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During the Xbox Developer Direct January 2025, Sandfall Interactive announced that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will launch on April 24 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It'll also be included in Xbox Game Pass on launch day.

As seen previously, the game invokes old-school Japanese turn-based combat sensibilities but with some real-time elements like dodging and parrying. Each character has their own playstyle and skill tree so that they feel unique to one another. There are also modifiers tied to gear, which evolve into passive abilities after fighting in four battles.

The game will also include difficulty settings that will adjust the parry and dodge windows. The party will be able to traverse an overworld map, another sign of Expedition 33's Japanese RPG influences.

"Since the day I started working on this project in Unreal engine, I wanted a world map. I feel like it’s such a cool thing that has almost completely disappeared from the face of the gaming industry," said CEO and creative director Guillaume Broche. "Like, nobody does that anymore, and for me it was such a crucial and important part of what made the old-school JRPGs unique."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was first announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, and it features an all-star voice cast. It includes Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XVI), and Jennifer English (Baldur's Gate 3).

In other Xbox news, South of Midnight got a release date for April 8, while Doom: The Dark Ages is confirmed for May 15. Koei Tecmo also revealed Ninja Gaiden 4, which will launch this fall.