Technologies

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Producer Talks Inspirations: FromSoftware, French Novels

At GDC 2025, the producer explains what the French studio brings to a modern JRPG, from combat to music to art and more.

Western role-playing game fans have had a handful of big releases this year already, like Avowed and the just-announced The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster. But gamers looking for novel RPGs trying to break the mold will have another option when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launches on April 24 — and the game’s producer explained to me what’s in store for players.

At GDC 2025, I got to play a few early hours of Expedition 33, which was made by French studio Sandfall Interactive. With interactive turn-based battles and a sweeping story about death, combined with a gorgeous world and beautiful music, Expedition 33 seems poised to capture gamers looking for something a little different in their sweeping story-based games.

At the preview, I chatted with Sandfall Interactive co-founder and Expedition 33 producer François Meurisse about influences, combat and the art that goes into making a French studio’s take on the venerable JRPG genre.

David Lumb (CNET): This was the first time I’ve been able to get my hands on the game, and it feels so kinetic for an RPG — dynamic menus when I’m switching between windows in combat or dodging enemy attacks. What were the team’s inspirations?

François Meurisse (Sandfall Interactive): The game has some great [Japanese RPG] inspiration, like older Final Fantasies — Final Fantasy 10, for example. But also some big inspiration from more modern JRPGs like Persona 5, for example.

From Persona, we took this inspiration that every click is essential to the action, but no redundant gameplay manipulation to get to what you want to do. Every button you click triggers some camera movement. That makes it almost action-based when you see some people playing. We wanted to have this reactive turn-based feeling that mixes what makes the best out of turn-based games but with a real-time feel.

DL: I really enjoyed how interactive the battle system is. How did you balance parrying and dodging, especially for players who might not be good at either?

FM: So the defense system is quite demanding, but there are several defense options. It’s easier when you encounter a new enemy, for example, to learn their patterns and start with the dodge, which is more forgiving in terms of timing. And when you get the right timing for the perfect dodge, you can try the parry.

We’re very well balanced now, but there are many different playstyles and types of players. And we have a broad variety of equipment, different skills, different characters — so even if you do not like to parry, or if you’re not the best dodger on earth, you can equip some specific passive effects or equipment in line with your play style.

For example, I like dodges over parries, I can have passive effects giving me extra action points with dodges rather than parries. Or I can focus on specific builds to trigger some status effects on monsters and deal heavy, heavy damage and not rely too much on the defense system. And if that’s not something I’m into — the [quick-time events] on attacks — you can enable automatic QTEs in the settings.

DL: Another thing that is pretty striking about the game is the art style. In the demo, I run across this little guy in white, almost clownish look, with a stone corkscrew head. What inspired this art design?

FM: For the whole game, we had more of a Belle Epoque, Art Deco inspiration, so France from early 20th century mixed with high fantasy. That’s something that we wanted for the city at the beginning of the expedition, for the expeditionary outfits, for the manor.

Now, it’s kind of like an expedition into the wild, into an unexplored continent which is quite savage. Our art director chose different inspirations for different enemies and environments — for example, that enemy you mentioned, its references are more like clay sculptures and organic shapes.

DL: That’s a good segue — what does a French studio bring to JRPGs? What is French in the game?

FM: So definitely Lumiere [the city where the game begins and expeditions set out from], the Eiffel Tower [in it]. And yes, there’s a lot of feedback about like the French swearing, some of the names, art inspirations, some clothing patterns.

DL: I feel having the Paintress as the big villain in the end, or at least the one you’re seeking out, is a uniquely French enemy and not something we’ve seen in JRPGs so much.

FM: Yeah, maybe not. The Paintress will reveal some secrets anyway throughout the game.

DL: What else do you feel Expedition 33 brings to JRPGs that we haven’t seen before?

FM: Of course, it’s an RPG at the core, but the game also has more From Software inspiration for stuff like the defense system or even some stats system or deckbuilding inspiration for action points. We took several inspirations of what worked greatly in the games we love, but try to make it our own way with a unique art direction, unique story and unique characters.

DL: Can you tell me more about the music? The battle music especially is fantastic, I love jumping into a fight and hearing a choral element. But there’s also parts that are a little French with organs in the background.

FM: So Lorien [Testard], our composer, composed a full [original soundtrack] for the game. The OST is huge, it will be several hours long, and worked with us from the very beginning of development in 2020. He really composed music side-by-side with the creation of the game. And Alice Duport-Percier, she’s a composer and singer — she has a great voice, she’s a classical singer. And we have about 45 minutes of orchestra recordings with a French orchestra.

DL: We’re getting to the end of our time to chat, and I just wanted to focus on the game’s theme of recurring death as the age limit for surviving humans gets lower and lower every year. What’s the inspiration for that dour theme?

FM: About the countdown, I think Guillaume [Broche, Sandfall Interactive CEO and creative director] woke up one morning and though that idea could be cool. But the expedition concept, the special inspiration behind it is a French novel called La Horde du Contrevent, [in English: The Horde of Counterwind]. It wasn’t translated in other languages, but it’s a cult classic now in French, published in 2004.

It’s a great novel about a group of warriors, like an expedition of 20 or 30 people that try to find the origin of the wind in the world, which always blows from west to east. Every expedition fails, and they send a new one. We loved this idea of like trying to overcome what the best group did before you, trying to find out which point they reached in the world, how they failed and will you succeed?

DL: Okay, last question: what are you most excited for players to experience when they pick up the game for the first time?

FM: Oooh — I mean, everything, the gameplay, the world map. But personally, the story is great. I can’t wait for people to reach the end of the story, to share theories about it, to discover the fate of the characters. The story, its twists, the progression toward The Paintress — it gives me chills. Some of the voice cast [performances] made me cry. So I can’t wait to hear reactions to them.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 comes out for PC, Xbox and PS5 on April 24.

Technologies

Prices Set by Algorithms: New Yorkers Now See Warnings About Stores Using Personal Data to Set Costs

This new law, already subject to lawsuits, lets shoppers know when companies are quietly raising online prices for certain types of customers.

Online shoppers in New York are now seeing a new warning on product pages thanks to consumer protection legislation that took effect in early November. Particularly noticeable during Black Friday sales were messages that told shoppers: «This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data.»

This piece of legislation requires companies (with exceptions for rideshare apps) to show buyers when they use surveillance pricing to set online prices, potentially raising costs for some people while lowering them for others.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

So what data are these companies collecting to shift prices? Well, unlike surge pricing, this type of algorithm pricing calculates data related to the individual person or device. That could include the type of device (Android versus iPhone, etc.), your account’s browsing history, recent purchases made from that browser and — most importantly — your location.

In other words, reported examples have shown that items like eggs will increase in cost for wealthy neighborhoods while staying at lower standard costs for less prosperous zones. But it can get far more complicated than that: Some pricing algorithms study millions of online purchases to predict buyer patterns.

A representative for the New York Senate didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Is surveillance pricing legal?

So far, yes. What laws like this New York legislation do is enforce transparency about what may be affecting prices, instead of banning it. And even that was too much for business groups, which immediately sued to block the law in federal court, alleging that it violates the businesses’ First Amendment rights.

It’s not clear whether companies are complying with the law as directed, or what it fully entails, either. The bill requires «clear and conspicuous disclosure» near the price, but some companies appear to be putting the information in a harder-to-spot area behind an information icon at the bottom of a pop-up.

Efforts to control pricing via algorithm

New York isn’t the only state to tackle surveillance pricing. Other states and cities are entertaining similar legislation, as well as complete bans on the practice. But it’s an uphill battle due to the many details and strong pushback from, well, every industry that sells products online.

The most recent example was from September, when California’s congress went through its proposed ban on surveillance pricing and cut out nearly everything. In its current state, the California law would only apply to grocery prices, which is still not a common online purchase. Colorado, Illinois and other states are also working on their own versions of related laws.

The question of whether shoppers would appreciate transparency laws, or whether they’d be less likely to purchase products if they knew the price was based on their personal data, is tough to answer (what if the algorithms are giving you a lower price than other nearby shoppers?). But the privacy question has a more far-reaching impact: Once shoppers see how much of their personal data is being harvested for pricing, they may start to wonder what else it’s being used for.

Technologies

Spotify Wrapped Is Live, Try the Buzzy New Party Game

Wrapped Party and your listening age are the big new features of the music streamer’s yearly wrapper.

Music streaming service Spotify has unveiled new features in its 2025 Wrapped listener recap, including a party game and the most popular albums, at an event in New York City.

Spotify Wrapped is one of the biggest events in the year’s music calendar, and 2025 promises to be even bigger, thanks in part to the new game. Wrapped Party is Spotify’s first multiplayer game included in Wrapped, allowing you to compete against up to nine friends with questions based on your listening habits.

Also read: Best Music Streaming Services

Matthew Luhks, Spotify’s senior director of global marketing, said the new game is the Wrapped feature he’s most excited about.

«I think Wrapped Party is amazing, and it’s something we’ve been talking about for years. Wrapped is usually a solo experience, and now you can play Wrapped with your friends and your family,» Luhks said at the event.

Wrapped Party is one of almost a dozen new features for the company’s viral wrap-up, which also includes your Listening Age (giving this writer an age of 100!) and Top Artist Sprint, which shows your favorite artist listens «racing» over twelve months. This year is also the first time that the recap highlights a user’s most popular albums.

Read more: Spotify Says I Have the Music Taste of a 79-Year-Old: Is That Bad?

Meanwhile, the new Clubs feature assigns you, Harry Potter sorting hat-style, to one of six fan clubs based on your listening and designates you a role such as «Archivist.»

As with every year, the company also revealed its most popular content across all categories for 2025. After six years in a row, it was no surprise that Joe Rogan had the platform’s most popular podcast, but the biggest upset was when Bad Bunny pipped Taylor Swift for most popular global artist. However, Swift was the most popular artist in the US for 2025.

Other popular categories included:

Global top song: Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
Global top album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny
Top Audiobook in Premium: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

To access Spotify Wrapped, look for the Wrapped feed on the Home tab. To find Wrapped Party, just search for it in Spotify or access it at the end of your personalized wrap.

In 2025, almost every streaming service has its own yearly stats roundup, including YouTube’s new Recap feature, but Spotify Wrapped is still arguably the most famous.

Spotify is the most popular music streaming service, with over 100 million tracks, and it currently costs $12 a month for Premium (including audiobooks). The company is rumored to be planning a price increase in early 2026, however.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 4, #437

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 4, No. 437.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Movie buffs, you might do well. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fire it in there.

Green group hint: Signal callers.

Blue group hint: Ohio teams.

Purple group hint: Enjoy the show.