Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is full of exhilarating combat, and more is on the way when the game’s free “major” update launches some time in the coming months. “There should be some pretty difficult battles as well in the upcoming content,” Sandfall Interactive COO and producer Francois Meurisse told Polygon in a recent video interview.
From Dualliste to Sirene, the developers stuffed Expedition 33 with boss fights that are full of both challenge and spectacle. But just because the studio crafted those battles, doesn’t mean everyone who worked on the game was able to successfully beat them all.
[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for a late-game Act 3 boss fight.]
“Simon is supposed to be the hardest,” Meurisse said, echoing what so many players have felt. “I haven’t completed it yet. I have to get some mental load off to take some time, really, to beat it for good.”
Simon is an optional boss, and can be challenged in Act 3 by exploring the Renoir’s Drafts location. Part of Expedition Zero, Simon was a friend of Verso’s before being manipulated by the Dessendre family and eventually trapped in the Abyss. Though you could theoretically seek him out as soon as Act 3 begins, your party will have to be highly leveled up — even maxed out — to stand a chance.
Meurisse encouraged CEO and creative director Guillaume Broche to ramp up the difficulty, telling him, “‘Okay, whatever. You can go as hard as you want.’ So I tried not to restrain him.” Though, CTO and lead programmer Tom Guillermin said the fight “might have been toned down just a little” to keep Broche and the other designers “slightly in check.”
When the game first came out, Sandfall wondered if the Simon fight “was a bit disappoint[ing]” as YouTube videos and social media clips showed players one-shotting him. Those who played at launch will remember how overpowered Maelle builds could get, though the devs eventually nerfed them somewhat. (Even so, she remains a powerhouse.)
According to Meurisse, Broche “tried to create one of the hardest bosses ever.” Anyone who’s gotten their butt kicked by Simon would probably agree he succeeded in that endeavor.
“It was important to Guillaume to have a game that could be accessible also to many players,” Meurisse said. But the team also wanted to cater to the “really specialized players” with boss fights like Simon. “Some more hardcore players could find some challenge and some joy in it as well.”