Though a new skin might be exciting at first, the novelty quickly wears off when a crossover character feels more like a cosmetic addition than a genuine playable character with abilities that reflect their original game. Astral Ascent‘s free Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 crossover is a great example of this approach, adding six summonable characters whose mechanics draw inspiration from their original RPG abilities. I think more RPGs should follow this example, using crossovers with games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to introduce fresh strategies and encourage players to experiment with their gameplay systems instead of relying on nostalgia alone.
Announced at the Triple-I Initiative, Astral Ascent’s developer, Hibernian Workshop, described the crossover as a tribute to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, teasing fans with the familiar slogan “For Those Who Come After.” The developer explained that one of the biggest challenges was adapting the game’s world to Astral Ascent‘s pixel art style, and I think that this demonstrates a strong commitment to preserving the qualities that made the characters so distinctive in the original RPG. If more games were to take this approach, crossovers could be a more exciting way to introduce fresh gameplay, rather than just borrowing its recognizable characters.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is too Popular to Ignore
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Image via Sandfall Interactive -
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became one of gaming’s biggest success stories in 2025, winning nine awards at The Game Awards, including Game of the Year, and selling more than five million copies by October that year. To top it all off, the RPG had surpassed eight million sales worldwide by April 2026. This impressive feat reflects the game’s intense popularity, and its success isn’t difficult to understand when I look at its instantly recognizable cast. With Maelle’s stance-switching combat, Sciel’s tarot-inspired abilities, and Verso’s stylish fighting techniques, it’s clear that these characters have become a major part of the game’s appeal.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
This is exactly what makes them ideal candidates for a crossover, especially one that goes beyond familiar faces and gives players another chance to experience their abilities and fighting style. I think, for Astral Ascent, that recognition offers an opportunity to bring Clair Obscur’s massive fan base into its own world while giving players a range of fresh ways to approach its combat. The crossover’s real appeal, then, lies in how it translates the character’s identities into a different game’s mechanics.
Astral Ascent’s Crossover Includes More Than Just Playable Clair Obscur Characters
According to the October 8 update notes on SteamDB, Astra Ascent‘s free Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 crossover adds six summonable characters, three exclusive bosses, and three new rooms inspired by the RPG. These characters include Gustave, Maelle, Sciel, Lune, Verso, and Monoco, and they will all be bringing a distinct mechanic that reflects their original abilities. The crossover gives players different advantages during a run, which gives players more than one reason to be excited.
Gustave can heal the player, boost attacks, and charge up a devastating strike, while Maelle switches between offensive and defensive stances based on her HP. Sciel uses cards that trigger different effects, Lune casts elemental spells, Verso builds up an attack bonus by hitting enemies without taking, and Monoco randomly summons monsters. These familiar abilities could draw Clair Obscur fans to Astral Ascent while giving existing players a wealth of new characters and content to explore. I think that this strikes a great balance: fans of Clair Obscur can recognize the characters and locations they love, while Astral Ascent players have new combat mechanics and encounters to discover. Integrating these additions into its existing, roguelike structure makes the update feel like a genuine extension of the game, which is fundamentally more gratifying than a separate collection of themed rewards.
Other RPGs Should Make Their Crossovers More Than Cosmetic
There have been plenty of game crossovers that sell players the excitement of seeing familiar characters without delivering much beyond that. To me, Fortnite is the clearest example of this. There seems to be a constant rollout of character skins that players can purchase, but many of these collaborations leave the underlying gameplay unchanged. Master Chief, to name one, uses the same core weapons and movement systems as other Fortnite skins. Though there was an opportunity to gain Halo-specific abilities, equipment, or weapons from the original games, Fortnite’s approach to collaborations often feels hollow. Call of Duty has also faced criticism for introducing recognizable celebrities and fictional characters as operator skins without giving them distinct gameplay identities.
Dead by Daylight‘s crossover with Silent Hill gave Pyramid Head unique abilities inspired by his original game, integrating his identity into its gameplay rather than just adding a cosmetic skin. I think this is a great example of how crossovers can respect a character’s origins while offering players something new.
Astral Ascent shows that developers don’t need to recreate an entire RPG’s combat system to make a crossover worthwhile. By identifying what makes a guest character distinctive and finding a way to translate it into their own game mechanics, fans can appreciate the attention that has been given by the developers. Cosmetic collaborations can still be fun, but granting the unique abilities from the characters that players know and love creates a bigger reason to experiment with the game itself.
The Best Crossovers Give Players a Reason to Return
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Source: Sandfall Interactive -
The Astral Ascent crossover is most appealing because it gives players more reasons to revisit beyond seeing familiar Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 characters. The six summonable characters offer different mechanics to experiment with, while the three new bosses introduce challenges that require players to learn new attack patterns. The crossover also adds three themed rooms, and players can choose between an Expedition 33 encounter and the usual Andromeda Bar during eligible runs. That’s a substantial amount of new content, and it definitely gives both Clair Obscur and Astral Ascent fans plenty to enjoy.
I think this is what more RPG crossovers should aim for. Recognizable characters might initially attract fans of another franchise, but it’s the new game opportunities that will ultimately give them a reason to stay. Even a few carefully adapted abilities can preserve what makes a character special, and for me, that’s where the best fan service comes in, because it celebrates the characters that players love while giving them a meaningful new way to experience them.
- Released
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April 12, 2022
- ESRB
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- Developer(s)
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Hibernian Workshop
