Upcoming RPG Remake Looks Very Similar to Clair Obscur
A new RPG looks to be heavily inspired by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with Sword and Fairy 4: Remake taking notes from the darling indie game. The RPG from French developer Sandfall Interactive took the gaming world by storm following its debut in April, seeing massive fan and critical acclaim. Clair Obscur captured a multitude of honors across several different end-of-year award shows, even claiming the coveted “Game of the Year” award at The Game Awards 2025. Now, the indie RPG’s overwhelming success may be serving as an inspiration for future games in the classic genre.
Clair Obscur‘s massive popularity has seen the game hailed as an inspiration for future RPGs, both by fans and developers. JRPG juggernaut Square Enix is reportedly taking the success of Clair Obscur to heart, with internal developers pushing the company to consider returning to turn-based combat. Clair Obscur‘s critical acclaim also translated to its sales, with the French RPG surpassing 2 million units sold within less than two weeks of the game’s launch. Now, a Chinese studio looks to be taking major inspiration from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with its next new release.
Sword and Fairy 4: Remake Takes Inspiration from Clair Obscur
Chinese developer UP Software has officially revealed its newest game, with Sword and Fairy 4: Remake looking to take inspiration from Clair Obscur. The initial announcement trailer for the game gives an early teaser of the many different environments players can explore, as well as a teaser of Sword and Fairy 4‘s turn-based combat. The segments shown in the trailer seem to take several design cues from Clair Obscur, with elements of the UI appearing strikingly similar to the French RPG. UP Software also confirmed that Sword and Fairy 4: Remake is being developed using Unreal Engine 4, with the RPG set to launch on both PC and home consoles.
Sword and Fairy 4: Remake‘s clear inspiration from Clair Obscur has led many fans to refer to the game as a “clone.” The game is said to be a remake of the 2007 RPG The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4, which was only released as a China-exclusive. Many fans have noticed that the style of the remake is vastly different from that of the original game, being more reminiscent of games like Suikoden. Few further details about Sword and Fairy 4: Remake‘s eventual release have been revealed, with an official launch date not yet confirmed by the Chinese developer.
Clair Obscur is Part of a Growing Turn-Based RPG Resurgence
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will likely continue to inspire more game developers as the turn-based RPG genre has made a major resurgence. Clair Obscur‘s previously-mentioned “Game of the Year” honors saw the game become the second turn-based RPG in three years to capture the prestigious title, following Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023. 2024 also saw an RPG with heavy use of turn-based combat receive a nomination for Game of the Year, with Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio finishing as a finalist. Sandfall Interactive has even confirmed that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be receiving DLC in the future, teasing everything from new locations to additional bosses and more.
Despite Clair Obscur‘s overwhelming popularity, the RPG has not been without its fair share of controversy. Sandfall Interactive recently found itself in hot water over the game’s early use of generative AI, with some AI-created art assets only removed days after the game’s launch. Clair Obscur director Guillaume Broche also spoke on the AI controversy, suggesting that Sandfall had only used AI-generated software early in development when “the tech was still new.” He also reaffirmed that Sandfall does not intend to use AI for its artwork in future projects. Clair Obscur‘s massive success should set a new precedent for RPGs, with turn-based combat clearly making a big comeback.
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive