What if Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a different game?

The success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has surpassed all boundaries, especially for a game that is nowhere close to a triple-A in funding. With a turn-based combat that reminisces Final Fantasy, a beautiful Belle Epoque setting, a gripping storyline, and Persona-style menus, the game has managed to captivate a huge player base and sold a significant number of copies in just a couple of days. The game shines brightly like a jewel that has dazed both players and specialized press, demonstrating that you don't need a massive budget or to be overpriced to be one of the hits of the year. It's too early to say if Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is going to be the Game of the Year, but it's a solid candidate for the most coveted award.

A game that wasn't meant to be

The development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has not been an easy journey, nor was the initial concept of the game the one that players love. According to narrative lead Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, the game was totally different in the early stages of its development. In a recent interview, she shared that the game originally followed a totally different path.

“Guillaume Broche and I had actually previously started working on a different game concept, and that's how we met. He was looking for voice actors for a script he was working on, but then I joined, we started talking, and he invited me to help. This game was very different. The gameplay would have been similar, but the story was completely different. It was set in a steampunk Victorian England with zombies, aliens, and various things.”

Can you imagine a game like that? Do you think it would have been as successful as the release version of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Probably not, but fortunately, Sandfall Interactive decided to follow another path, and we can now enjoy a masterpiece whose impact will surely change the genre.

The RPG genre was a bit stagnant in all of its subcategories, at least until the arrival of Baldur's Gate 3. But Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has demonstrated that there are plenty of opportunities to innovate, even for small studios. If you still have to discover one of the best titles released so far this year, feel free to use our comparator to buy Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at the best price for your platform of choice.