mechanics, such as status effects, buffs, and debuffs,” he explained. “During the design phase, we first considered, ‘Can a boss using this mechanic be defeated without taking any damage?’ If the answer was no, we didn’t use that mechanic in the first place.”
- Released
-
April 24, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
-
Kepler Interactive
