Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has two endings to pick from. Ending discussions for the game will likely be the cause of online arguments for years to come, but fans are not the only ones who have argued over the two possible endings of Sandfall’s debut RPG.
While actors Jennifer English and Ben Starr agree on which ending is the best option for the story, the game’s developers spent a lot of days arguing about the game’s finale. After all, is there a “good” ending to Expedition 33? (Morally, not quality-wise!)
“That’s something we had a lot of arguments about in the team,” said creative director Guillaume Broche in a recent GameSpot interview. “I think your reaction to the endings, and which one is the “good” ending, is super subjective and related to your own personal experiences in real life.”
“Not every interaction in real life is a perfectly written, theatrical conversation – sometimes it’s just a look, or subtle moments of quietness, that have the most impact.”
Sandfall Interactive boss Guillaume Broche on Expedition 33’s narrative realism
Broche explained that the vagueness over which ending is intended to be the good, correct choice is “a strength of our writing and story”. This has been backed in the past by Verso actor Ben Starr who explained that the game’s theme of “existential pain” pushes players to ask themselves questions, “go out in the world and see how you feel about it.”
“Sometimes there is no clear ‘good’ or ‘bad’ choice in life that everyone will be happy with, and living within the grey, and those complex choices, are what makes us real people,” Broche continued in his interview. “Ultimately, what matters is your own interpretation of the ending and of the story.”
Broche also explained that the main draw of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was to take a wholly fantastical world and “tell a story that felt realistic and grounded”. This required some very strong performers—which the game has in spades—to make the story’s intense emotional beats hit as hard as they needed to.
“In that story we wanted to have subtle, realistic interactions and emotions – which is why there’s a certain ‘less is more’ feeling…” they said. “It just makes the game feel more “real” in our eyes, or at least easier to engage with and relate to. Not every interaction in real life is a perfectly written, theatrical conversation – sometimes it’s just a look, or subtle moments of quietness, that have the most impact.”
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is currently set up to receive the most awards of any game ever at this year’s annual The Game Awards celebrations tonight. Even if the game doesn’t break the record currently held by The Last of Us: Part 2, the game does at least appear to be a shoe-in for the 2025 Game of the Year Award.
