Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Collector’s Edition Is So Realistic It Got Detained By Customs

It is pretty much indisputable that the aesthetic of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is mesmerizingly beautiful and unique, right? It is capable of making any player fall in love in seconds with its environments and details, which seem to blend period themes with high fantasy perfectly.

And the same can be said about the game's promotional material – believe me, I have almost maxed out my credit card three times just coming across steelbooks, figures, and special editions from Sandfall Interactive online.

However, it seems that its Collector’s Edition was perhaps a bit too well-crafted, leading government officials to be completely deceived by it. And no, you didn't read that wrong, and that is exactly what happened!

A “Possibly Ancient” Gaming Journal

In a post on Reddit, a user named Ahmed15252, who lives in Iraq, shared that he recently purchased online the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Collector’s Edition, which includes the Expedition Journal and the Monolith Set, and was eagerly awaiting its arrival.

But instead of receiving a notification that his package had been delivered to his home, he received a message from his country's customs office stating that his parcel had been detained. And the reason is quite surreal: the items looked “possibly ancient.”

So yes, the collector's items for Expedition 33 are so well-made that they literally caused a government organization to confuse them for actual historical artifacts!

“This can’t be for real,” Ahmed15252 began in his Reddit post. “My Expedition Journal that comes with the Monolith set got detained by customs for being ‘possibly ancient’. Customs opened the package and decided the art book looked a bit too ancient.”

He continued the story, explaining that while he understands the confusion, his purchase now has to be analyzed by a museum committee to be released. “You know... drawings, symbols, vibes. Result: The book has been officially sent to the Iraqi Museum / Technical Committee to confirm that it is, in fact, a modern video game art book and not a newly discovered lost artifact.”

The situation is wild, but honestly, we can all see how it happened. Expedition 33 deals heavily with themes of ancient and unknown civilizations, and much of its aesthetic focuses on building a credible world – one that is arguably among the best-constructed of the decade, but that’s a topic for another article.

Ending his report with a good sense of humor, Ahmed15252 wrote: “10/10 experience will definitely accidentally import history again.” Hopefully, the museum committee is as impressed by the art as the rest of us and returns his “artifact” soon!