Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swept The Game Awards 2025 with nine trophies including Game of the Year, and now we know why its combat feels so uniquely satisfying. Director Guillaume Broche revealed in a conversation with Devil May Cry producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi that the battle system was designed around one fundamental constraint: the game must be clearable without taking a single hit. This design philosophy shaped every decision about which mechanics made the cut, creating a turn-based RPG that blends the tactical depth of Final Fantasy with the precise parrying of Sekiro.
The Design Philosophy That Changed Turn-Based Combat
During development at French studio Sandfall Interactive, Broche established a simple test for every combat mechanic: can a boss using this system be defeated without taking any damage? If the answer was no, that mechanic got cut, no matter how interesting it seemed. This constraint forced the team to eliminate traditional JRPG elements like random status effects, unavoidable damage attacks, and mechanics that rely on luck rather than skill.
The philosophy extends both directions. If the game can crush you with overwhelming bosses, you should also be able to master the systems enough to beat the final boss at Level 1. Kobayashi noted that staying constantly attuned to attack patterns gives players the tools they need for these challenge runs. Broche confirmed that skilled players have already completed no-hit runs, proving the design works exactly as intended.
This approach is uncommon in Western games but deeply rooted in Japanese RPG design. Broche specifically cited his love for JRPGs that let you challenge seemingly impossible encounters and eventually overcome them through pattern memorization and execution. The feeling of spending three days learning a boss fight, finally winning, then becoming overwhelmingly stronger is what he wanted to recreate for Expedition 33.
How the Parry System Actually Works
The centerpiece of this philosophy is the parry mechanic inspired by FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. During enemy turns, players can dodge, parry, or jump over attacks in real time rather than passively watching damage numbers accumulate. Dodging uses a generous timing window and is safer for learning attack patterns, but parrying provides the most benefits despite requiring precise timing.
Successful parries negate all damage, generate Ability Points for using skills, and trigger stylish counterattacks with explosive particle effects and crunchy sound design. The satisfaction of perfectly timing a parry never dulls across the 30-plus hour campaign because each encounter introduces new attack rhythms to master. Not every attack can be parried, with jump attacks functioning similarly to Sekiro’s Mikiri Counters, while special Gradient Attacks keep you constantly adjusting.
The parry timing requires rhythm game precision, tighter than most action games. Some players initially complained it was too powerful, rendering characters invulnerable in a turn-based setting while enabling potent counter-damage. But that’s exactly the point. Mastering parries is how you achieve no-hit runs, and the tight timing ensures it’s a genuine skill expression rather than an easy exploit.
The Turn-Based Foundation
Despite the real-time defensive mechanics, Expedition 33 remains fundamentally turn-based. Everyone attacks one at a time following an initiative order displayed on screen, giving you time to survey the battlefield and strategize. On your turns, characters can use base melee attacks to gain Ability Points, aim ranged attacks freely like a third-person shooter to target weak points, spend AP on powerful skills enhanced by quick-time events, or consume items for healing and buffs.
The Break system adds another layer by letting you stun enemies temporarily after dealing enough stamina damage with specific attacks. Dealing and avoiding damage contributes to a ranking system from D to S, with higher ranks increasing your damage output and making certain skills more effective. Some characters’ abilities become dramatically more powerful at specific ranks, encouraging aggressive play that maintains high ratings.
Party composition matters enormously. Each of the six characters has unique mechanics that reward mastery. Maelle uses stance-based épée combat where one stance flows into another to boost different effects. Sciel applies Foretell status to enemies then consumes it while building sun and moon charges for additional damage. Another party member resembles Dante from Devil May Cry transplanted into turn-based combat. Learning how to combine their abilities creates satisfying synergy.
The Picto and Lumina Systems
Builds revolve around Pictos and Luminas, special equipment that grants benefits and unlocks powerful skills. Pictos are equipped to characters to increase stats and provide passive abilities. After winning four battles with a Picto equipped, you unlock its Lumina, a special skill that any party member can then use regardless of who originally unlocked it. This creates flexibility in team composition while rewarding experimentation with different equipment loadouts.
The system encourages trying various Pictos to unlock their associated Luminas, gradually expanding your entire party’s toolkit. By endgame, you’ve accumulated dozens of Luminas providing solutions for specific encounter challenges. The no-hit design philosophy shines here because every unlockable skill serves a purpose rather than cluttering the interface with useless abilities you’ll never use.
Why This Design Works
Traditional turn-based RPGs feature mechanics like random status effect chances, unavoidable area-of-effect attacks, and enemies that spam abilities forcing you to heal constantly. These systems assume damage is inevitable, making defensive stats and healing resources essential. Expedition 33 rejects that assumption entirely by making every attack avoidable through skill, fundamentally changing how progression and difficulty work.
In most JRPGs, overcoming tough encounters means grinding levels, upgrading equipment, or exploiting elemental weaknesses until raw stats carry you to victory. In Expedition 33, a Level 1 character with perfect execution beats content designed for Level 30. Equipment and progression still matter for non-expert players, but they’re training wheels rather than requirements. This creates multiple paths to success based on your preferred playstyle.
The constraint of no frustrating deaths means boss attacks follow learnable patterns rather than random targeting. You can study animations, recognize tells, and internalize rhythms until parrying becomes instinctive. This transforms encounters into puzzles where the solution is understanding the boss’s moveset rather than just having bigger numbers than them. It’s closer to fighting games or action games than traditional turn-based combat.
The Game of the Year Sweep
Expedition 33’s success at awards ceremonies isn’t surprising given how it resonated with both critics and players. The game won nine out of ten nominations at The Game Awards 2025, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best RPG. Jennifer English won Best Performance for her role as Maelle.
It previously won seven Golden Joystick Awards including Ultimate Game of the Year, Best Soundtrack, Best Storytelling, and Best Visual Design. GameSpot named it their Game of the Year 2025. IGN awarded it Best RPG of 2025 and Best PC Game. French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Sandfall Interactive twice, calling it a historic first for a French game and a shining example of French audacity and creativity.
Player response has been equally strong. After The Game Awards broadcast, the game sold 300,000 additional copies in just three days, with 70.4 percent coming from new players rather than existing fans double-dipping on different platforms. Total sales now exceed several million across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and as a day-one Game Pass title.
The Free Verso’s Drafts Update
Sandfall Interactive dropped a surprise free update during The Game Awards called Verso’s Drafts, thanking the community for their support. The update added new Luminas and weapons, additional bosses that test endgame builds, a full Photo Mode for capturing the gorgeous art direction, and a new environment to explore. Quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes rounded out the package.
The update demonstrates Sandfall’s commitment to supporting Expedition 33 post-launch despite their small team size. The French studio employs around 40 people, significantly smaller than typical AAA studios. Hideo Kojima praised them as the ideal studio model, and leadership has stated they want to maintain that human scale rather than rapidly expanding. If they need more people during production peaks, they’ll hire carefully rather than balloon into a massive corporation.
What Other RPGs Should Learn
The design philosophy of making every attack avoidable through skill creates a foundation that other developers should study carefully. However, blindly copying the parry system without understanding the underlying constraints would fail spectacularly. Games like Sekiro and Expedition 33 work because enemy attacks are designed specifically around parrying, following consistent patterns meant to be learned rather than randomized to increase artificial difficulty.
In RPGs where parrying is just one optional tool among many, enemy design can’t assume players will use it, so attacks need to work for various playstyles. The moment you make parrying mandatory without designing every encounter around it, you create frustration rather than satisfaction. Expedition 33 succeeds because every mechanic passed the test of supporting skillful no-hit runs, not because it added parries to an otherwise traditional JRPG.
The bigger lesson is about constraints improving creativity. By establishing the rule that everything must be beatable without damage, Sandfall eliminated bloated mechanics that plague traditional JRPGs. Every system serves a purpose. Every status effect has counterplay. Every boss attack can be learned. The game respects player time and skill rather than padding content with grind or relying on RNG to create artificial challenge.
FAQs
What is the no-hit design philosophy in Clair Obscur Expedition 33?
Director Guillaume Broche designed the battle system around the constraint that every boss must be beatable without taking damage. During development, any mechanic that failed this test got cut. This philosophy shaped which traditional JRPG systems made it into the final game.
Can you actually beat Expedition 33 without getting hit?
Yes, skilled players have completed no-hit runs of the entire game. The director confirmed it’s possible to beat the final boss at Level 1 and clear the game without taking a single hit, proving the design philosophy works as intended.
How does parrying work in Clair Obscur Expedition 33?
During enemy turns, players can parry attacks with precise timing to negate all damage, gain Ability Points, and trigger counterattacks. The timing window is tighter than dodging but provides significantly more benefits. Every attack follows learnable patterns rather than random timing.
Is Expedition 33 actually turn-based or action combat?
It’s fundamentally turn-based with real-time defensive mechanics. Everyone attacks one at a time following an initiative order. On your turns, you select actions strategically. During enemy turns, you parry, dodge, or jump in real-time to avoid attacks.
What inspired the combat system?
Director Guillaume Broche cited FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as inspiration for the parry system. After playing Sekiro, he wanted that satisfying feeling in a turn-based RPG, leading to Expedition 33’s unique blend of tactical planning and precise execution.
How many Game of the Year awards did Expedition 33 win?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025, GameSpot’s GOTY, and numerous other publications. It won nine out of ten nominations at The Game Awards, the most in the event’s history.
Is Expedition 33 available on Game Pass?
Yes, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launched as a day-one title on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on April 22, 2025. It’s also available for purchase on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
What is the Verso’s Drafts update?
Verso’s Drafts is a free update dropped during The Game Awards 2025 that added new bosses, Luminas, weapons, a complete Photo Mode, a new environment, and various improvements. Sandfall Interactive released it as a thank you to the community.
Conclusion
The revelation that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s entire battle system was built around the constraint of being beatable without taking damage explains why it feels so different from other turn-based RPGs. By forcing every mechanic to pass the test of supporting skillful no-hit runs, Sandfall Interactive created combat that respects player mastery rather than relying on grinding levels or luck-based mechanics. The philosophy transformed traditional JRPG combat by adding Sekiro-inspired parrying while maintaining the strategic depth that makes turn-based battles compelling. Every attack is avoidable through skill. Every boss pattern can be learned. Every system serves a purpose rather than cluttering the experience with unnecessary complexity. This design constraint improved creativity rather than limiting it, helping a 40-person French studio create a Game of the Year winner that beat massive AAA productions. The success of Expedition 33 proves that thoughtful design philosophy matters more than budget size or team headcount. By establishing clear rules about how combat should work and ruthlessly cutting anything that violated those principles, Broche and his team at Sandfall Interactive delivered one of the most satisfying battle systems in RPG history. For other developers wondering how a small indie studio created such a polished experience, the answer is simple: constraints breed creativity. When you establish that the game must be beatable without taking damage and design every encounter around that principle, you eliminate bloat and focus on what actually matters. You create boss fights that are fair challenges to overcome rather than stat checks to grind past. As Expedition 33 continues dominating awards season and selling hundreds of thousands of additional copies, the design philosophy behind its combat deserves recognition. This is how you innovate in a genre that’s been iterating on the same formulas for decades. You establish a clear vision, cut everything that doesn’t serve it, and polish what remains until it shines. The result is a game so satisfying that even the French President congratulates you twice.