Fans digging into the files of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have discovered explanations and sometimes even external links outlining the meaning behind the names of the RPG’s various characters and enemies.
As spotted by Reddit user Responsible-Race-575, the game’s asset files have detailed descriptions that explain why specific characters and enemies are named what they are, including genders, additional context behind the origin of their names, and sometimes even links to Wikipedia to help further explain related concepts.
Many are derived from French, the home country of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive. For example, the Machinapieds enemy is simply “Machine with feet” in French, while the Licorne enemy is French for unicorn. Some enemies are a combination of French words or a wordplay on French phrases. Barbasucette is a combination of the French words for beard and lollipop, for example.
Other names are based on what that particular enemy does. The Potier is French for potter, since that enemy throws pots, while the flying Volster enemies are derived from Vol, the French word for fly. The rolling ball-shaped Petank enemies are named after the French boules game Petanque.
There are some names that don’t fit into those categories and are more one-off references. The Gestral Ono Puncho is a reference to the popular anime and manga series One-Punch Man, while another, Limonsol, is labeled in the files as an “inside joke” with no additional context.
As for why Sandfall Interactive went out of its way to link Wikipedia articles and explain the meaning behind all the game’s names within its files, fans are theorizing it was done for the benefit of localization teams in order to help convey the meaning behind characters into different languages.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ended 2025 with a bang, with one final free update adding new boss fights amidst the game taking home a record-shattering number of awards, including Game of the Year, at 2025’s The Game Awards. It was also GameSpot’s 2025 Game of the Year. The game’s runaway success even saw French President Emmanuel Macron congratulate Sandfall Interactive for its work.
As for Sandfall’s next game, it’s unclear if it will be a sequel of sorts to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with the game’s director having previously confirmed that Clair Obscur is the name of a “franchise” and that Expedition 33 is merely one story within it. The studio knows expectations are now high for whatever comes next, but it doesn’t want its next game to be a “people-pleaser,” according to Sandfall lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen.
