Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is a unique title, and it should absolutely stand on its own merit, but it’s impossible to talk about or critique the game without mentioning its clear Final Fantasy inspiration.
Sandfall Interactive has not been shy about where its ideas aboutExpedition 33came from. Turn-based JRPGs like the classicFinal Fantasytitles are the blood of the game experience, from the story to the turn-based combat that defines it. And now I think I know exactly whythe game is so damn good.
In aMarch 25 Giant Bomb videothat’s been making the rounds again after the game’s huge success,Expedition 33creative director Guillaume Broche solidified himself as a current and future king of the industry, for me, with one simple quote.
“Final Fantasy VIIIis the best one, I will die on that hill,” Broche said as the group explored a Tower Records, and suddenly I felt as though I was ready to follow him into the depths of hell for the rest of his career. Because damn it, he’s right, and I’m sick of pretending that he’s not.
In the video, Giant Bomb’s Tamoor Hussain mentions thatExpedition 33’s“reactive turn-based” reminds him of Squall’s Gunblade attacks inFF8, and it all clicked for me. I’ve been doing QTEs and that sort of turn-based RPG combat since 1999, timing my R1 button presses in time with Squall’s slashes with the most underrated weapon in all of video game history.
For those who haven’t playedFF8(shame on you), the main character Squall’s weapon is a Gunblade. It’s a sword that is also a gun, and it should be in the hall of fame of video game weapons alongside everything from the Master Sword to the Needler to the Blades of Chaos. If I could mount any one video game weapon on my wall, it would be the Gunblade.
And so, the hilt of the Gunblade has a trigger that you pull that fires a bullet out of the end of the blade, and when timed properly during Squall’s attacks, does extra damage. This is extremely similar toExpedition 33’scombat, and explains why it scratches such an itch for me. It brings me back to the beginnings of my love for JRPGs.
Funnily enough, Broche goes on to say thatExpedition 33’scombat is actually inspired byLost Odyssey,which features circles closing in on each other that must be timed with button presses, but I feel like you’d be hard pressed to say that that game’s combat wasn’t in turn also inspired byFF8.
And this is why I will never understand whyFF8is often hated on as one of the “worst” PlayStation eraFinal Fantasygames, especially when compared toVII,IX, andX. Broche also says that for most people it’s about whichFFyou played first, and that wasVIIIfor me. But even on subsequent playthroughs, it just feels so damn good, and I feel like a lot of that has to do with the Gunblade’s mini QTE’s.
I mean, sure, the story isn’t the strongest and a lot of people hate the Junction system (which vaguely reminds me of Pictos and Lumina inE33), but the characters and the world are its strengths in my mind. And nothing can change that, no matter how many times I’m told the other games are better.
Basically, you should play FF8,and if you played it and didn’t like it, you should play it again withE33fresh in your mind. You should definitely play it if you haven’t been a turn-based RPG fan, but E33 may have changed your mind.
Wouldn’t you know it,FF VIII Remasteredis just$8 on Steamright now! Very cheeky. In my biased opinion, I think it’s eight of the best dollars you can spend…but only after you finishExpedition 33.
