What if a single stroke of the brush could condemn one to death and another to oblivion? That’s the eerie premise behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a surreal and emotional ride where art and death are inextricably linked.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Story Explained
The story is set in Lumière, a city that was once full of life and is now stranded in the middle of the ocean, cut off from the rest of the world. Every year, an unknown figure called the Paintress picks a number. Anyone who is of that age dissolves in flower petals.
This odd occurrence, the Gage, has been going on for decades since a calamity they call the Fracture. No one really knows what it is and no one has been able to stop it.
That’s where the latest crew, Expedition 33, enters the scene.
Straight after the last Gage, the expedition heads to take on the Paintress and end the cycle. But things fall apart fast. A white-haired man, also dressed in the same uniform, arrives and takes out almost the whole team right on the beach.
He’s obviously older than anyone should be if they were exposed to the Gage. So how is he still alive?
Gustave is one of the few who survive. He wakes up by a waterfall, disoriented and heartbroken. Bodies are everywhere. He is on the brink of giving up when Lune, another survivor, comes across him and gives him a reason not to. They find a note etched into the wall: Gustave’s adopted sister Maelle is alive and being held in a shelter near the coral reefs. She was rescued by someone named the Curator.
Once Maelle is found, they learn about the Curator and set out on a journey to find the Paintress. As for their journey, they meet a being called Nco, a member of a mystical group known as guestls.
He says they will have to get the assistance of his village chief, Golgra, to cross the sea. At the village, they run into another survivor, Sciel. Golgra sends them to Esie, a slothful but mighty being who can carry them over the sea. Esie agrees to help only if they fetch a special stone from a grumpy neighbor.
Just when the journey begins to move again, Maelle has a weird vision. Time freezes.
The white-haired man and a girl with a mask appear. He accuses her of everything and tells her to quit and go home. The vision fades, but it unsettles Maelle and her companions.
With Esie’s assistance, the group crosses the ocean. But once again, they’re ambushed. Gustave sacrifices his life to save Maelle but it doesn’t do him any good. The white-haired man is just too powerful. Just before Maelle is killed, they are saved by a stranger.
His name is Verso, and he is from the long-lost Expedition Zero. He discloses the truth: the attacker is Renoir, former commander. Expedition Zero members for some reason, halted aging and managed to escape the Gage. Renoir now thinks the Paintress’s gift is something worthy of being kept, no matter the price.
Verso joins the crew, and they carry on. They meet a woman who bears a great resemblance to the Curator. Renoir and the masked girl return; this time, Renoir drops another bombshell.
Verso is his son. A fight breaks out. Verso stands up for Maelle and refers to her as Alysia. Time freezes again. The masked girl reveals her burned face and a flashback to the fire that burned down their family.
It’s obvious that Maelle’s past is connected to all of this in a much bigger way.
Finally the group arrives at the Paintress, ready to stop her. They have a weapon that the Curator gave them. Renoir tries to stop them once more, but the Curator intervenes. Verso is all that is left of his son, and revenge won’t bring back his wife, Renoir claims. The curator disobeys him and assists Maelle in completing the fight. Renoir is gone.
When they confronted the Paintress, she did not fight back to kill. She actually cures them while they are attacking. Just as she’s about to disappear, she calls Maelle by her real name, Alysia, revealing the truth they’ve been searching for all along.
But the peace doesn’t last.
The monolith explodes and its shock wave kills Lumière. Like that, it’s back—the Gage. Suddenly, everything shifts to the past. Now you play as Alysia, waking up in a manor with her sister Clea. This is where the truth is really revealed.
Alysia is from a family of magical painters who could bring into being living worlds on canvas. Her brother, Verso, has died saving her from a fire that was started by rival artists. Their mother, Alen, was unable to deal with the pain and ran away into a painted world created by Verso. That world is Lumière.
Renoir, their father, came in to fetch her, aware it was never going to work out. Alen became the Paintress. The Gage was never a curse. It was Renoir’s attempt to demolish the illusion and push Alen back.
Alysia and Clea devise a plan to conceal Verso’s original canvas and prevent their parents from losing themselves again. Alysia comes into the painting to help them find their way home but Alen’s power proves too much for her. Alysia forgets who she is and Maelle becomes.
Back in the present, Maelle recalls everything. She discovers Verso, and they both attempt to repair Lumière. But Renoir won’t help. He is afraid of more pain and wants to end the cycle on his own terms. In the last battle, Maelle brings back her fallen comrades and leads the attack on Renoir.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 All Possible Endings Explained
Finally, the game offers you a decision. There are two possible outcomes.
- If you are playing as Maelle, she beats Verso. The canvas world endures and Lumière is saved. But all the grief is absorbed by Maelle. She turns into her mother, who was caught in grief and can’t move on.
- Verso, when played, beats Maelle. She disappears but finds peace in the memory of who she truly is. Verso returns to the real world, and the painted world ends. There is still sadness, but also a feeling of healing. In the last seconds, you see Expedition 33 saying goodbye. It’s a goodbye, but not a hard one.
