Nothing lasts forever @avrorik - Tumblr Blog

of course Esquie is the most powerful creature in the entire world and uses rocks as his source of magic and he can go anywhere and do anything, because he's a lonely young boy's favourite toy and that's obviously how favourite toys work. of course Monoco is that same boy's best friend and they play fight and get into trouble together but are fiercely protective of each other, because he's a lonely young boy's dog and that's obviously how dogs work. I'm sad about this game.

renegon

"I'm sorry." Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)

neosatsuma

Verso can we talk about this or

elf-trash

expedition 33 is a game about what would happen if you died and your family went insane fighting over your minecraft world you made when you were 12

gramnel

Fleeing time

ekjohnston

Going to be haunted by this until the end of everything.

ekjohnston

Me, when Maelle describes the concert on my first run: That sounds so sweet!

Me, when Maelle describes the concert on my second run: *incoherent wailing*

stonewavecliffdive

The writers of expedition 33 were playing 4D chess with my ass the entire game but no moment made that as clear as how they introduced painted Verso

Narratively, you have a major character death followed directly by the introduction of a new character that joins the party. Everyone's already devastated enough by the loss of the first character and the circumstances of that loss that they either instinctively don't trust Verso or are flat out too torn apart to give a true shit about him beyond what he can help them accomplish in the short term.

Game-wise, you have a player who has already invested hours in one character, who is presented more or less as the main/player character for the first act of the story. Not only does the cutscene whallop you in the usual ways (the music, the acting, all 10/10), it also compounds the emotionality by immediately replacing that character with another, similar-but-not-quite-right character that a lot of players also instinctively don't like or trust.

"You're telling me you're killing my loveable character and immediately swapping him out for another one that inherits a very similar play style, role in the party, who uses the same weapons? One who even looks a bit like the old one? You expect me to be okay with the bait and switch and continue on as normal?

No way! Fuck this guy! This imposter!"

Imposter. That's the word that keeps coming up over and over when I see clips of people playing the transition between finishing act I and starting act II. "You're not Gustave. You could never be him. How dare you stand where he stood. Fuck you."

I said these words aloud! To myself! Through my tears and my grief, just like so many other players did. And you know what I realized after the reveal at the end of act II?

The writers made the player feel how painted Verso feels about himself. That he's an imposter. A fraud. Not fit to take the place of the one that died: not Gustave, not the real Verso. Only worth as much as his utility: to the party, who wants revenge and the end of the gommage; to the player, who wants to beat the game; to Aline, who wants to stem the bleeding wound of her grief by any means necessary.

Anyway. This is what I mean when I say video games have the ability to be the most poignant and meaningful form of human artistic expression if all the elements align just so. The writers could have told you about how painted Verso sees himself through cutscenes and dialogue (which they do) but they also (imo deliberately) chose to make you feel it yourself, as the player. The disgust and the distrust and the indignation. It's brilliant and heartbreaking and I will never not be thinking about it.

zuzartii

Until next life

alxxbee

They soothe my soul ❤️💜

dragon-spaghetti

They’re coping really well <3

notherpuppet

Alastor ♥️

fetasy

Well, the song was cool

ultra-creator

Mira: they were my sun and star... Painter Mira AU

umbrum77

Rumi(half turned into a demon with horns and fangs looming over Zoey before kissing her)

Rumi: you look nervous are you sure this is ok?

Zoey(blushing): VERY. This is just like this one fanfic I read about us.

Rumi: someone made a fanfic of us with me being a demon making out with you? Seems pretty trashy.

Mira(laying in bed next to them): hey I worked hard on that.

umbrum77

Rumi: I don't understand why you two are acting all crazy when I have my demon for revealed.

Mira: well it's just.

Zoey: wait wait I got an idea. Here stand in front of the mirror. Ok you see your horns and fangs and your eyes and the beautiful color of your stripes.

Rumi(blushing ): yeah...

Zoey: ok now imagine all that...on Mira.

Rumi:

Rumi(blushing): oh...oh! That would be ...oh.

Mira: see now you get it!