Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's developer, has broken the silence after quite a long time to announce that a major update is coming to the game. It will be free and will include things like new content, dialogue and costumes. This has fans buzzing about the possibilities, but beyond that, most fans are still locked into thinking about a potential sequel as well.
They want to know if a sequel would take as long to release as Hollow Knight: Silk Song did. Would the sequel be directly connected to the previous game, follow a different plot (like the Writers at war with the Dessendre family), or be an original Sandfall Interactive game instead? Focusing on a direct sequel, let's go over some things that would mostly build on what Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 started.
Spoilers ahead too Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Getting the party together earlier
The longer you wait, the less time the players have with the characters
One of the worst tropes an RPG can follow is introducing party members late into the game. This gives players less chance to get to know these characters and learn how to use them in battle.
Monoco is a good example in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. He is the last party member to join the group, and it feels like too little too late. Hopefully, the sequel will introduce the main cast very soon and give players an opportunity to play with their party makeup more before the tougher late game fights show up.
A map
My kingdom for guidance
RPGs, and most games, give players maps to explore, whether they're exploring a world map, an open world environment, or a dungeon. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had no dungeon maps at launch, making it easy to get lost in the large, winding world.
There was a map to explore the overworld map, which was appreciated and very helpful, but the dungeon maps were more critical, as it was easy to get lost. Hopefully a sequel will include a dungeon map and minimap option for those struggling to navigate games.
Screen upgrades
From black bars to photo mode
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a very beautiful game, but on a technical level it is nothing revolutionary. It stands out because the art style is striking, but just think how much better it could look if it achieved a graphic quality similar to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth while still presenting the same painting style?
It would be a huge upgrade for the sequel, and some other screen related modes would be killer. An option to remove the black bars in cutscenes would be nice, along with a photo mode, which is a pretty basic mechanic in most modern games.
Better playoff pace
Don't tease the ending halfway through
The feeling of finishing a long journey, especially in an RPG, is amazing. However, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 misleading players when they finally get to The Paintress, as it appears she is the final boss before the game ends.
But after defeating her, there's at least a third of the game left to explore, and the overworld opens up even more thanks to Esquie unlocking her flight ability. On the one hand, it's a nice surprise to have so much game left to play, but on the other hand, players could have leveled up before The Paintress fight, only to find out they didn't need to. In short, the pacing could be better in a sequel.
Switch between action and turn-based
And switch characters in battle
Metaphor: ReFantazio was a big upgrade on Persona formula that Atlus helped create. There were classes and players could fight monsters on the field or in turn-based battles, depending on their level. Allowing players to switch between these game modes helped combat feel more dynamic, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's the sequel should try this combo as well.
If Sandfall sticks to turn-based combat, the introduction of a class system would be an interesting way to expand the combat system, along with a way to swap out party members mid-battle which Final Fantasy 10.
One arena, not several
And more minigames
There are plenty of side quests Clair Obscur: Expedition 33but not many side activities. The mini-games range from okay (like the casino) to indescribably difficult (like the platforming challenges). Arenas are a fun distraction in many RPGs, but there's usually only one to visit and it changes over the course of the game.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 features multiple arenas, each with multiple difficulty levels that make it necessary to revisit them to complete each battle. A sequel could reduce that number to one and have that arena evolve over time instead. Crazy mini-games would also be a plus, as Sandfall Interactive could learn even more from Final Fantasya series legendary for its mini-games.
Diversifying skill sets
Scatters elements around
One of the best things about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's the party system is that each character plays differently. They all have unique skill trees, but they come as a double-edged sword.
For example, having a character master a certain element, like Sciel with Dark, limited strategies and forced players to use characters they might be less comfortable controlling in battle. It would be great to see a sequel give party members a more versatile elemental skill, which could be achieved with a class system.
Save upgrades
A reasonable request
In addition to the map, the rescue game situation in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is also puzzling. There are several save slots that players can select when starting a game. However, they cannot manually save a file to these locations after launch. They can't even copy their saved files to another area.
Players can go back to previous autosaves, of which there are many, but they will be deleted over time, and it is not easy to sift through them all. The ability to manually save would be a huge upgrade for a sequel.
- Released
-
April 24, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer
-
Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher
-
Kepler Interactive
