Expedition 33’s First Act Is Heart Breaking

We’re going to talk about that moment in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Yes, that one. I know it just came out, but I’ve been dying to talk about this moment for weeks, and I can’t hold it in any longer. This is a major moment in the story and I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so if you haven’t finished Act 1 yet, please kindly go away. Here, read this article about the way the prologue teaches us how to die instead. I promise it’s a fun one.

If you’re still here, you either know exactly what I’m talking about or you want to ruin an incredible moment of video game storytelling for yourself. In which case, I say, well, I’m not your dad. The scene that concludes Act 1 is the moment I knew Expedition 33 was an all-timer, and I’m about to tell you why.

Last Warning, Seriously, Here Comes The Expedition 33 Spoiler

Be honest, did you see it coming? Because I certainly didn’t. Even when Gustave was lying on the ground, bleeding out, with no way to escape, I still didn’t think it was actually going to happen. Surely Esquie would swoop in and save him, or Maelle would unlock some hidden ultimate ability to rewind time. Lune brings people back from the dead all the time in battle! Something has gotta deus ex machina us out of this situation right? There’s no way Gustave is really going to die right now… right?

The shock factor is definitely a big part of what makes Gustave’s death so impactful. I mean, how dare you kill off the main character of a game at the end of its first act? Who does Expedition 33 think it is, Game of Thrones? With a big name like Charlie Cox and Gustave’s face all over the marketing, you would never suspect the game’s point of view character to die. It’s outrageous. It’s bold. It’s genius.

Once the initial shock has settled, you can start to see the breadcrumbs. That sentimental scene back at camp right before he died where Gustave and Maelle threw stones together? In retrospect, that’s kind of a heavy-handed way to set up what was about to happen. In a more subtle way, the first act of Expedition 33 spends a lot of time establishing that Gustave doesn’t have what it takes to survive this mission. This seems like something that’s just going to be part of his character arc, but when he dies, it’s clear that his flaws were a warning: there is no room for weakness in this world.

A Man Of Soft Conviction

When we first meet Gustave, he is filled with regret. The one who got away, Sophie, is about to face her Gommage. As much as he would like to comfort her in the end, he can’t stop himself from thinking about what might have been. Even when Sophie tells him that she’s thankful for the time she’s had and proud of the life she lived, Gustave still can’t accept it. He seems more upset about her death than she does.

With Sophie’s passing, Gustave is now living his final year before his own Gommage, and instead of seizing life and making the most of his time the way Sophie did, he’s shipping out to throw it all away on a suicide mission to take down the Paintress. At first this seems like a noble thing for Gustave to do, but the more we get to know him, the more clear it becomes that what he’s driven by isn’t duty, it’s fear.

After the massacre at landfall, Gustave starts making his way to the rally point alone. When he finds the bloody remains of his fellow expeditioners, Gustave assumes he is the only survivor and, without much time to consider things, puts a gun to his head. Lune arrives just in time to stop him from pulling the trigger, and scolds him – not for the last time – for trying to abandon his mission.

This conflict comes to a head when Gustave finds a scribbled note in unfamiliar handwriting explaining that Maelle has been taken. To where and by whom, Gustave does not know, but that doesn’t stop him from tearing off to find her. Lune protests. This isn’t protocol. The mission requires them to stay at the rally point and wait three days for other survivors. Gustave isn’t hearing it. He’s so afraid of what might happen to Maelle in the meantime that he’s prepared to abandon the entire mission without a second thought.

He gets his way, and even finds validation when Maelle is discovered alive and well, but this lapse in judgment does not go unpunished. Gustave’s lack of conviction is juxtaposed by his executioner, the White Haired Man, who is singularly focused on his yet-unknown mission. The White Haired Man will stop at nothing to do what he has committed to do. That’s the difference between them, and ultimately, why Gustave must die at his hands.

A Beautiful And Unforgiving World

As much as I hate the title, Clair Obscur is more than just a pretentious French word. It refers to the contrast of light and dark that permeates the world and gives shape to the story. It’s the way Gustave and Maelle skip stones together into a twisted black void. It’s the way they recruit Esquie by helping him get one over on his “arch-nemesis” – the other big goofball who lives in the same cave as him.

I think that contrast helps us understand who Gustave was, if not how he died. Surviving in this world is about holding on to the light of conviction against an ocean of endless, impenetrable darkness. It’s about believing in something and letting that belief guide you, despite every fiber of your being telling you to give up. Without a strong will, Gustave let the darkness overtake the light. His life was forfeit the second he put that gun to his head, it just took a little while for the bullet to find him.