Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is comfortably one of the greatest games of the year, and it's little wonder when it was inspired by some of the best JRPGs of all time. The team at Sandfall Interactive has been open about how their turn-based game has been influenced by the likes of Final Fantasy and Persona, so it makes sense that creative director Guillaume Broche is so pleased about the title's acclaim in Japan.
Speaking in a recent interview with Denfaminicogamer (which we've machine translated, in addition to translations provided by Twitter user @Genki_JPN) Broche once again mentions how much Japanese games have influenced him, and explains: "I feel more pleased that the game has been accepted by people in Japan than I do about it receiving acclaim in any other country."
Even so, that's really saying something when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's worldwide acclaim has been so overwhelmingly positive. Over on Metacritic, with an average critic score of 92, it's currently tied for the highest-rated game of the year alongside puzzle game Blue Prince. We're still many months away from The Game Awards, but it seems likely to have a very good shot at taking home some of those shiny trophies.
Meanwhile, in the same interview, Broche talks a little more about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Persona influence, going as far to say that, in his opinion, "Persona 5 is the best game in the world when it comes to battle depictions and UI design," and I'm definitely not going to argue with him there. He adds that he "was greatly influenced by the dramatic camera changes every time the player operates, and how it unfolds like watching a movie," so if you thought the game's combat felt at all Persona-like, that'll be why.
With the caveat he got "really, really, really lucky," Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director shares classic advice: "You have to make a game that you will like."
