Clair Obscur director: Kingdom Hearts 2 is one of the best action RPGs ever made

Full text

Guillaume Broche, creative director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, says Kingdom Hearts 2 is one of the best action RPGs ever created.

Speaking to Konbini on its Jeux Video Club series (below), Broche singles out Kingdom Hearts 2 as one of his "top five games of all time," adding: "You have to admit that Square Enix has managed to create something truly exceptional."

He points to the gameplay in the series, "especially in the second game," which he considers "one of the best action RPG's ever created," while shouting out the late-game combos and fusions you can acquire throughout the adventure.

"There's really something about that gameplay that I've been looking for ever since Kingdom Hearts 2," he says, adding: "You could spend 150 hours in the late game."

Obviously, there have been games in the series since then, and Broche notes "Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't bad, but it didn't manage to recapture everything it did in terms of gameplay, which was exceptional." He doesn't say if he's played the litany of other titles that are all somehow canon, so maybe Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage would hit the mark for Broche.

For as much as a breath of fresh air Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was seen as for many, it's very much a game that proudly wears its inspirations on its sleeve. Of course, the game is heavily inspired by Final Fantasy in more ways than you can count, while Verso's gameplay heavily leans on Devil May Cry – a game which Broche previously uploaded challenge runs of before developing his own game – with the ranking system and pretty much every one of his moves being ripped straight from Vergil. With the blend of action and RPG mechanics, it's not a shocker to hear that Broche is pretty keen on Kingdom Hearts too.

"It's a pure skill issue": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 head says the RPG's notorious volleyball minigame is "easy," then proves it on stage.