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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From$12Subscribe now Battlefield 6 SDCC 2025 schedule Switch 2 Starter Pack Recommended reading Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director is more pleased about his French JRPG's acceptance in Japan than he is about its "acclaim in any other country" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs went from being "pretty nervous" about Oblivion Remastered stealing their spotlight to celebrating with champagne and croissants days later when reviews landed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is even getting praise from within The Witcher 4 studio CD Projekt Red, as community director says "we NEED more games like this" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads follow up meeting their JRPG idols at Square Enix to exchange "visions and ideas" with praise from another genre icon over dinner: "My favorite game" Former Dragon Age writer praises Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as "beautiful," saying it's "kind of to JRPGs what Baldur's Gate 3 was to CRPGs" Life imitates art: Clair Obscur Expedition 33 sold 3.3 million copies in 33 days – "Seriously. As of today. We couldn't make that up" 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 Kaan Serin 27 July 2025 My wounds have reopened When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Kepler Interactive) 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. You may like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director is more pleased about his French JRPG's acceptance in Japan than he is about its "acclaim in any other country" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs went from being "pretty nervous" about Oblivion Remastered stealing their spotlight to celebrating with champagne and croissants days later when reviews landed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is even getting praise from within The Witcher 4 studio CD Projekt Red, as community director says "we NEED more games like this" 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" Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more Xbox Series X News Xbox Series X PlayStation 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. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director is more pleased about his French JRPG's acceptance in Japan than he is about its "acclaim in any other country" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs went from being "pretty nervous" about Oblivion Remastered stealing their spotlight to celebrating with champagne and croissants days later when reviews landed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is even getting praise from within The Witcher 4 studio CD Projekt Red, as community director says "we NEED more games like this" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads follow up meeting their JRPG idols at Square Enix to exchange "visions and ideas" with praise from another genre icon over dinner: "My favorite game" Former Dragon Age writer praises Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as "beautiful," saying it's "kind of to JRPGs what Baldur's Gate 3 was to CRPGs" Latest in RPGs 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" Undertale's Toby Fox celebrates 10 years of the seminal RPG by letting you create your own pixelated avatar and record a memory, but it crashed almost immediately Oblivion Remastered players are using math to figure out if it truly is "highly likely" Bethesda's RPG remake has just 57 gates "instead of the 60 in the original" A single former Capcom dev is responsible for a 'Kawaii Physics' plugin used in many Unreal Engine games, and he was thrilled to learn that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also uses it Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads follow up meeting their JRPG idols at Square Enix to exchange "visions and ideas" with praise from another genre icon over dinner: "My favorite game" "Yes, it's an open world game with a variety of biomes": Ex-CD Projekt Red devs' new vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker sounds just as massive as The Witcher 3, and I can't wait Latest in News 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" "Praise the maker": In an MMO miracle, Dune: Awakening players and the devs themselves tracked down a player named Ben to convince him to check his base power Fantastic Four director explains why one villain was cut, despite the actor's "incredible performance": "It was just so much material" Yes, that is Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four, Marvel director confirms Star Trek is showing no signs of slowing down as first Starfleet Academy trailer brings back some old Discovery favorites to train the next generation's "best and brightest" 16 years after the critically panned reboot, iconic horror franchise Friday the 13th returns to the big screen with a new installment – and sequel to the hit video game GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Wheel World review: "By merging Burnout Paradise and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with pedal power, Wheel World arrives somewhere unusual and worth visiting" Wuchang: Fallen Feathers review: "Flashy combos are impressive, but boss battle frustrations get in the way of me actually using them" Donkey Kong Bananza review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years" Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans" College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf” The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range" Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" 28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy” Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date" Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling" Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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