This stunning RPG won't feature a minimap. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs want us to feel like real explorers
Players in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are supposed to feel like explorers traversing uncharted territory. Which, according to the developers, means they have to do without a minimap.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is another game following Black Myth: Wukong that eliminates the minimap, allowing players to experience being true explorers.
At least that's how Francois Meurisse, the COO of Sandfall Interactive, justifies this decision. In a statement to Eurogamer during the Xbox panel at this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC 2025), the creator confirmed that none of the locations in the game will include this feature.
Meurisse argues that the studio is keen for players to discover the world they have created, just like the character they control, who traverses completely unknown locations. The presence of a minimap might cause players to rely on it, which could diminish the experience of exploring a new and nightmarish world.
There won't be mini maps in the levels. When there's a mini map, you can end up relying on it. And we want players to discover the world as the expedition does it. They don't have a map because every previous expedition failed. So yes, sometimes it can be difficult to find their way.
Of course, not everyone will appreciate this design, similar to the save system in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The previously mentioned Black Myth: Wukong quickly received modifications that added a minimap to the game. It will probably be the same with Expedition 33, which means that console players will have to do without this feature.
This doesn't mean that players will be moving around completely blindly. The full version of the game will include an addition in the form of a compass (which wasn't in the demo provided to the editors). Furthermore, Meurisse confirmed the presence of a world map (which for some reason has gained the status of a meme).
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be released on April 25th on PC, PS5, and XSX/S.
