Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Calls Kingdom Hearts 2 the Gold Standard for Action RPGs

Guillaume Broche, creative director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has openly praised Kingdom Hearts 2 as "one of the best action RPGs ever created," citing its combat depth and lasting influence on his own work. In a recent interview, Broche revealed that the Japanese classic from Square Enix ranks among his personal top five games of all time, largely due to its intricate mechanics and the sheer amount of content it offers dedicated players.

Broche highlighted the rare balance Kingdom Hearts 2 achieved between fast-paced action and deep, rewarding systems. He specifically pointed to the game's late-game content, where players could experiment with complex combos, unlock new fusion forms, and dive into challenging endgame activities that could easily stretch to 150 hours or more. "You could spend 150 hours in the late game," Broche noted, emphasizing the game's lasting appeal for RPG enthusiasts.

The creative director admitted that ever since playing Kingdom Hearts 2, he has been searching for a similar gameplay experience in other titles, but none have matched its level of engagement.

He encourages fans of well-designed RPG systems to try Kingdom Hearts 2 themselves to understand what makes it a genre-defining masterpiece.

Broche also commented on the series' later entries, stating that while Kingdom Hearts 3 is a solid game, it did not fully recapture the exceptional gameplay depth of its predecessor.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the project led by Broche, has itself achieved critical acclaim, winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. Broche openly credits his admiration for Japanese RPGs and action games — especially Kingdom Hearts 2 — as a major inspiration behind his own game's design and mechanics.

Do you agree with Broche that no game since Kingdom Hearts 2 has matched its combat depth, or has another RPG surpassed it for you?