In less than a year since its release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become almost legendary. Breaking all records for Game of the Year awards , the role-playing game developed by Sandfall Interactive has enjoyed immense popularity thanks to its classic JRPG gameplay and incredible art direction .

Funnily enough, that art direction is so convincing that it recently triggered a national antiquities investigation in the Middle East.

"This can't be for real, my Expedition Journal that comes with the Monolith Set got detained by customs for being 'possibly ancient" , reported Reddit user Ahmed15252 on the . "Customs opened the package and decided the art book looked a bit too ancient. 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 user ended their story with a touch of irony: “10/10 experience will definitely accidentally import history again.” While many critics have argued that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 deserves to be in a museum , no one expected it to happen via a customs seizure.

Iraq may have mistaken it for history, but France has officially declared it art . Just last week, the developers at Sandfall Interactive were named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres , receiving France's highest cultural honor. French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati presented the team with an "exceptional decoration for an exceptional success," highlighting a level of prestige rarely seen in the video game industry.

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