Summary
- Grief-themed RPG Expedition 33 deals with loss and overcoming obstacles through character development.
- Adventure and exploration are central to gameplay, emphasizing the joy of discovery and forming bonds.
- Mortality, escapism, fear of the unknown, and family dynamics add depth to the story, making it memorable.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an RPG that has been praised for many reasons, including its compelling characters and unique turn-based gameplay, but another aspect that Sandfall managed to absolutely nail was the story. While on the surface, the plot of Expedition 33 may seem like a fairly straightforward RPG adventure game, it's not long before players will realize there are many underlying themes that encourage them to think a little harder about the world and the people who live within it.
Some of these themes are made pretty obvious from the get-go, while others only start to emerge once players reach the Continent to begin their grand adventure. One thing is for sure, though, Sandfall clearly spent a lot of time making this a story RPG fans will remember for years to come. When looking at the thematic depth of the plot specifically, these are the key central themes that work to make the story even more impactful.
This list contains spoilers for the entire game up to the end of Act 3.
7 Grief
Each Party Member Must Learn How To Overcome A Tragic Loss
In the world of Expedition 33, the citizens of Lumiere are only able to live to a certain age, an age that is dictated by a mysterious entity known only as the Paintress. As a result, it means the residents are always losing loved ones at a young age and are forced to then deal with their grief despite this becoming such a horrifying societal norm. While Gustave loses his beloved Sophie in the first hour of the game, each of the party members slowly deals with grief in their own way throughout the course of the story.
While Sciel must overcome the death of her husband, and Monoco must do the same regarding the loss of Noco, it's Maelle who suffers the most after witnessing her father figure, Gustave, being killed right in front of her at the end of Act 1. Grief isn't easy to deal with, but it's something the cast of Expedition 33, unfortunately, are forced to accept.
6 Adventure
In Classic RPG Fashion, The Thrill Of Adventure Underpins The Core Gameplay Loop
On the whole, Expedition 33's story is pretty bleak and dark in its tone, but considering this is an RPG at the end of the day, there's still a very big focus on the thrill of adventure and exploration. After all, Gustave and the others embark to a continent they know nothing about and come across some truly jaw-dropping environments that they would never be able to see back home in Lumiere.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33: 8 Best Maelle Quotes, Ranked
Maelle is an extremely important character in Expedition 33 who lets out plenty of memorable and impactful quotes along the adventure.
Being able to go on a grand adventure with a group of friends and forming close bonds along the way is an essential theme of many RPGs, and Expedition 33 is no exception. In a game that is very serious for much of its runtime, this is a much more joyful and uplifting thematic aspect, and it's further complemented by the staggering variety of environments players are able to explore during their playthrough.
5 Mortality
With Only So Many Years To Live, The Residents Of Lumiere Are Forced To Question Their Mortality
Considering people in the world of Expedition 33 pretty much know when they are going to die, it forces them to ponder what exactly they want to do with their life and how much they can truly achieve in that time. The game actually homes in on this quite a lot in its optional conversations. For example, by speaking to Maelle as Verso, she will talk about how many people in Lumiere will decide not to have kids at all, considering they may never grow old enough to see them mature, or they will decide to have children at a very young age.
Another way the game emphasizes this theme of mortality is through the other expeditions. Over the course of the game, players will be able to find corpses and data logs from former expeditions who failed in defeating the Paintress, with some of the party members even beginning to question whether the journey is worth it at all, considering how many have already fallen in trying to prevent the Gommage before.
4 Fate
Can The People Of Lumiere Really Break Out Of Their Sealed Fate?
It wasn't by choice that the people of Lumiere would have their age limit dictated by the Paintress. Instead, this was something that was essentially forced on them, and despite the countless number of people who had thrown their lives away to break out of the paintress' control, none were able to escape their shackled fate.
This idea of having a sealed fate is one that the main characters wrestle with throughout the entire game. There's no shortage of moments where a person will begin questioning whether the Gommage is something they can even escape from or if it's simply just a natural phenomenon that will always continue, which only helps to make the Paintress herself all the more intriguing to learn about.
3 Fear Of The Unknown
Gustave And The Gang Must Find The Courage To Step Into Largely Unfamiliar Territory
Most people in the world of Expedition 33 are at least aware of the Continent, considering how many people have traveled there in the past, but the specifics of what dangerous creatures actually lurk across the surface remain largely unknown. In fact, when Gustave, Lune, and the other characters set sail, they are fully aware that they are trespassing across a land they know nothing about, which, understandably so, puts a lot of the expeditioners on edge.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33: 8 Optional Things In Act 2 You Should Complete Before Moving On
Before heading on to the finale, players can do a variety of activities in Expedition 33, here are some that players should focus on
This only gets even worse after Renoir cuts down most of the expeditioners early on in the game, with Gustave desperately trying to find answers about who the man is and how he became so strong in the first place. Even when Verso is introduced, there's still this mysterious aura that surrounds him and the world at large, with this theme of mustering up the courage to face the unknown being very prevalent from beginning to end.
2 Escapism
Hiding Away From Problems Rather than Facing Them Head-On Can Lead To Disaster
Admittedly, this is a theme that only becomes apparent much later on in the story, but in hindsight, it also relates to much of the game leading up to that point. Near the end of the story, it is revealed that the people of Lumiere are actually trapped inside a painting that was created by the Paintress herself, who, in reality, is a mother who is trying to overcome the loss of her son Verso.
Aline uses the painting as a way to escape her pain and suffering. Meanwhile, her husband Renoir is desperate to pull her out. Escapism and, more specifically, trying to escape the problems of the real world through fiction can be pretty unhealthy, but in some ways, it can also be seen as a positive for helping someone deal with their grief. These are the kinds of ideas Expedition 33 poses to the player, primarily in Act 3 of the story.
1 Family
Family Is Complicated But Still So Important
By far, the most obvious theme in the game, and one that is referenced numerous times over the course of the story, is family and, more specifically, how complicated it can be. A major example of this is the relationship between Maelle and Gustave. Though the exact blood relation between the two is left unclear, Maelle always states that she views Gustave as a father or brother-like figure, without there needing to be any confirmation of them even being in the same family.
The game would hone in on this theme much more heavily after Act 1 once Renoir and Verso are added to the story, where it begins highlighting how difficult it can be to maintain relations with family members who have been through so much pain and suffering. It's a theme that Sandfall made sure to keep at the center point of the story from the very beginning, and it's one reason among many why the game is considered so unique.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
