Clair Obscur Director Names Kingdom Hearts 2 a Top-Five Favorite
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche has singled out Kingdom Hearts 2 as one of his all-time favorites, calling it “truly exceptional” and placing it in his personal top five. It’s a bold endorsement—one that also sheds light on what kinds of action-RPG design the Sandfall Interactive team clearly respects.
Clair Obscur Creative Director Raves About Kingdom Hearts 2
With Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 landing last year and quickly becoming a standout “game of the year” pick across a wide range of measures, the conversation has naturally shifted to the games that shaped its approach. Fans have pointed to major influences like Persona and Final Fantasy, but the inspiration doesn’t stop there—players have also noted connections to Sekiro, the Souls series, and even high-energy action titles like Devil May Cry.
In other words, Sandfall Interactive’s team had plenty of favorites they wanted to carry forward into the making of Clair Obscur. Among those close to the heart of many players is Kingdom Hearts 2, and Broche has now publicly praised it as “truly exceptional.”
Broche’s Comments: KH2 Is “Truly Exceptional,” KH3 Falls Short
As highlighted by a clip shared by a Twitter user, Broche recently appeared on Konbini’s Jeux Vidéo Club to revisit the games that influenced him. During the discussion, he specifically picks out Kingdom Hearts 2 and says it sits in his “top five games of all time.”
He then explains why: in his view, Kingdom Hearts 2 is “truly exceptional,” and he considers it among the best action-RPGs ever made. Broche also points to something very specific he believes the game does well—the level of depth available in its combat combos—and says he’s been chasing that feeling ever since his first playthrough.
Broche also addresses Kingdom Hearts 3. While he doesn’t frame it as a failure, he says it “isn’t bad,” but it didn’t manage to “recapture” what made the second game feel special. It’s a critique that echoes what many players have been repeating for years.
One of the factors Broche cites for why Kingdom Hearts never quite returned to KH2’s particular look and feel is a shift in development teams to an Osaka-based group. He notes that this brought in more than a decade’s worth of “floaty” discussions, which he implies affected the final direction.
What to Watch Next
As these influence comments circulate, players will likely be looking harder for the exact qualities Broche describes—especially the combo depth and the “feel” of action-RPG combat—when thinking about what Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is aiming to deliver. The big takeaway: Sandfall Interactive isn’t just borrowing big-name concepts; it’s searching for the same sort of standout moment-to-moment gameplay that KH2 is known for.
WHERE TO PLAY
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