[Warning: This article includes full spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.]
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been on my mind a lot lately. I’m sure you’ve been thinking about it too, even if you’re not playing it. It’s taken over the video game world for the last month and change, and, after selling 3.3 million copies in 33 days, it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. It’s a joy to play, but I’m having just as much fun watching someone else play it as I did playing it myself — and now I can’t wait for its film adaptation.
I finished Clair Obscur’s main story after about 45 hours, but wasn’t quite ready for my time with it to end. Instead of immediately pursuing the vast post-game content, I gravitated toward watching my partner play it through from the beginning, and it’s quite the beautiful and gripping experience. Its emotional standout moments hit just as hard — maybe even harder, knowing what’s to come — the second time around.
I meant to spend a larger chunk of my Memorial Day holiday weekend finally checking out Sea of Stars’ new (and free!) DLC, but got sucked into Clair Obscur again all over. Instead of spending hours with Valere and Zale’s new circus-themed abilities in Sea of Stars, I was distracted by Clair Obscur’s breathtaking cutscenes playing on the TV right there. Sorry, Sea of Stars, but I can’t turn away from Gustave and stop from wondering how much he looks like Robert Pattison!
Hearing the distinct, booming thud of Renoir’s walking stick as the end of Act 1 approached, the knot in my stomach was even tighter the second time around knowing what fate was about to befall Gustave. We’re barely granted time to mourn Gustave after his clash with Renoir before Verso jumps onto the scene, and everything about his dialogue, character interactions, and cutscenes during the rest of the game is enhanced knowing who his character truly is.
He shows up just too late to save Gustave, but on second viewing we know that’s not true; Verso can admit to Maelle in Act 3 that he intentionally let Gustave die, which makes Gustave’s already heartbreaking death scene all the more painful. Then, at camp, he and his bestie Esquie catch up after a few years apart. “Maman’s the word,” Esquie says after Verso asks if he revealed Verso’s secret — that Verso is a painted copy of Renoir and the Paintress’ dead son — and, admittedly, knowing that the wine-filled beacon of empathy was also holding out on the expeditioners felt like a betrayal. One liar in the group stings, but two hurts deeply.
And let’s be frank: Verso’s a betrayer and a liar. A filthy, filthy liar — yet I can’t blame the guy. After experiencing his ending and realizing just how much this man wants to die, his actions and lies throughout Acts 2 and 3 make sense. Every conversation with Esquie and Monoco (his childhood plushie and dog brought to painted life!) has hidden layers that you only truly understand once all of Verso’s and Clair Obscur’s cards are on the table.
Of course, adapting a 45-hour game into a 2-hour film will be a difficult task, and I’m sure several story cuts and concessions will have to be made. Some will be easier than others, but as long as the core storylines remain intact, it can work. Clair Obscur is really about the Dessendre family’s cycle of grief and how it harms both the characters we love and those we never meet in a multitude of ways, and that’ll make for an excellent film. Now, if only the filmmakers can get Charlie Cox (Gustave) and Andy Serkis (Renoir) on board to reprise their roles — then the film will really start cooking.