Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director put parrying in his turn-based RPG after playing Sekiro and thinking “Why can’t I parry in my game?”

Plenty of us have finished Sekiro and decided we wanted parrying in everything else we play. As it turns out, developers have that feeling too, with Sekiro serving as the catalyst to add a parry mechanic into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

In an interview in Edge issue 404, Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche spoke about the FromSoftware title and how it influenced the development of Sandfall Interactive’s upcoming RPG. “I wanted to do a turn-based game, but I was also kind of burnt out by turn-based games, so I wanted to make something that felt fresh”, he begins. “I was playing Sekiro on the side, and I was like, ‘I love parrying. Why can’t I parry in my game?'”

It is, of course, not the first time that a timing system has been used in an RPG, with games like Super Mario RPG making heavy use of them. But with a lack of modern turn-based RPGs with realistic graphics, Broche saw plenty of potential in Expedition 33, viewing parrying as a means of making turn-based combat more enjoyable for those of you who may typically steer clear of it. “It was a case of, if nobody is going to do it, I will do it”, he says. “And I tried to make it more engaging for people who don’t necessarily like turn-based combat, while keeping the strategic core.”

As well as adding an extra element to combat, Broche believes that it ensures you’ll stay engaged throughout by forcing you to pay attention to attack animations. “It is possible to dodge, parry and, later in the game, jump over any enemy attack in Expedition 33”, Broche claims. “It gives a completely different feeling to turn-based combat when you have to read the animations”, forcing you to remain “super-engaged in the battle.”

If you’re after some more RPG action, you’ll find plenty on our list of the best RPG games.