Square Enix is “probably kicking itself” seeing the success of realistic turn-based JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, analyst says, after being “reticent to do it with the Final Fantasy series”

Final Fantasy enthusiasts have long been pleading for the series to revert to its turn-based origins, and one analyst suggests that the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 likely has Square Enix feeling some regret for not addressing that audience sooner.

The key reasons for Expedition 33’s triumph include its charming characters, engaging combat, and a reasonable price of $50, as Rhys Elliott from Alinea Analytics explains to GamesIndustry.biz. He adds that “there was also a demand for a contemporary, realistic-looking JRPG” featuring a classic battle system.

“Square Enix hesitated to pursue this with the Final Fantasy franchise,” Elliott continues. “Now it’s probably regretting that. Expedition 33 has provided RPG fans with something they have always desired. If you asked Final Fantasy devotees from the late ’90s and early ’00s what their ideal JRPG should resemble, it would be something akin to this.”

In 2022, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida informed GamesRadar+ of his understanding of the allure of turn-based combat – after all, he grew alongside that gameplay style as the series’ fans did – but he also expressed that action-oriented battles better suited games with realistic graphics.

“Recently, we’ve noticed that as graphics continue to improve and characters become increasingly lifelike, the combination of that realism with the very abstract nature of turn-based commands doesn’t quite align,” Yoshida remarked at the time. “You create a peculiar gap that arises.”

Yoshida didn’t link the choice to fully embrace action for FF16 to any sales strategies, but there has been a longstanding sentiment in the gaming industry that action titles tend to outperform turn-based ones. Larian publishing director Michael Dose recently lamented how challenging it is to persuade people that “your turn-based RPG will succeed,” yet Baldur’s Gate 3 clearly demonstrated that there remains an eagerness for that genre. Expedition 33 is effectively showcasing that the JRPG community’s enthusiasm is still vibrant.

Elliot notes that Expedition 33’s sales are performing very positively in comparison to Metaphor: ReFantazio, the most significant turn-based JRPG in recent times, which also conveys valuable insights about the strength of traditional combat systems.

“A primary advantage of a turn-based battle system is the fact that players can take their time to contemplate the actions they should take, and then receive meaningful feedback based on their choices,” Metaphor’s lead battle designer Kenichi Goto shared with GamesRadar+ earlier this year, emphasizing that games where you can make “one wrong move and everything’s lost” provide their distinct kind of excitement.

I have stated it before and will reiterate: I wish the success of these games helps confirm that there is, indeed, a market for turn-based RPGs, one that is far from niche. Like many, I yearn for Final Fantasy to revert to its origins, but in the meantime, exceptional games like Expedition 33 continue to fill the gap.

Here are the top JRPGs currently available for play.

Dustin Bailey became a Staff Writer for the GamesRadar team in May 2022, now based in Missouri. He has been covering games (with occasional forays into anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, initially as a freelancer and then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His passion for gaming ignited somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days he can typically be found split