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Asked by Gamesradar what his favorite game of 2025 is, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director, Naoki Hamaguchi, revealed that Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is his choice for game of the year. Hamaguchi said, “It’s a really great game and would deserve game of the year,” and then elaborated that he enjoyed the JRPG turn-based combat combined with the “new spin” of quick-time parrying.
While a fan of its combat, Hamaguchi added that it “shouldn’t be focused on too much” because “what makes that game so good is the fact it gets all of the elements in it right, and it balances them all at such a high level of quality”. The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director elaborated, “the setting, the world, the characters, and the storyline, those are all really well done as well, in addition to the gameplay”.
Lastly, Hamaguchi said he believes all of Clair Obscur Expedition 33’s elements work well together, and “that’s why it’s such a well-regarded game, why the fans like it so much, why it sold as well as it had”.
Square Enix has acknowledged the success of Expedition 33 before, but the praise is always welcomed, especially considering how Sandfall Interactive were clearly influenced by Final Fantasy. Just like Final Fantasy with its many independent installments, Expedition 33 is “not the end” of the Clair Obscur franchise as it’s just one of the stories Sandfall want to tell. Sandfall Interactive are starting to work on their next game, and they have promised fans it is “crazy” and true to the studio’s DNA.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is a GOTY Favorite
For many, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is a strong contender to win game of the year. It has already won its first GOTY award at the recent Gamescom x Asia event, but it is likely to pick up more before 2025 ends.
Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards spectacle is confirmed for December 11th. There are no nominations for the event yet, but they should be revealed by mid-November.
While the nominees for this year’s Game Awards remain a mystery, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is nominated for many categories belonging to the Golden Joystick Awards. It’s nominated for best storytelling, best visual design, and best soundtrack, with Sandfall Interactive nominated for best studio, Jennifer English nominated for best lead performer as Maelle, and Ben Starr as best supporting performer as Verso. The Golden Joystick Award 2025 winners will be revealed on November 20th.
Although Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is the favorite amongst many to win game of the year, its director has shared that he is personally rooting for Megabonk. Expedition 33 is also seeking an historic Grammy nomination for the video games industry.
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