Baldur’s Gate 3‘s performance director recently praised Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in a social media post. Released on April 24, 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the first project from French studio Sandfall Interactive, and it quickly became one of the most talked-about games of the year.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG set in a fantasy world inspired by the European Belle Epoque. Every year, the Paintress wakes up to paint a number on her monolith, indicating the age of people who then mysteriously turn into a pile of flower petals. One day before painting “33,” an expedition sets out to find the Paintress, destroy her, and stop the deadly cycle. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become a hit with audiences and critics alike, and this time, another developer has shared their thoughts on the game.
On Larian Studios’ official Twitter account, the performance director of Baldur’s Gate 3 spoke highly of the game Sandfall’s debut title. During a livestream, at the 54-minute and 20-second mark, Lidstone mentions Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 when asked if he is playing any games whose animation or motion capture he liked. The new animation director at Larian noted that he borrowed the game and only played the beginning, but it still made a good impression. Lidstone went further, saying that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a “game that knows what it is and leans into that,” which he described as “beautiful.” This isn’t the first time a Baldur’s Gate 3 dev has praised Clair Obscur, with the publishing director also showing support for Sandfall Interactive’s RPG.
In addition to the Baldur’s Gate 3 development team, other members of the industry have shared their thoughts on the game. John Romero said that “Clair Obscur represents the future of the gaming industry”, with the man behind Doom expressing his excitement not only for Sandfall’s game, but for other independent titles that “can make triple-A studios go.” Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog’s head of creative, praised Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, saying that it was “one of the most creative and exciting stories [he] had played in a long time.”
While Clair Obscur‘s developers have no plans to expand the team, the game’s success should not be limited to the content available at launch. The studio stated that it is considering adding new features to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, including more content, accessibility, and localization. However, there is no specific timeline for when these updates will be released.
April 24, 2025
Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Sandfall Interactive
Kepler Interactive
Unreal Engine 5
