"Every time someone accuses us of ripping off Expedition 33, we die a little bit inside": Indie studio hits back at people not understanding how long game development takes

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the hot game of 2025, and as awards season approaches, we're sure that it will scoop up plenty of shiny trophies. With just how popular the turn-based RPG has been on streams and social media, it seems that some people are seeing bits of Expedition 33 in everything they play.

The Time I Have Left is an upcoming indie game about a world where people's lives are limited in length. When a woman finds out that she doesn't have long to live, she races to break free from her cage, defeating fantastical monsters along the way. Featuring a turn-based battle system and a stylish UI, this might sound all too familiar to fans of Expedition 33.

Except The Time I Have Left was first revealed at The Future Game Show back in March 2022, and Expedition 33 was announced in June 2024. In fact, a demo of The Time I Have Left featuring its turn-based combat system has been available via Steam since October 2022, long before the world knew what a Clair Obscur is.

Almost every creative endeavor takes inspiration from other sources, and this is equally true of Expedition 33. Sandfall Interactive proudly states that it was inspired by old-school JRPGs, in particular the Final Fantasy series. Both The Time I Have Left and Expedition 33 are likely to have similar inspirations, such as stylish UI similar to that seen in Persona 5.

Instead of assuming that both games have been inspired by certain games, some people have apparently been accusing the indie team of "ripping off" the 2025 smash hit, according to its devs. They write on Twitter, "Every time someone accuses us of ripping off Expedition 33, we die a little bit inside. Yes, it's a turn-based RPG. Yes, it has dodges and parries. Our game already had all that in the public demos we released in 2022 and 2024. No need to call us names."

If you don't believe the team, The Time I Have Left demo is out now if you want to see how much it is not like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for yourself.