The following article contains major spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's first act.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has had a substantial impact on players: the characters, the narrative and, of course, the emotions. One of the most emotional moments in the game comes at the end of the game's first act, when a party member is unexpectedly killed.
A major death in an RPG isn't a new concept, but Clair Obscur spends its opening hours setting Gustave up as the protagonist. The other characters look to Gustave for leadership, he has clear motivations for solving the plot's central conflict, and he's voiced by Charlie Cox, a relatively big name for a 'double a' game.
Then, the dastardly Renoir snuffs out Gustave's life in a moment that was supposed to be celebratory. It's a massive moment in the game that really emphasises how ruthless the setting is, and has a clear psychological effect on the characters going forward.
On an episode of Behind the Voice, game director Guillame Broche revealed that the decision to kill off Gustave originally came from one of the studio's dropped projects, a game called 'We Lost' (nice spot, GamesRadar+). In fact, the original pitch for Gustave's...
