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Players are spoilt for choice when it comes to large scale JRPGs at the moment. In the last couple of years alone, we've had Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Digimon Time Stranger among a selection of quality remakes and such. Those first two are particularly notable, given they represent contrasting aspects of the industry, but lead developers on both believe that they're a net positive for the medium.
Naoki Hamaguchi, a director on the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, recalls speaking to Guillaume Broche, the director of Clair Obscur, about their relative releases in an interview with GamerBraves (below). "When we were talking, we were like, 'Games are meant to be diverse,'" Hamaguchi says. "Rather than saying Clair Obscur or Final Fantasy, why not Clair Obscur and Final Fantasy."
The subject came up as the two games inspired discussion about action RPGs versus turn-based, as well as conversations about AA projects compared to AAA. Clair Obscur sits within the former threshold, as the debut release from Sandfall Entertainment, who operated largely as an independent studio, whereas Rebirth comes from Square Enix, a large, multi-faceted corporation.
Ultimately, both games are enjoyed by fans around the world, and they push forward their respective mechanics in the right kind of ways. "Both action games and turn-based games should evolve for the better," states Hamaguchi. "This feeling is something we really need to get out to the fans, it's not either/or, it's 'and.'"
He adds that Sandfall understood the best way to achieve this isn't just by discussing it publicly, but "by doing and making these games so that people realize that no, it's not A or B." It's a credit to the industry we can enjoy either, as well as Yakuza, Dragon Quest, Tales, and the myriad other RPG series that each represent a distinct reason these stories are meaningful and enjoyable.
We know Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is on the way, but Sandfall's next move hasn't been revealed. Whatever it is, the bar is high, and yet I've no doubts it'll be raised with aplomb.
