Some gameplay footage from an early prototype version of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from 2019 appeared online. Back then, the game was called We Lost, and it was supposed to be related to time. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Guillaume Broche came up with the idea of Clair Obscur in 2019 while working on a Might and Magic game at Ubisoft. Guillaume believed that Ubisoft would never greenlight a game like Expedition 33, which is why he decided to quit the company. Tom Guillermin, the game’s director, also quit Ubi to join Broche’s new team. And then, the small team Broche created started exploring Unreal Engine 4.
Now, the gameplay footage from the early prototype version of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is really rough. The character models are nowhere close to the quality of those we got in the final game. There are also a lot of placeholder graphics. Plus, the environments look really rough.
From what I can see, the final game still kept the “close-to-the-character” camera viewpoint of the prototype. The team also decided from the get-go to create a turn-based RPG. However, the prototype did not have the QTE during the combat that the final game has. And this is perhaps one of the best ideas they came up with.
In a way, this “active” turn-based combat system reminded me of Super Mario RPG for SNES. In Super Mario RPG, you could hit your enemies harder if you pressed the attack button at the right moment. You could also minimize the damage you’d take by hitting the right button at the right time. Obviously, that system in Super Mario RPG was way simpler and not as complex as the one we have in Expedition 33. Still, this is the game that immediately came to my mind.
Anyway, I always enjoy watching prototype gameplay footage of games. So, make sure to watch the video if you are curious about it. The prototype gameplay footage appears early in the video.
Speaking of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, here are some mods for it. ClairObscurFix Mod is a must-have mod. At least in my opinion. This mod will remove the 30FPS cap from the in-game cut-scenes. Moreover, it will remove the sharpening filter that the devs have used. It will also skip intro logos, and it will reduce letterboxing/pillarboxing in cutscenes.
Then we have this mod that improves its Lumen/Ray Tracing effects. You should use this mod only if you own a high-end GPU. In my opinion, it’s not a must-have mod like the ClairObscurFix Mod.
Perhaps the most popular mod on NexusMods for Clair Obscur is the following one. This mod will make Dodge and Parry easier or harder. Some purists may not like it. However, if you had difficulty with the Parry system, you can use this to make it easier. Similarly, those who want some extra challenge can use it to make the game even harder.
Fans of NieR: Automata can also use this mod to replace Lune with 2B. This is a simple character swap mod.
Finally, you can download a DLSS 4 Frame Gen Mod. Sadly, though, this mod is put behind a Patreon wall. As of right now, I haven’t seen a free DLSS 4 Frame Gen Mod. So, that’s kind of a bummer. Let’s at least hope that the devs will add official support for Frame Gen via a future update.
Enjoy and stay tuned for more!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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UE5 make your character G@y F@ggot woke trash
If you are angry with something be angry with the studios' directors who follow certain agenda, don't blame it on the technology.
UE5 can't do anything to the models. Can a paintbrush make a character ugly? I think the characters look fine. I hate UE5 for different reasons. Mainly due stutters and how the Anti-Aliasing methods are implemented
its mindblowing how many amateurs worked on this game and made something so great. All the narratives we are told by the mainstream, you need hundreds of people, you need the best and most expensive, you need diversity and woke hr departments, you need it to be real time not turn based, you need 100 hours and must be 70 bucks soon to be 90 or more, needs microtransactions and dlcs, nope, turns out what we needed was go back to when the games were good, small group of people who are passionate about making something they want with limits in budget and size and no compromise in their vision.
Did i mention i hate this industry? This is why.
"you need the best"
I don't see that at all, if anything, the best are either working on their own, in completely different industries altogether or just passionate enthusiasts.
Compare the repetitive, microtransaction filled, hardly any story AC: Shadows that was made with 500 people? and had two hour credits to Clair Obscur Expedition 33 that was made with 32 people? and had zero microtransactions. I hope the Ubisofts, EAs, etc are extremely embarrassed by what Sandfall did and what they cannot.
yeah glad the tech improved, that prototype looks even more dated than 2019
The original character design was beautiful though. Pristine female chin vs wide man jaw…Hah, jokes aside game would've been better with UE4
I think so too. UE4 is in a pretty good place IMO, and for a game that has mostly static environments and no dynamic time-of-day systems like this one, it would've been the superior engine to use. You'd get basically 95% of the visual fidelity but with 50% or more performance.
Definitely. I think now developers should focus on what they want to achieve instead of using "The Latest" of technology when making games in the current era
"The original character design was beautiful though. Pristine female chin vs wide man jaw."
at first i would agree that the original design looked better but it would appear that the lighting and face position For UE5 version is tweaked.
I would agree though that i'm still seeing most of the content in UE5 version could be done on UE4. considering how FF7 Rebirth looks. has about the same hair quality on character models.
But she does look hotter in the older image
That’s exactly what I think too. Would’ve looked more like Bioshock than what it is now and run better.
Good games are still possible
Indie devs are reshaping the industry for the better. Hopefully we get more bangers like this and this studio like many others before; doesn't lose its way and become like the next Ubi or EA
All successful studios start as Sandfall and turn into CDPR or Ubisoft when outside investors smell money.
Hi there to all, for the reason that I am genuinely keen of reading this website’s post to be updated on a regular basis. It carries pleasant stuff.
People with passion will always outperform those with a certificate.
That chick was way hotter in 2019
I recently finished this game. What a game. This is going to be nominated for a lot of categories at the GOTY awards. The soundtrack is superb, any of the voice cast could be nominated and win easily( I would personally vote for Andy Serkis as Renoir). The game was written by an adult, not some idiot that is obsessed with X/itter or blue sky. The game play is fun but can be challenging at times , especially when you fight something that requires perfect parries. The setting of the game is mysterious and magical and the game takes itself very seriously but at the same time it does not.