Clair Obscur players see „inspiration” from Game of the Year 2025 in a new title from China, much to the annoyance of jRPG fans
Chinese studio UP Software revealed a new trailer for Sword and Fairy 4: Remake. Players immediately pointed out the similarity to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Since the release of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many months have passed, and the game has achieved enormous success (especially at The Game Awards 2025). No wonder developers quickly showed up who, according to some fans of Expedition 33, seem to be taking inspiration from the French work. Specifically, this refers to the Chinese studio UP Software, which yesterday presented a trailer for the game Sword and Fairy 4: Remake.
"For those who come after"
Sword and Fairy 4: Remake is, as the name suggests, a refreshed version of the fourth installment of the Chinese RPG series, originally released in 2007. The game tells the story of a young man, Yun Tianhe, who embarks on a fantastic journey to discover the truth about his deceased parents.
The released trailer immediately caught the attention of players due to the combat scenes presented. While the original was closer, let's say, to Suikoden, the gameplay now in many ways strongly resembles that known from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This includes dynamic camera movements, interface, blocks, and parries. All these elements seem to hint at being inspired by Sandfall Interactive's work, which players are pointing out in the comments.
So these are the ones who come after us...
Expedition 44?
Is this a DLC for Expedition 33?
Sword and Fairy 4: Remake was revealed back in December 2024, so any similarities might be coincidental. However, it cannot be ruled out that after the success of Expedition 33 (or the initial materials from Sandfall Interactive's game), Up Software decided to slightly revamp the gameplay.
Moreover, some players point out that Expedition 33 didn't revolutionize the jRPG genre, and many elements from this game appeared in older titles. The massive success of this French game means that now other titles will be compared to it by players who either forgot or never knew about earlier jRPGs.
Strangely, few people mention Persona, as E33 has become so popular that a certain group of people tries to ignore what came before it.
Please, someone tell the fans of Expedition 33 that its creators did not invent the jRPG genre.
As a long-time fan of jRPG games, this annoys me. There is no such thing as E33-like. The screenshot itself resembles Persona more than E33; if anything, it's just a jRPG game.
Sword and Fairy 4: Remake is being developed on the Unreal Engine 5. The game is headed for PC and consoles, and its release date is not yet known.
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Author: Martin Bukowski
Graduate of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Gdańsk University of Technology, who decided to dedicate his life to video games. In his childhood, he would get lost in the Gothic's Valley of Mines and "grind for gold" in League of Legends. Twenty years later, games still entertain him just as much. Today, he considers the Persona series and soulslike titles from From Software as his favorite games. He avoids consoles, and a special place in his heart is reserved for PC. In his spare time, he works as a translator, is creating his first game, or spends time watching movies and series (mainly animated ones).
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