In a recent interview, industry veteran Adrian Chmielarz, known for hits like Painkiller, Bulletstorm, and Gears of War, and currently heading the studio The Astronauts (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Witchfire), shared his impressions of Clair Obsur: Expedition 33.
Chmielarz admitted that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become his personal "game of the year."
There are elements that I understand, and there are those that I don't.
According to him, the developers from Sandfall saved time by abandoning complex AI for enemies — without navigation in three-dimensional space. The levels in the game are relatively static: Chmielarz even called the early stages "old-fashioned" and "not very well designed", but by the finale, they become large and spectacular.
But Chmielarz was most impressed by the high level of production.
World-class cutscenes, absolute AAA quality. Sometimes even the largest studios don't achieve this. They haven't been working on the game for that long, and the quality is off the charts. I would treat creative director Guillaume Broche to a bottle of wine and find out the secrets.