Summary
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has quickly become a sensation in gaming this year. After its announcement and reveal at 2024’s Xbox Games Showcase,the debut title from Sandfall Interactive was released earlier on April 24 to glowing reception, becoming one of the highest-reviewed and fastest-selling titles of 2025 so far. Along withClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s surreal setting and memorable characters, its seamless blend of turn-based and real-time combat mechanics was one of its most lauded designs for its innovative and engaging approach.
And though they lie more on the FPS RPG scale compared toClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s JRPG-like hybrid system,AvowedandThe Outer Worlds, both by Obsidian Entertainment,contain similar designs toClairin one area. The three share a similarly sized roster of potential party members as well as the same limit on how many players can have accompanying them at a time. And each uses this choice to lean into their respective strengths, highlighting the effectiveness of such a system when integrated well with a game’s other aspects.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Avowed, and The Outer World’s Three-Person Party Limit Plays Well Into all of Their Other Designs
The Three-Party System Strikes a Solid Balance
More often than not, the standard party makeup in classic RPGs likeFinal Fantasywas usually four characters. It was a norm well beyond the franchise in the genre as well, forming a familiar formula that could be seen across a range of games and into the modern era, as with, for example, thePersonaseries.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33clearly draws inspiration fromFinal Fantasyin various ways, and indeed, developers at Sandfall have stated that they were seeking to create a game akin to a modernFFtitle backed by a unique vision and world. But it also bucks the above trend and streamlines older sensibilities a bit. And much likeAvowedandThe Outer Worlds, the three-party dynamic results in an intuitive and satisfying gameplay experience that also keeps pace with the narrative.
All of these titles also feature acamp where players can converse with companionsand build up relationship levels with them.
How Each Game Uses a Three-Party System to Their Advantage
The pool of total possible companions inThe Outer WorldsandClair Obscur: Expedition 33is six each, whileAvowedslims down to four. Players can only then have two of them join the lead protagonist, forming a tightly-knit trio that can be adjusted and swapped as needed or desired. But in all of these titles, the three-party system comes together to greatly elevate their related gameplay mechanics and narratives.
InClair Obscur,each character contributes both to the story and tactical setup. While obviously different fromClair Obscur’s closer focus on party managementand skill synergy, where fans directly control every action, the companions inThe Outer WorldsandAvowedprovided additional class archetype support through a range of abilities that can be manually triggered, usually with a cooldown attached. This allowed fans to put together a team that worked in tandem with their own character to capitalize on mechanical depth, even when the AI acted on its own during fights, as well as choosing which ones they preferred for roleplaying purposes and story beats. Each game remains manageable in its party systems while still offering a good amount of versatility and complexity.
In all of these titles, the three-party system comes together to greatly elevate their related gameplay mechanics and narratives.
Though it may be breaking from what was traditionally expected, particularly inClair Obscur’s case, nevertheless, along withThe Outer WorldsandAvowed, they all display an exemplary use of informed design regarding theirexcellent companion systems. By working within the three-party limit and incorporating it alongside their engaging combat and compelling tales, these three games are standout examples of how this can best be fit to heighten the overall experience.
