When it comes to game development, small changes can make a big difference, like the parrying sound in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Timing was a bit of a problem earlier on in Sandfall Entertainment's multi-award winning epic RPG, but the sound design team were able to help remedy the situation, as Olivier Penchenier, the technical and sound designer, explained during a talk at GDC 2026 attended by GamesRadar+.
"We realized that parrying was not easy for the player," he says. "So Guillaume [Broche, director] asked me if something could help the player to get good timing on the attack. I didn't want to have some clear beep or alarm sound saying 'Parry now,' instead, we decided to keep something directly inside the attack sound."
