Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has one of the greatest stories of any modern video game, and it’s packed full of devastating moments. These moments are part of what makes the story so powerful, asClair Oscurcertainly doesn’t shy away from the hard topics. You won’t be able to avoid the saddest parts of this story, but there are plenty of melancholic and tragic moments in the side content as well.Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.While the main story is enough to bring anyone to tears, completing each character’srelationship quest inClair Obscurand following each of their stories to the end will also prove to be extremely emotional. These tragic moments amount to something deeper, and they allowClair Obscur’sunderlying themes of loss, grief, and acceptance to have a real impact on the audience.
This article contains topics related to suicide and may be triggering for some readers.
10Sophie’s Gommage
Clair Obscur Comes Out Swinging In The Prologue
Clair Obscurmakes it clear from the very beginning thatit won’t be holding any puncheswhen it comes to shocking and tragic plot points. It speaks to the quality of the dialogue andcharacters in the Prologuethat players can become so connected with Sophie within such a short time. Further, it’s pretty bold to have your audience connect with a character only to have her turn to ashes before players even get to the first Act of the story.
“Ultimately, this moment makes the Gommage feel as devastating for the player as it is for the people of Lumiere.”
Sophie serves as a primer for what’s ahead, explaining what’s at stake with the Gommage and the Paintress, providing backstory for Gustave, and introducing us to the city of Lumiere. We only spend a short amount of time with Sophie during the Prologue, buther character is developed so well that we really feel her lossalongside Gustave. Ultimately, this moment makes the Gommage feel as devastating for the player as it is for the people of Lumiere.
9Francois' Fate
Francois Awaits Clea, But She’ll Never Return
While Francois and Esquie’s relationship is hilarious, and it’s clear they’re secret best friends, the reality behind Francois' existence and fate is tragic. Francois might seem like just a giant turtle that can’t move or go anywhere, but he actually hasone of the saddest origin stories of all the side characters. Based on the nature of the Canvas, it seems Francois may have been modeled after one of Clea’s childhood toys, most likely an actual “pet rock.”
Because of this, Francois exists inside the Canvas, fated to love a character who ultimately has far bigger issues to deal with. Francois longs to see Clea again, and is bound to wait for her there in his cave for an eternity. The closest he may ever get to this is the Clea-Francois stone you leave with him at theend of Esquie’s relationship quest. Esquie says Clea would never abandon Francois completely, but the tragedy is thathe probably will never see her again.
8Expedition 46
Lune Seeks Closure After The Tragic Loss Of Her Parents
As you advance Lune’s relationship quest, you’ll learn much more about her complicated relationship with her parents, who tragically passed when she was quite young. When she was younger, Lune’s was apprenticed to her parents and aided them in their"obsessive"research. There are some clear hints that Lune holds some resentment over the way she was raised, stating that,“They needed a research assistant who never went home.The obvious solution, birth your own.”
Once you reach Level 6 in Lune’s relationship, Verso will direct her and the rest of the crew to Sirene’s Dress, where Expedition 46, Lune’s parents' Expedition, was last seen. After defeating the Glissando there, you’ll be able to pick up 46’s journal, whichdoesn’t provide Lune much closure. Ultimately, she feels that her parents viewed her more as a"backup plan for their legacy,“and Lune will simply have to do her best to come to terms with the burden her parents placed on her.
7Noco’s Resurrection
Monoco Loses The Gestral That Raised Him
Noco is one of the very first Gestrals we meet inClair Obscur, and he’s one of the most beloved and tragic characters in the game. Sadly, Noco perishes at the hand of Renoir at the end of Act 2, devastating players again with yet another unexpected and sudden loss. This is a brutal moment for Monoco, Esquie, and the entire Expedition, andplayers can feel Noco’s death as if he were their own dear friend.
Fortunately (or not), Gestrals likeNoco can be resurrectedas long as they wait their turn in the Sacred River. As part of Monoco’s relationship quest, he takes the liberty ofskipping the line for Noco in order to bring him back sooner. Golgra has a lot to say about this, but if you beat her in a duel, she’ll let you bring Noco back. Sadly, Noco is not the same Gestral that helped raise and protect Monoco, and now, each time Monoco sees Noco at the Gestral Village, it makes him cry.
6Sciel & Esquie’s Connection
Esquie Saved Sciel From A Tragic End
Sciel has arguablyone of the most tragic backstories of all the main playable characters, though the details of her life aren’t made entirely clear until you advance pretty far into the relationship quests. Sciel and her husband, Pierre,“were perfect for each other,“but he tragically died in a drowning accident five years before he was supposed to Gommage.
You’ll only have the option to romance either Lune or Sciel (or neither) during a single playthrough, but you’ll be able to experience both of their full relationship stories regardless of your choice.
Later on, players will discover that Sciel actually intended to follow Pierre into death, and after he perished,she swam out into the ocean to die. However, she was saved by none other than the beloved Esquie, only to find out at the hospital that she was, in fact, pregnant and had lost her child during her suicide attempt. This is the root cause of her fear of swimming, which she overcomes with Verso, and it also explains her connection with Esquie.
5Renoir’s Paradox
Destroying The Canvas Will Save His Family
Renoir is the main villain and finalboss ofClair Obscur, and he’s a recurring “bad guy” that we see throughout the whole story. However, above all, Renoir’s efforts to destroy the Canvas are about doing what’s best for his wife and daughter. Aline and Alicia are at risk of dying because of the amount of time they’ve spent inside Verso’s Canvas, and the only way to ensure they don’t return is todestroy the Canvas once and for all.
The problem is thatboth his wife and daughter refuse to leave the Canvasbecause they don’t want Renoir to destroy it. This situation creates a bit of a tragic and inevitable paradox with major consequences for the Dessendre family, despite the fact they are all simply trying to come to terms with the same shared loss.
4Alicia’s Goodbye
Verso Must Let Go Once Again
After advancing Maelle’s relationship quest, there will be a final point where you must go toThe Reacher inClair Obscurand make your way to the top riding a series of balloons. Once you reach the top, Maelle and Alicia will have a cutscene where time freezes to a halt and nobody else can move. This form of Alicia is not the real Alicia, but isone that Verso loves as if she were his real sister.
Maelle is the “real” Alicia, while the Alicia we see in The Reacher and by Renoir’s side throughout the story is Aline’s creation.
After Maelle and Alicia’s cutscene, they’ll square off for a duel. Defeating Alicia here will trigger a final cutscene at The Reacher that shows just how much Alicia means to Verso, and it’s clearthey share a very real bond despite neither of them being “real” themselves.Ultimately, while this scene allows Verso a chance to accept his nature and begin to understand what must be done, it’s yet another loss he must deal with.
3Au Revoir Gustave
The Hardest Loss In The Game
While this one is a no-brainer, that doesn’t make it any less tragic. As part of the main story, we experience the biggest twist in the game, the loss of the main character and protagonist. Gustave’s death is the most memorable and devastating moment in the game, and for good reason. It isn’t often we see the main character killed off so early in a story, butit’s an important twist that tugs at every player’s heartstrings.
While this is a devastating moment in itself, it becomes even more tragic to learn later that Verso could easily have saved Gustave, but decided not to because he was afraid Maelle would not help otherwise. Gustave’s legacy is preserved throughout the remainder of the story, however, and if you write in his journal, you’ll even be able to unlock Maelle’s unique skill in his memory:Gustave’s Homage.
2The Paintress
Aline Just Misses Her Son
While the initial impression of the Paintress is that she is the one killing people every year based on their age, this doesn’t turn out to be the case. Players will discover over the course of the main story that The Paintress has actually been putting these numbers up as a warning for people about how much time they have left,while Renoir is the one Gommaging them out of existence.
The Paintress is doing everything she can to fend off Renoir’s attempts at erasure, with the ultimate goal of preventing Renoir from destroying the Canvas entirely, despite this probably being the best thing for Aline. The Paintress—or what Aline has become inside the Canvas—wants more than anything to simply be with her son again,even if it consumes her entirely.
1Verso vs. Maelle
There Are No Happy Endings In Clair Obscur
Perhaps the singular most tragic moment inClair Obscuris the choice betweenVerso and Maelleyou must make at the end. Choosing Maelle might appear to be a happy ending at first, giving us glimpses in the Epilogue of a life in Lumiere where everyone is brought back to “life” and carries on without the looming threat of the Paintress. However, this version of things is a massive facade created by the “real-life” Alicia, and this ending implies that she will be trapped in this Canvas forever, left to suffer the same fate as Aline.
Verso’s ending is arguably even more devastating, though it is considered the “happy ending,” insofar as one can exist inClair Obscur: Expedition 33. Verso will destroy the canvas and everything inside along with it. Even if this means the Dessendre family will finally be able to start grieving the loss of Verso in a healthy way, it also means that everything we’ve come to love inside the Canvas is gone.
