Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Lead Reflects on Underestimating Player Engagement with Side Content and Regrets Not Meeting Expectations for a Tough Final Boss

The captivating journey of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s main storyline is certainly a highlight of this acclaimed J’RPG, but Sandfall Interactive has also packed their debut title with a wealth of side content that many players might not tackle before reaching the end credits.

From challenging optional bosses to the infamous Gestral Games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers a plethora of activities, most of which can be explored before facing the final boss. Engaging with this content naturally boosts your character’s level compared to those who rush through the main story. In a conversation with an outlet, lead game designer Michel Nohra expressed, “the only thing I regret is not making it clearer that if you want the intended difficulty for the boss, you have to go beat it now.”

Nohra elaborated, “Often, players prefer to complete all side content before finishing the game, as motivation tends to wane once the story concludes. I underestimated this, which left some players who sought a challenging final boss feeling a bit let down. While I don’t regret our approach, we could have provided more guidance about your choices in Act 3.”

On the other hand, lead programmer Tom Guillermin believes this phenomenon stemmed from a sense of “humility,” as the team at Sandfall Interactive didn’t anticipate their game achieving such success.

“We weren’t sure if our game was going to be that good,” Guillermin shared. “If it wasn’t, players might just want to experience the story and rush to the end. So it was a surprise for us that players were engaging with every aspect of the game before heading to the final dungeon. We’re thrilled about that, but it caught us off guard.”

This experience may influence Sandfall Interactive’s approach for their next project, whatever it may be. One thing remains clear: the developers will continue to be driven by “what we think is cool” rather than trying to cater to everyone.

Before Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made waves at The Game Awards, Sandfall was hoping for a solid 80 Metacritic score.