Clair Obscur: A Masterclass in UX Design in Video Games

Clair Obscur was released on April 24, 2025, and has since sold over 2 million copies in less than two weeks. For a game without a massive marketing campaign and developed by a small team of about thirty people in the south of France — can we call it a miracle?

A French RPG Against the Grain: Clair Obscur

Let’s take a closer look at the game’s proposition. A mysterious world, a unique art direction, a striking musical score, and a JRPG-inspired gameplay system. In many ways, it’s the opposite of what major studios offer — they must tailor their games to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Understandable, considering recent game budgets easily exceed hundreds of millions of euros. Failure isn’t an option, and risks are tightly controlled.

And then came Sandfall Interactive, a small studio that defies expectations and releases what many are already calling Game of the Year. An indie Game of the Year? Who would’ve thought? But beyond the commercial success and buzz, what struck me most in Expedition 33 was how masterfully the game delivers its User Experience (UX). Every element is designed to make the player feel, understand, and live the adventure without ever letting go. And that player-centric approach is exactly what makes this game exceptional.

A Passion Project Turned Success

Expedition 33 is, above all, a story of passion — according to its founder, Guillaume Broche. Guillaume is a former Ubisoft employee who left the machine to create the kind of game he personally wanted to play. And judging by the result (I just finished it) and also by the public and critical reception: mission accomplished.

UX in Video Games: More Than Just an Interface

UX = User Experience

In video games, UX refers to everything that keeps the player engaged: intuitive navigation, emotional impact, gameplay logic, and above all, respecting the player’s intelligence.

We could analyze Expedition 33 from many angles, but I want to focus on what resonates with me most: the User Experience (UX).

UX in games is how players feel, understand, and interact with the game. From menus and controls to emotional payoffs and intuitive systems, it all matters. It starts with tutorials — or even before, depending on how deep you want to go (more on that in future articles).

Some recent games embrace the “figure it out yourself” approach (think Dark Souls or Elden Ring), while others hold your hand a bit too tightly (Ubisoft, we’re looking at you). We’ll dive into those design philosophies in a future post. For now, let’s focus on Expedition 33.

Tutorial, Storytelling, and Emotional Engagement

Stan Lee once said: “Every comic is someone’s first.” The same goes for games. But how do you teach gameplay systems without overwhelming the player with a boring checklist?

Expedition 33 doesn’t throw you into the world unprepared. On the contrary, its introduction carefully explains the game systems while building emotional attachment to its characters and setting. The genius part? Many of these characters disappear within the first 30 minutes (no spoilers, don’t worry), yet you’re already emotionally invested.

By the time the tutorial ends, you’re hooked. And you won’t stop until the journey ends.

A UX Design Built Around the Player

As I said earlier, UX is a global concept. A great intro means nothing if the rest of the game collapses. But here, everything — from systems to sounds to visual feedback — is crafted with the user in mind. The narrative design, soundscapes, level layouts… all are designed to strengthen immersion and engagement.

One of the most striking UX decisions in Expedition 33? It respects the player’s time and intelligence. There are no hundreds of exclamation points cluttering your map. In fact, there’s barely a map at all (besides the world map used for travel). This is a deliberate choice — confirmed by Guillaume himself.

And it’s a brilliant one.

A Game That Respects You

So why does this game feel so special? The world, the visuals, and the music play a huge role — but the key is: if you’re staring at a minimap the whole time, you’re not soaking in the world.

Here, you’re forced to look around. To use visual and audio cues to navigate and react. You’ll notice a glimmering flame at the edge of a path — it’s a collectible, and finding it feels genuinely rewarding. You’re not bombarded with meaningless items. You’re respected.

Sandfall uses light, architecture, and design — à la Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom — to subtly guide you. The level layouts are intuitive, with a main path and side routes that always offer something of value. It’s the FromSoftware approach done differently: no obvious “go here” signs, just visual landmarks and well-crafted environments that naturally lead the player.

Expedition 33: A UX Lesson Worth Studying

This is what we call a UX masterclass. There’s too much consistency, too many clever choices, for it to be mere luck. This is thoughtful design, a strong creative vision, and above all, deep respect for the player.

It’s not a miracle. It’s a statement. And one thing’s for sure — I can’t wait to see what they do next.