Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is widely considered one of 2025’s best games. Whether it be the narrative, art direction, or the actual gameplay, the RPG practically excels in all departments, winning it praise from critics and fans alike.
However, Sandfall Interactive’s first project is not flawless. In fact, one Gears of War developer notes that its level design is extremely simple early on, dubbing the levels badly designed for parts of the game.
PCGamesn recently spoke to Adrian Chmielarz, who previously led 2007’s Gears of War as a game designer. According to the developer, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was his personal Game of the Year, but it still had a few shortcomings.
In particular, Chmielarz noted that playing the game made it clear how Sandfall Interactive evolved from beginning to end. He pointed to the earlier levels being very straightforward and static, reminiscent of old-school titles.
“They do these fairly static levels. I would even go so far as to say that they’re kind of badly designed.” -Adrian Chmielarz
The developer then admitted that this problem doesn’t show up in later parts of the game since the levels evolve into becoming large and spectacular. This is evident in the buildup to enemies like Siren and more grander bosses later on.
Like everyone else, Adrian Chmielarz was ultimately left very impressed by the entire Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 experience. He also praised Sandfall Interactive for seemingly achieving impossible levels of quality with its first production, something very few teams have shown to accomplish in the past.
Still, his opinion on the earlier level design of the RPG is interesting and could be something for Sandfall Interactive to reflect upon when working on its next major project.
