Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 almost immediately became a breakthrough RPG when it launched last spring, and developer Sandfall Interactive seems to be looking to capitalize on that. Indeed, Sandfall more or less confirmed that a Clair Obscuro a sequel or spin-off is on the way, making it clear that the studio isn't done telling stories in this world.
Major spoilers ahead Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
One of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33the best and riskiest narrative move is his Nut-esque twist that reveals that the world of Expeditions is nothing more than a dying simulation created by young Verso before his tragic death at the hands of the Writers, about whom we still know very little. It would be easy to downplay this “it was all a dream” twist Clair Obscuro world, but actually expanded it and introduced a larger, more mysterious conflict between the various artistic clans in the “real world”.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 knows the power of a personal story
One of the best things about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is its story, but that's because it touches on a universal experience.
Future Clair Obscur games are unlikely to include Expeditions and Lumiere
Now that we know that Lumiere, the Painter, and every character except Maelle/Alicia are manifestations of Verso's painted world, the Expedic illusion is completely shattered: the citizens of Lumiere are not “real,” and the dream of conquering the Painter is depressingly futile. Nor is she the one causing Lumiere's people to die younger and younger—she's trying to prevent this phenomenon.
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So any story centered around another expedition is doomed to be underwhelming and derivative. This is especially true when you consider that regardless Clair Obscuro the end is canon, Expedition 33 is the last of its kind: the canvas is either destroyed or lives on, but without the need for Expedition. It might be interesting to see Verso's relationship with previous Expeditions, for example, but the concept generally wouldn't make for interesting, or even comprehensible, storytelling. Indeed, by any means Clair ObscuroMoving forward with the sequel, it's extremely likely that the Expedition, including beloved characters like Verso, Gustave, and Esquie, will never return—at least not in the traditional sense.
What path could future Clair Obscur games take?
The most obvious next step for Clair Obscuro franchise would explore mysterious writers and their conflict with painters. This is the most prominent and pressing conflict in the gaming world, and it will remain largely unresolved until the end of the year. Expedition 33. Since the writers' attack on the Dessendre household and Verso's subsequent death are essentially the catalyst for everything that happens in the game, further exploration of the feud would probably make for the most satisfying and logical continuation of the story. Then again, we now know that all on-screen conflict is, for lack of a better term, fake, so it makes sense to watch the “real” conflict.
The powers of the Writers are not yet precisely defined, but we can assume that they have abilities similar to the creative powers of the Painters. Perhaps they can create advanced simulations from books rather than, say, canvases. Other Clair Obscuro The game could focus on characters like Alicia and Clea continuing to fight the Writers, perhaps getting lost in a deep, labyrinthine Writer simulation. Naturally, this kind of development would have to be a massive departure from the first game, as the on-screen world-building in space would be irrelevant. Clair Obscuro writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen has said that there is no “canon” ending, so perhaps the next games will be spin-offs rather than direct sequels – unlikely to include Expeditions.
How future Clair Obscur games could still feature expeditions
For the sake of speculation, it's worth discussing the ways in which Expeditions could return in the future Clair Obscuro game – at least in potentially interesting ways. One option that comes to mind involves making A Life to Paint end canon. This is heavily implied to be a “bad” ending, as Maelle succumbs to the delusion that the canvas is real and descends into insanity, keeping the fake world running against the wishes of her family and at least one of its inhabitants. It might be interesting to reverse Expedition 33 dynamic in the sequel, following familiar faces from the first game as they attempt to defeat the now crazed Maelle and end their doomed existence.
Or characters from Expedition 33 was able to return through a simulation created by the Writers. If the Writers found out about Maelle/Alicia's on-screen adventures, they could taunt, manipulate, or psychologically torture her by creating a new simulation of the same characters. The possibilities for recontextualization are almost endless here, and such a narrative premise could help deepen Clair Obscuro's comments on the nature of reality.
That said, my gut keeps telling me next time Clair Obscuro the project will offer a clean break from Expedic as they have already served their purpose. When discussing the possibility of the future Clair Obscuro games last summer, said Sandfall Interactive founder Guillaume Broche, “Expedition 33 is one of the stories we want to tell [the Clair Obscur] franchise,” suggesting that this particular cast's journey will be connected to its game of the same name. Clair ObscuroAt the end of the year, the tradition was so widespread Expedition 33's campaign, the sky's the limit for more inventive storytelling, and all signs point to Sandfall trying something new with upcoming sequels or spin-offs. That's a good thing because that philosophy came about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 so loved in the first place.
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Older 17+ / Blood and gore, violent language, obscene themes, violence
- Developers
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publishers
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Interactive Kepler
