I’m five hours into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 after installing it yesterday, and I have to say, this is precisely the kind of game I need right now. It has a fascinating story, intricate characters, and an addictive combat system. Clair Obscur seems to deliver on all fronts.
That’s why I’m genuinely surprised it only costs $50. In a time when $70 or even $80 games are becoming the norm, a Game of the Year contender like this feels like it should come with a higher price tag.
I later found out that Sandfall Interactive explained the pricing a few months ago. While I completely understand their reasoning, it still feels like they deserve more recognition. The game is really, really good. At the same time, asking $70 or $80 for an indie title can feel anti-consumer, so it’s a complicated balance.
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+ 2As I continue playing, I find myself constantly in awe. I just reached the game’s first overworld, something familiar to anyone who plays RPGs, and decided to check the map. To my surprise, everything I experienced in the first five hours covered only about five percent of the game’s massive world. Based on scale alone, this could have easily justified a $60 price point.
What’s even more impressive is the voice cast. For an indie title, the game features incredible talent, including Charlie Cox, best known as Marvel’s Daredevil, Jennifer English from Baldur’s Gate 3, and Ben Starr, who voiced Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI. The budget needed for this kind of voice talent must have been significant. I would have been more than willing to pay extra for this level of quality. You can check out the full cast here.
click to enlarge + 2The technical performance is also worth mentioning. Clair Obscur runs on Unreal Engine 5 and performs better than most AAA titles that use the same engine. While I enjoyed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, it struggled with optimization, likely because of its open-world design. That game costs $60. Clair Obscur is ten dollars cheaper and wasn’t backed by a giant like Microsoft. Sandfall Interactive achieved this largely on its own, which makes the result even more impressive.
A $50 price tag should be more common in modern gaming. Unfortunately, it rarely is. Investors and AAA studios often raise prices to offset high development costs. Even Nintendo is doing this now with Mario Kart World. Price isn’t even about quality anymore.
It’s a frustrating situation, and once again, we’re caught up in the discourse around video game pricing.
Still, I’m grateful Clair Obscur only costs $50. I would have happily spent more, because this is such a well-made game. The fact that it came from a team of just 30 people is nothing short of a miracle.
READ: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Success Shows Growing Desire for Western Turn-Based RPGs
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