Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

[DemoGraph]

Can you tell what exactly was it?

The premise of the game is that after an apocalyptic event that fractured the world and populated it with monsters, a god-like being called the Paintress started annually erasing every person older than a certain age from existence. She started doing that by erasing people older than 100 years old, then on the next year she erased all the 99 yrs olds, then 98, etc. Soon people realized that if no one stops her, humanity will be wiped away. Every year, the last human city sends an Expedition of volunteers to head to the Paintress' lair in an effort to kill her before she can erase another batch of people. The game follows Expedition 33, a group of 33 yrs old survivors on their last year of life.

And the plot twist is

► Show Spoiler

The Paintress is a severely depressed woman whose son died before the events of the game. Instead of accepting his death and letting him go, she decides to trap herself inside a magic painting (the game world) where her son is eternally alive as a painted character. Paintress' husband is not happy about this, he enters the magic painting himself and tries to destroy it from within so his wife could finally move on, but he's not strong enough to do that at once, so he just erases the painting layer by layer (hence people getting annually removed).

Basically, the whole gameworld is fake and made up and doesn't really exist, most of the characters are literal painted NPCs with no agency (including the ones you play as), nothing you did actually mattered, there is no point in reading worldbuilding notes and journals you find because none of that actually has a meaning. The epic inter-generational struggle against impossible odds, the sacrifice that people of the last city made by sending expeditions year after year - all of that was ********.

Why don't they just all go to destroy her at once?

Same reason humanity can't zerg rush a god with fists.
Also, nobody on the continent knows what is going on. All the expeditions got wiped out on approach to her.

[wndrbr]

Can you tell what exactly was it?

The premise of the game is that after an apocalyptic event that fractured the world and populated it with monsters, a god-like being called the Paintress started annually erasing every person older than a certain age from existence. She started doing that by erasing people older than 100 years old, then on the next year she erased all the 99 yrs olds, then 98, etc. Soon people realized that if no one stops her, humanity will be wiped away. Every year, the last human city sends an Expedition of volunteers to head to the Paintress' lair in an effort to kill her before she can erase another batch of people. The game follows Expedition 33, a group of 33 yrs old survivors on their last year of life.

And the plot twist is

► Show Spoiler

The Paintress is a severely depressed woman whose son died before the events of the game. Instead of accepting his death and letting him go, she decides to trap herself inside a magic painting (the game world) where her son is eternally alive as a painted character. Paintress' husband is not happy about this, he enters the magic painting himself and tries to destroy it from within so his wife could finally move on, but he's not strong enough to do that at once, so he just erases the painting layer by layer (hence people getting annually removed).

Basically, the whole gameworld is fake and made up and doesn't really exist, most of the characters are literal painted NPCs with no agency (including the ones you play as), nothing you did actually mattered, there is no point in reading worldbuilding notes and journals you find because none of that actually has a meaning. The epic inter-generational struggle against impossible odds, the sacrifice that people of the last city made by sending expeditions year after year - all of that was ********.

since you're in spoiler territory i'll just clarify one thing without expanding too much on it

► Show Spoiler

Yeah the people in the world are painted creations, but they are unlike fictional beings as we know them irl: merely a static, unchanging handcrafted products of an artist. In this universe, since these painters use Magic! these creations seem to be fully independent, autonomous and conscious. They would never be able to rebel against their creators (like the Paintress) otherwise.
So the claim of having no agency is odd, though I can kinda understand it in the sense that they are indeed unable to leave the painting and if someone outside destroys it, they're gone too. They have no agency over their fate in that regard.

watched the endings since I've decided not to finish the game.

► Show Spoiler

In the 'good' ending the painting gets destroyed, and the Paintress and her daughter are jetissoned into the real world so they could finally stop with their escapism fantasies and start accepting the reality. And in the 'bad' ending they continue their wretched existence inside a painting, while also resurrecting everyone who got wiped (Even Gustav gets resurrected, which completely devalues everything that happened in Act 1).

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter - they are screwed regardless of which ending you pick, and devs themselves didn't care about them. Starting from the beginning of Act 3 the story completely shifts focus to the depressed family from the real world, while the Lumiere and the expeditioners are treated as their playthings to be discarded.

[ThulsaDoomer]

watched the endings since I've decided not to finish the game.

► Show Spoiler

In the 'good' ending the painting gets destroyed, and the Paintress and her daughter are jetissoned into the real world so they could finally stop with their escapism fantasies and start accepting the reality. And in the 'bad' ending they continue their wretched existence inside a painting, while also resurrecting everyone who got wiped (Even Gustav gets resurrected, which completely devalues everything that happened in Act 1).

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter - they are screwed regardless of which ending you pick, and devs themselves didn't care about them. Starting from the beginning of Act 3 the story completely shifts focus to the depressed family from the real world, while the Lumiere and the expeditioners are treated as their playthings to be discarded.

Your mistake for expecting the French to possess the spark of humanity when everything points to the opposite.

[Cedric]

I remember posting a few positive things about this game but I couldn't finish it; too much blabla and it kinda ran badly too. I quit after the monster village.

I'm glad I did, really. I don't like what's described in the spoilers; it wastes my time. Not to mention the first ending has a very troubling message.

[DemoGraph]

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter

This could be said about any fictional or historical character. You close the book and it's over, they disappear until you open it again.

[wndrbr]

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter

This could be said about any fictional or historical character. You close the book and it's over, they disappear until you open it again.

don't be autistic

[DemoGraph]

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter

This could be said about any fictional or historical character. You close the book and it's over, they disappear until you open it again.

don't be autistic

But mooom.

[Breathe]

watched the endings since I've decided not to finish the game.

► Show Spoiler

In the 'good' ending the painting gets destroyed, and the Paintress and her daughter are jetissoned into the real world so they could finally stop with their escapism fantasies and start accepting the reality. And in the 'bad' ending they continue their wretched existence inside a painting, while also resurrecting everyone who got wiped (Even Gustav gets resurrected, which completely devalues everything that happened in Act 1).

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter - they are screwed regardless of which ending you pick, and devs themselves didn't care about them. Starting from the beginning of Act 3 the story completely shifts focus to the depressed family from the real world, while the Lumiere and the expeditioners are treated as their playthings to be discarded.

Your mistake for expecting the French to possess the spark of humanity when everything points to the opposite.

I still believe that spark to be within the White Frenchman. They’ve just been beaten down so much.

[DemoGraph]

The intro is meh, but then the vid becomes good.

[Kalarion]

The intro is meh, but then the vid becomes good.

► Story Spoilers

I watched until he explained how terribly tragic Francois' story is. It's 35 minutes long and I'm already ****** at how ******** this video is, I'm going to need a synopsis if I'm going to watch any more.

None of this means ****. The whole thing is a PAINTING. Why are we discussing the feelings of brush strokes on a P A I N T I N G. The paintress is a villain because she was used by the game creators to pull the rug out from under the player, not because she rightly wouldn't care about the made-up lives (by her!) of P A I N T E D I M A G E S.

What a massive waste of intellectual energy.

[DemoGraph]

I'm going to need a synopsis if I'm going to watch any more.

I've completely skipped all that "villain" and "poor stone" stories.
I liked the dev attention to details, I've missed and the way they've shown the character with very little direct interaction with her.

► Story Spoilers

Each family member made their own kind of life in the painting: brother made brushbois and other giant toys, mother made humans, father made axons (astrons? those giant boss monsters) and Clea made neurons (nevrons? anime slop monsters). Each type of monster shows different approaches to world construction and personality. Father painted Clea as an Atlas who carries a giant city on her back. She killed him, because she thought it unflattering.
Clea calls her parents by names, because she thinks that she's at least equal to them (in maturity). (my 5c - yet she still killed that Atlas, because our sociopath girl was butthurt).
I've previously skipped the subplot between Clea and that sideboss guy whom she tricked into helping her. Absolutely ruthless and fits well with her other actions.

Also, I've noticed that both Clea and Lune are barefoot and have somewhat similar personalities. I'm not sure what's the metaphor was implied (except for obvious "walking barefoot on coals/thorns").

None of this means ****. The whole thing is a PAINTING.

It's a magical painting. The characters seem to have free will (up to and including rebelling against their creators or deciding to kill themselves). They're more akin to (pre?)sentient AIs in virtual reality.
The only thing that divides them from, say, Shodan or Matrix Engineer, is a lack of effectors to change the real world. Paintfolk can't spawn an army of minigun bots around the canvas, so painter family can do with them (almost) what they want.

[Valter]

I liked the dev attention to details, I've missed and the way they've shown the character with very little direct interaction with her.

► Show Spoiler

Dunno if the video mentioned it but there's an area called Falling Leaves with a completely unique optional boss, which is also one of the most fun bosses.
This area's lore was very cryptic on my first playthrough but in a revisit I realized it revealed a lot about Clea and Verso's relationship with the painting. Hidden in plain sight. Accessible in Act 2 iirc.

Completely optional content btw. The game really rewards the player to seek out and explore, very cool.

[Solaire]

watched the endings since I've decided not to finish the game.

► Show Spoiler

In the 'good' ending the painting gets destroyed, and the Paintress and her daughter are jetissoned into the real world so they could finally stop with their escapism fantasies and start accepting the reality. And in the 'bad' ending they continue their wretched existence inside a painting, while also resurrecting everyone who got wiped (Even Gustav gets resurrected, which completely devalues everything that happened in Act 1).

Either way, in the end the people of Lumiere didn't matter - they are screwed regardless of which ending you pick, and devs themselves didn't care about them. Starting from the beginning of Act 3 the story completely shifts focus to the depressed family from the real world, while the Lumiere and the expeditioners are treated as their playthings to be discarded.

Your mistake for expecting the French to possess the spark of humanity when everything points to the opposite.

I still believe that spark to be within the White Frenchman. They’ve just been beaten down so much.

The Camp of the Saints was written by a Frenchman. The light is dim, but it endures

[Stack of Turtles]

► Story Spoilers

It's a magical painting. The characters seem to have free will (up to and including rebelling against their creators or deciding to kill themselves). They're more akin to (pre?)sentient AIs in virtual reality.
The only thing that divides them from, say, Shodan or Matrix Engineer, is a lack of effectors to change the real world. Paintfolk can't spawn an army of minigun bots around the canvas, so painter family can do with them (almost) what they want.

I don't think killing sentient AIs is wrong.

[Irenaeus]

I just read the plot spoilers posted on October. It's so bad. Thanks for the laughs!

[maidenhaver]

******. Stop having birthday parties and she can't kill you.

[CheesusCrust]

I just read the plot spoilers posted on October. It's so bad. Thanks for the laughs!

b-but it's t-the b-best game o-of the YEAR, every n-****** s-says so, a-and like Maelle is ma waifu (c) every ****** who says the game awesome/good/isn't so bad

[DemoGraph]

I don't think killing sentient AIs is wrong.

I don't think killing sentient human from [your_country] is wrong.
It depends.

[Stack of Turtles]

I don't think killing sentient AIs is wrong.

I don't think killing sentient human from [your_country] is wrong.
It depends.

I mean, I agree, I don't think killing Russians is necessarily wrong either

[DemoGraph]

They've released a free DLC.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 7311596633

[ZeElessarTelcontar]

Female gaze shite in male hobbies needs to be flushed down the toilet

[Irenaeus]

Woah!

[Vaako]

If they got ESG funding they hide it really well.

from grok:

"No, there is no evidence that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received ESG funding.The game, developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, had a development budget under $10 million (excluding some marketing costs covered by the publisher). Funding sources included:Private investments from "business angels"
Family connections of the studio's CEO
A small $50,000 Epic Games grant
Government support via France's CNC Video Game Support Fund (a standard pre-production grant for French games)
Primary publishing deal with Kepler Interactive

Searches for links to ESG investors (e.g., BlackRock, Vanguard), DEI consulting firms (e.g., Sweet Baby Inc.), or explicit ESG-tied funding turned up nothing. The game's success and acclaim appear unrelated to such initiatives, with no mentions in interviews, articles, or discussions tying it to ESG criteria. Some online speculation exists around gaming industry trends, but nothing specific or substantiated for this title."

But the characters still look ***. And quicktime events in a round based game no thanks. Probably more morons will try to do that in the future.

[rusty_shackleford]

Woah!

"used AI and flipped unreal engine assets"

wait why is he trying to get me to like them??

[Irenaeus]

If they got ESG funding they hide it really well.

from grok:

"No, there is no evidence that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received ESG funding.The game, developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, had a development budget under $10 million (excluding some marketing costs covered by the publisher). Funding sources included:Private investments from "business angels"
Family connections of the studio's CEO
A small $50,000 Epic Games grant
Government support via France's CNC Video Game Support Fund (a standard pre-production grant for French games)
Primary publishing deal with Kepler Interactive

Searches for links to ESG investors (e.g., BlackRock, Vanguard), DEI consulting firms (e.g., Sweet Baby Inc.), or explicit ESG-tied funding turned up nothing. The game's success and acclaim appear unrelated to such initiatives, with no mentions in interviews, articles, or discussions tying it to ESG criteria. Some online speculation exists around gaming industry trends, but nothing specific or substantiated for this title."

I remember when this "instant classic" was released earlier this year I made an investigative post (it's somewhere on the forum) about how it was actually funded by the Chinese Communist Party and made by some Armenians, but who knows? lol

But the characters still look ***.

Yeah, this game looks really bad to me but it managed to impress a ton of people with its "art". lol x2

[Vaako]

If they got ESG funding they hide it really well.

from grok:

"No, there is no evidence that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received ESG funding.The game, developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, had a development budget under $10 million (excluding some marketing costs covered by the publisher). Funding sources included:Private investments from "business angels"
Family connections of the studio's CEO
A small $50,000 Epic Games grant
Government support via France's CNC Video Game Support Fund (a standard pre-production grant for French games)
Primary publishing deal with Kepler Interactive

Searches for links to ESG investors (e.g., BlackRock, Vanguard), DEI consulting firms (e.g., Sweet Baby Inc.), or explicit ESG-tied funding turned up nothing. The game's success and acclaim appear unrelated to such initiatives, with no mentions in interviews, articles, or discussions tying it to ESG criteria. Some online speculation exists around gaming industry trends, but nothing specific or substantiated for this title."

I remember when this "instant classic" was released earlier this year I made an investigative post (it's somewhere on the forum) about how it was actually funded by the Chinese Communist Party and made by some Armenians, but who knows? lol

But the characters still look ***.

Yeah, this game looks really bad to me but it really impressed a ton of people with its "art". lol x2

Yeah I also know someone who liked it but he also only plays playstation slop and is arround 10years younger than me. And he doesnt even know what Persona or Metroid is. Guess was his first round based game. Newer generations which arent into PC gaming have really bad taste sometimes.

[Tangerine]

If they got ESG funding they hide it really well.

from grok:

"No, there is no evidence that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received ESG funding.The game, developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, had a development budget under $10 million (excluding some marketing costs covered by the publisher). Funding sources included:Private investments from "business angels"
Family connections of the studio's CEO
A small $50,000 Epic Games grant
Government support via France's CNC Video Game Support Fund (a standard pre-production grant for French games)
Primary publishing deal with Kepler Interactive

Searches for links to ESG investors (e.g., BlackRock, Vanguard), DEI consulting firms (e.g., Sweet Baby Inc.), or explicit ESG-tied funding turned up nothing. The game's success and acclaim appear unrelated to such initiatives, with no mentions in interviews, articles, or discussions tying it to ESG criteria. Some online speculation exists around gaming industry trends, but nothing specific or substantiated for this title."

But the characters still look ***. And quicktime events in a round based game no thanks. Probably more morons will try to do that in the future.

There's zero chance that game was made for under 10 million.

[Faceless_Sentinel]

Good video about how "idie" this game is:

[rusty_shackleford]

Good video about how "idie" this game is:

The troof is:
It doesn't matter. 99.9% of all games suck, indie or not. Anyone who thinks indie games are 'better' is just really bad at understanding rudimentary statistics and probability. Especially considering AAA wins easily in terms of % of games released that are good — 0.1% is a much bigger number than 0.0001%!

[Faceless_Sentinel]

Good video about how "idie" this game is:

The troof is:
It doesn't matter. 99.9% of all games suck, indie or not. Anyone who thinks indie games are 'better' is just really bad at understanding rudimentary statistics and probability. Especially considering AAA wins easily in terms of % of games released that are good — 0.1% is a much bigger number than 0.0001%!

No, it is important. Half of the outsourcing on this game is done by studios, owned by people who sits in government committee and vote which game will have French government financial support, this is corruption.