Reproached by some players, the absence of a mini-map in Clear Obscur: Expedition 33 is today justified by the creator of the game, Guillaume Broche.
It must be said, there are few games to arouse a real consensus Between the opinion of the press and that of the players. This is what makes the success of Clear obscure: Expedition 33 All the more impressive, he who currently sits in the first place in 2025 outings on Metacritic, with a pretty 92 on the media side and an extraordinary 9.7 on the side of the public. However, like any work, the title of Sandfall Interactive is not perfect. And the studio returns today to a choice that has somewhat disturbed part of the players.
The absence of a mini-map in Clear Dark: Expedition 33 explained
Indeed, between two rave criticism, some did not fail to share their disappointment as to the absence of a mini-map during the exploration. Having become an essential element in many games, it would not have, in the eyes of certain players, not been too much in such a rich and labyrinthine title as clear obscure: Expedition 33. However, as Guillaume Broche could have explained in an interview for Dropped Frames, it is a bias fully assumed on his part. And he absolutely does not regret it.
“It makes things boring” Then justified Sandfall boss during the talk show broadcast on Twitch. “When I played Final Fantasy 10I only looked at the mini-map. I did not take advantage of the environments. I don’t remember Level Design, I just remember the maps ”. And this is precisely what he wanted to avoid reproducing with clear obscure: Expedition 33. Especially since, as he could confess, he himself cannot help but have his eyes riveted on it when there is one, even though his presence disturbs him.
By opting for the absence of a mini-map in the game, Pin made sure that players can focus on their exploration proper, without being guided blindly by icons or visual benchmarks. And that is, according to him, which makes the discovery of the world of Clair Dark: Expedition 33 if immersive and organic. This is what allows the public to note better, and above all to appreciate, all the work carried out by the teams on the construction of environments. Their constitution, their secrets, their beauty.
The beauty of RPGs according to Guillaume Broche
And for the players of Clair Dark: Expedition 33 who would retort that it frustrates them because they do not like to miss things in their games, the Creator answers them: “Yes, you will miss the stuff. Yes, you are not going to find all the secret passages. But it is the beauty of RPG: missing things ”. He then adds: “When you stop the game and you are like: ‘Oh, maybe I should have taken this little passage that I saw before, there was perhaps something’, that’s where you remember the whole game, all the level design, etc. And it makes exploration much better ”. Words are said.
Source : Dropped Frames
