This article contains full spoilers for the ending of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 throughout - proceed with caution.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broche has revealed that multiple ending scenes were cut from the game after he realized they were "awful." It sounds as though Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's endings could have had a completely different feeling to them, had the original plans been followed.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may feature one of the most heartbreaking narratives seen in gaming in a very long time. From start to finish, the game hits players with one emotional gut punch after another, and it doesn't let up at the finish line. When players are presented with the final two choices in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it becomes clear that there's no "good" ending to the game, and whichever one is deemed "better" for the characters is entirely subjective. It's tragic and compelling in equal measure.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Scrapped Two Ending Scenes After Realizing They Were 'Awful'
As spotted by PC Gamer, director Guillaume Broche spoke to BehindTheVoice, revealing that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's endings could have been much different tonally had two scenes not been cut. The first scrapped scene came just before players made their final choice between Maelle and Verso, in which the pair spoke over one another and failed to listen to the other. According to Broche, writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen voiced her concerns, but the director believed in his vision, saying "I thought it was awesome and very innovative… I was like 'no no, it's going to work, trust me.' We did the mocap session for it and I realized it was awful, like very bad."
The second scrapped scene came during Maelle's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ending. Broche said that "we had an older version that we liked but was not the best. Then we had a new version that the actors learned. We played the new version during the mocap, and it didn't work at all. During the scene there was no emotion." Instead, Broche asked character motion capture actors Charlotte Hoepffner and Maxence Cazorla to learn the old version in 30 minutes, which was "1,000 times better" and "saved the ending."
With Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's emotional moments, it's no surprise that less is more. During the interview, Broche said that "I really like scenes with very very little dialogue - like even the gommage, which is one of the most important, there's like two lines of dialogue in it. I find it harder, but more gratifying, to do a scene that transmits a lot with as little dialogue as possible." He also pointed out that the endings pay off massively, despite having no dialogue whatsoever, claiming, "I think it was a very bold move that could've gone completely wrong. I'm very happy it did not."
