Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs talk about the most shocking moment in the game. „There are some that still hate us for it”
The developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are not afraid to take risks in storytelling. According to the boss of the studio, most games approach the storyline too cautiously.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 impressed players with many elements, one of which is the story being told. Sandfall Interactive is not afraid to take risky moves and quickly surprised us with one of the most shocking twists. PCGamesN had the opportunity to discuss it with the game's developers.
Warning! Spoilers!
If you haven't played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 yet, I recommend not reading further. We talk about the events in the game, and it's definitely a title you should dive into without knowing anything beforehand.
Playing it safe is boring
The French game tells the story from Gustave's point of view right from the start. He is a character that is very easy to like and perfectly fits the role of the main protagonist. However, Gustave remains the main character for a relatively short time, as his death occurs at the end of Act One. Moreover, it is very sudden, shocking, and completely unexpected.
Not all writers are bold enough to kill off one of the main characters. That's why the PCGamesN editorial team asked Sandfall Interactive's CEO, Guillaume Broche, and the game's developer, Francois Meurisse, whether killing Gustave was risky and if they believe it paid off.
Of course, there is a risk when you do [something] like that, but if we don't take risks as a small team, who will? Since the beginning, our whole philosophy has been about not playing it safe, firstly because it's not what we want to do, and secondly because it's boring. If you want to make a splash in any artistic industry, you have to take risks, because if you play it safe you're just 'one of the others.'
Broche pointed out that video games tend to be too safe when it comes to storytelling. The team used it to stand out from the competition. Moreover, they made sure Gustave's death was not only shocking but also felt really natural.
The death of Gustave is very natural when you think about the game; you want to have this feeling of loss - you've lost something that was very important, someone who was driving basically the whole Expedition, as well as you as a player. When you lose that, you feel confused and lost, and you feel grief, which is super important in really helping you connect with the rest of the cast.
Choosing the right moment was also important. The devs needed to give players enough time to not only get attached to Gustav but also to get to know Verso, who later took his place. They admit it was tough to find the right balance, but in the end, they're really happy with how it turned out and how players are reacting.
We're happy that it worked well for the players - there are some that still hate us for it! Sometimes it's good hate.
Powerful builds are the "best reward"
In another conversation – this time with Polygon – Meurisse spoke about dealing massive damage. Expedition 33 lets players get creative with character building, so you can come up with some seriously powerful combos.
Meurisse admitted that during developemnt, the damage counter "broke at some point." That's when the creators realized they needed to upgrade it so it could handle the numbers that players would reach.
The lesson we learned from that was that when we take the craziest [character] build that people built within the team, you have to multiply that by a hundred, at least, to be sure that in the release era all the players don't have issues.
It didn't take long for players to figure out the game and start racking up some seriously crazy numbers. What's interesting, the record set by the developers was broken just a week after launch. Lead programmer Tom Guillermin stated that this is "part of the game's vision."
Players outsmarting [us] with builds. [...] people engaging and taking ownership of the game in a way is, as developers, the best reward you can get.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available on PC, PS5, and XSX/S. Recently, the game reached an impressive milestone of 5 million copies sold, and players can expect additional content in the future.
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Author: Martin Bukowski
Graduate of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Gdańsk University of Technology, who decided to dedicate his life to video games. In his childhood, he would get lost in the Gothic's Valley of Mines and "grind for gold" in League of Legends. Twenty years later, games still entertain him just as much. Today, he considers the Persona series and soulslike titles from From Software as his favorite games. He avoids consoles, and a special place in his heart is reserved for PC. In his spare time, he works as a translator, is creating his first game, or spends time watching movies and series (mainly animated ones).
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