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  1. Games
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  3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

After the president of France, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has earned a nod from a hugely popular French MMO that references one of its many heart-wrenching twists

News
By Kaan Serin published 27 July 2025

My wounds have reopened

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 screenshot of Verso, a man with black hair with white streaks running through his fringe
(Image credit: Kepler Interactive)
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is obviously a big hit around the world. On Steam, the game passed the concurrent player peaks of some genre behemoths like Metaphor: ReFantazio, and it's sold millions of copies despite launching into Xbox Game Pass on its first day. But it's also attracted tons of praise in developer Sandfall Interactive's home turf of France too.

Close to launch, French President Emmanuel Macron took time out of his probably busy day to shout out the global hit in a social media post. "A million copies and to date, one of the best-rated games in history: and yes, it's French!" Macron wrote at the time. "Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French audacity and creativity."

It's since only grown in stature, though. One of the longest-running MMOs in the world, the 21-year-old Dofus, might not be a household name globally but it is a massive game in France and has attracted tens of millions of players over the past two decades - and it's given Clair Obscur a big fat stamp of approval.

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  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs shout out fellow French studio's climbing sim launching with clever nod to their J'RPG
A 20 years old french MMO using COE33 as a ref from r/expedition33

As one Redditor spotted, Dofus actually used character names from Clair Obscur as examples for a new feature, with everyone from Maelle to Renoir included. The reference doesn't just end there, however - the Dofus devs also seem to be calling back to one of the RPG's most heartbreaking moments. (Spoilers below!)

Gustave seemingly has a score of 9999 in the screenshot above, presumably because he - last warning, spoilers ahead! - you know, dies before your party can remove the game's damage cap. Thanks Dofus, I was only just starting to recover.

Baldur's Gate 3 star obviously thinks Shadowheart is "so badass" but relates more to her Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 character: "Not in any way as cool, nor can I swordfight"

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CATEGORIES
Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Kaan Serin
Kaan Serin
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Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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