Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director lauds player who conquered the toughest boss by taking every hit, admitting, “I couldn’t do it before the game launched.”

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s developer, Sandfall Interactive, showed some mercy by making the notoriously brutal post-game superboss, Simon, an optional fight. However, dedicated J’RPG fans have been diving into this challenging encounter since the game’s launch, though many find themselves struggling to defeat him without resorting to cheap tactics.

In a recent chat with an outlet, Expedition 33’s creative director, Guillaume Broche, shared that while no one has found a way to exploit the game, he was particularly impressed by a player who managed to defeat Simon without using any cheesy strategies and while taking every hit from his massive attacks.

“What surprised me most was someone managed to beat [optional boss] Simon without cheesing and by taking every single hit and still win,” Broche remarked. “That impressed me, because I tried to do it before release and I couldn’t manage it.”

Of course, players with a knack for buildcrafting, like Austin Wood, have found ways to manipulate Expedition 33’s combat mechanics to take down Simon, even on New Game+ at expert difficulty, and while applying a 100x health challenge modifier. Still, receiving recognition from the game’s lead creative is undoubtedly a badge of honor for any RPG enthusiast.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs “basically did twice the work” of a more experienced team to get the hit French RPG out the door