Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche has openly admired Persona 5's interface design, describing it as "the pinnacle of game UI" during recent interviews. These revelations came alongside insights about how Atlus's acclaimed JRPG shaped Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, currently 2025's highest-rated title with a 92 OpenCritic average.

In discussions with Denfaminicogamer, Broche explained how Persona 5's dynamic combat presentation became a key reference point. "The cinematic camera transitions that respond to player actions create an unrivaled sense of immersion," he noted through Automaton West's translation. This admiration translated into Expedition 33's streamlined combat system that maps actions directly to controller buttons rather than menu navigation.

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Remarkably, Sandfall Interactive continues polishing the game's interface post-launch. "We're still implementing UI improvements," Broche revealed, acknowledging there's "more to learn" from Persona 5's design philosophy. This dedication to refinement helps explain why Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 maintains its position as 2025's top-rated title.

While Persona 5 significantly influenced the UI, Broche cited numerous other JRPG classics that shaped Expedition 33's development:

• Final Fantasy VI-X for narrative structure
• Lost Odyssey for character development
• Atelier series for crafting systems
• Suikoden for political storytelling

The creative director emphasized that these influences were reinterpreted rather than copied: "Direct replication only produces inferior versions. We aimed to absorb these games' essence while maintaining our creative vision."