I’ve been playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for quite a while since its launch, and one thing that really stood out to me is its adult characters. As an adult myself, this is a welcome sight I always appreciate in modern games.
The sheer number of adult characters in Clair Obscur is refreshing, especially compared to other RPGs that often focus on high school characters. It’s much more relatable to hear about these characters and their struggles than it is to sit through another cliched drama about teenagers trying to find their place in the world.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that RPGs with younger characters are bad. It's just that at my age, I much prefer fully formed adults with developed frontal lobes rather than teenagers and their drama. But I digress.
Games like Atlus’ Persona, Konami’s Suikoden, and even Game Freak’s Pokémon had younger casts that were genuinely compelling. Still, I’ve always gravitated toward stories that don’t involve beach episodes and endless teenage angst. (See: Baldur’s Gate 3, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, & Disco Elysium)
With Clair Obscur’s adult cast, the writing feels far more nuanced. Playing as adult characters means there’s no time for needless emotional outbursts or characters stonewalling each other for half the game—the party members actually talk through their problems instead of letting them fester until the next story arc.
I’ve seen this trope plenty of times in other RPGs: a character has a meltdown, storms off, and I have to slog through a whole new dungeon just to bring them back. I’m glad Clair Obscur avoids that entirely. (Or maybe I haven’t reached that part of the game yet?)
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Clair Obscur is a mature RPG steeped in themes of death and despair—it’s clearly not the place for a band of teenagers. These characters have everything on the line, fighting not just for themselves but for future generations. It’s refreshing to see Gustave and Lune, two adult characters, realistically confront and come to terms with their trauma during the early events of their expedition. Sometimes they play music together, sometimes they just sit by the campfire and talk about the past. It feels real.
Even the absence of a young cast in the main party is justified within the game’s lore. Without spoiling too much, the game’s premise is as follows: the older you get, the more vulnerable you become to the Paintress’ powers. Younger individuals are spared until they reach an age where they’re ready to embark on what's known as “The Expeditions.” Playing as adults fits perfectly with the game’s themes of time and mortality.
That said, there’s one notable exception: Maelle. Voiced by none other than Jennifer English (Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate 3), Maelle is 16 years old. Her early inclusion in the Expedition has a strong narrative reason, and characters like Gustave and Lune treat her like a daughter, someone they want to protect at all costs.
She’s a wild card, but what Sandfall Interactive did with her character is worth praising. Maelle isn’t a damsel in distress or a cutesy anime trope. She’s a fierce fighter and can even deal the highest damage in the game thanks to her unique stance-switching mechanic. She’s a force to be reckoned with and should be a standard for younger characters in RPGs moving forward.
And that’s why I respect Clair Obscur’s approach to its characters. As an adult, I want to see myself reflected in the games I play. I’ve had my fair share of games where I play as teenagers, and they’re often frustrating to deal with. In Clair Obscur’s case, it’s all about being straightforward and pushing through a world that’s out to get you. The game simply wants to tell a great story with a memorable, well-crafted cast.
It’s a breath of fresh air to see games like this entering the market and finding success. I’m genuinely glad Sandfall Interactive took this direction with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
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