Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, from Sandfall Interactive, has been widely praised as an early front-runner for Game of the Year. Lauded for its engaging combat, striking visual designs, depth in both narrative and character development, and one of the best soundtracks in gaming, it’s no surprise that it currently sits as one of the best-reviewed games of all time. (At time of writing, it’s currently in the top 200 on Metacritic.)
While the word masterpiece feels justified, even masterpieces can have flaws. Missed opportunities and lost plots can lead to unanswered questions or ponderings of what might have been. Despite how well the game handles so much narrative, it does fall victim to this unfortunate occurrence where its characters, Lune (Kirsty Rider, Sifu) and Sciel (Shala Nyx, The Old Guard), and their seemingly budding affection for each other are concerned.
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We first see the signs of potential romance between the two in the wake of Gustave’s (Charlie Cox, Daredevil: Born Again) death at the end of Act One. Sciel and Lune sit together as they come to grips with the loss their expedition has just suffered. We learn that the two have grieved together before, establishing a previous bond that has been forged between them. Sciel expands upon this last connection, stating that she wishes they could’ve spent more time in “less hopeless contexts.”
In a superlatively handled but jarring response, Lune begins going over the tasks that lay ahead of them. Indifferent to her comrade’s comments, she analyzes what needs to be done, both for themselves and what can be laid down for those who come after, since without the Lumina Converter that Gustave carried, they have little hope of defeating The Paintress.
Sciel and Lune lean on one another after suffering losses.
It’s easy to translate Lune’s indifference to Sciel’s heartfelt comments as cold and detached. Maelle (Jennifer English, Wuthering Waves) will even accuse her of carrying on after Gustave’s death “as if nothing happened.” Sciel, however, sees that Lune is coping with her trauma the only way she knows how: by burying her head in her work.
This psychological flight response from her is quickly addressed as Sciel stops her spiraling into her work, assuring her that “It’s okay” and that “Tomorrow will still come.” The moment grants Lune the peace of mind to just breathe for a moment as the pair physically lean on each other for support.
This moment sets up so much for them that a much deeper relationship feels inevitable. Not only do they share a history of contending with grief together, establishing prior trust, but Sciel can see Lune for who she is, easily piercing the barriers the woman has erected around herself.
Not too far into Act Two, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 again gives the pair a moment alone. In this follow-up scene, we learn why Sciel and Lune didn’t get to spend more time together. We learn that Lune pushed Sciel, and pretty much everyone else, away after she learned her parents had died as part of Expedition 46.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 allows the two a moment of unprecedented warmth.
Lune chose to bury herself in her work then, too, looking to complete what her parents had begun and found friends to be a distraction. Sciel gently corrects this line of reasoning, stating that “friends are not a distraction,” something that Lune is happy to acknowledge now.
Lying side by side on the grass during this scene, there is an intimacy and closeness that grant the sequence one of the purest feelings of warmth Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 delivers throughout its often painful tale. There is a sense of gentle, yet profound, regret in both Rider and Nyx’s voice work. But as the moment draws to a close, there is also promise for them. A small spark of hope is lit between the two.
Sadly, that is the last such scene we get. Rather than continue pursuing the two’s deepening affection, the narrative opts to give the player, who controls Verso (Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI) when at camp, the chance to pursue the opportunity for sexual encounters with one of the two.
These moments, if pursued, are not bad. Consenting adults seeking comfort and passion amid the nightmares the group must contend with makes sense and is handled well. But they bring little to the larger plot. Forgettable moments that bring a playfulness to the scenes they occur in, but little else. Had Lune and Sciel been allowed to pursue their hinted-at attraction, there would’ve been huge potential for later payoffs.
Each act in Expedition 33 offers a possibility for their relationship to develop.
The first of these would’ve come at the end of Act Two. When Renoir (Andy Serkis, The Batman), freed from his endless struggle with The Paintress, gommages (erases) the remaining citizens of Lumiére. In the scene, as it plays out now, Sciel calmly accepts the ensuing oblivion while Lune turns frantically every which way, adrift with nothing to grasp for.
While these two responses work in the moment, seeing the duo turn and desperately move towards each other as they dissolve into the haunting cloud of flower petals that bring oblivion would’ve brought an extra layer of impact to an already powerful moment. Adding a layer of personal tragedy to the mass loss, as the player would’ve watched this love blossom, only to be cruelly snuffed out moments after it seemed permanently saved.
The other major moment that could come from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, allowing Lune and Sciel to grow into a true relationship, would come in Act Three. With the discovery that Maelle has the powers of a Paintress, it’s revealed that once Renoir is beaten, she can return those who have died previously to life. Everyone from Gustave to Lune’s parents and Sciel’s deceased husband could return.
Failing to explore their potential is a major miss for an otherwise exceptional game.
In the game’s narrative, this revelation poses no significant consequence if the player had Verso and Sciel hook up. Since Sciel made no illusions about their interactions being anything more than physical, her willingness to leave Verso behind comes easily and without a second thought.
If a meaningful relationship between Lune and Sciel were allowed to grow, this would present a far more complicated situation for the woman, which Sandfall’s writers could take in several directions, perhaps even giving players the option of choosing how the moment plays out. While the odds that whichever direction the narrative took the two it would have a high likelihood of upsetting some players, the exploration of how they would deal with the unexpected discovery would leave a far more impactful memory than what plays out in the game.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does a lot of things right by both its narrative and characters. Despite its outstanding accomplishments, failing to explore the potential of Lune and Sciel is a huge miss, probably the biggest oversight in the game’s story. Exploring how the two characters’ connection could help them process the pain they both carry, as well as enhance key moments of the story, is far more rewarding than what connecting either character to Verso achieves in the game.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available now PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S via Xbox Game Pass.
