Major Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 spoilers ahead.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was celebrated for numerous reasons, from its parry system that modernized turn-based combat, to its utterly brilliant soundtrack, to its characters and the performances that brought them to life. While Jennifer English and Ben Starr had more time to win over fans given how much screen time Maelle and Verso received, it’s interesting how deeply Charlie Cox has become associated with the game despite it being a quick day of work per the actor’s own words. And funnily enough, it’s these very comments that essentially would have spoiled the game for anyone who thought too much about them going in.
While Charlie Cox has stated that he’s thrilled to see how beloved Expedition 33 is, he’s also been quick to say that he doesn’t deserve to be as celebrated as the other creatives involved with the project. This isn’t to say his performance wasn’t great — it absolutely was — but anyone who has played the game will know he isn’t the main character for long. While Cox has said that he’d love to voice Gustave in a film adaptation (with Robert Pattinson portraying the character since he looks just like him), he also feels like the 4 hours of work he put in compared to the actors who had far more material to juggle, or the developers who worked on the game for months, should have kept him out of award nominations. His honesty and humbleness only makes him more likable, but looking back, that transparency was also a spoiler.
Charlie Cox also is not a gamer — he only recently saw Marvel Rivals’ Daredevil — which could be a key part of why he was caught off guard by the Clair Obscur hype.
At the Washington State Summer Con last year, Charlie Cox shared his now infamous comments on his participation in Expedition 33. According to Cox, he feels like a fraud for how much his stint as Gustave has been celebrated given that he only recorded for a handful of hours and hasn’t played the game himself. While Verso actor Ben Starr has highlighted that the development of the game was incredibly efficient, not to mention a similarly quick rise to success once it released, a single day in the recording booth feels especially fast.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
While the amount of time actors like Jennifer English spent recording their dialogue for Clair Obscur hasn’t been specified, it’s safe to assume that it took multiple sessions and more than just four hours. Yes, Clair Obscur’s writing is excellent, meaning that actors will have an easier time getting takes that suit the developer’s vision, but characters like Maelle and Verso have multiple acts of dialogue and more side content to their names. Gustave does not since he dies so suddenly around 8 hours into the game, so naturally, the other cast members likely worked on the game for longer. Main characters in RPGs spending days or weeks recording sounds far more believable than a quick session, so really, Cox’s reveal about four hours of recording is a pretty big spoiler about his fate.
For anyone who saw Cox’s comments about not recording for long prior to playing the game, and then saw that Gustave was the focus of its narrative early on, one of Clair Obscur’s biggest surprises may have been ruined for them. While these comments weren’t around at launch, meaning many players likely hadn’t seen them before they played, several may have done so. After all, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 came out of nowhere and was a bigger success than practically everyone involved with the project expected it to be. Many players may have gotten on the bandwagon later due to this hype, and naturally, they’ll have seen Cox’s comments due to how talked about Expedition 33 became.
Even if players spoiled a key moment for themselves by thinking too much into Charlie Cox’s Clair Obscur commentary, the reality is that the game will be just as good regardless. Not only are there several other impactful moments throughout Expedition 33’s runtime, but the writing around Gustave’s death and the follow-up to it is just as good (if not better) than the scene itself. Plus, Cox’s four hours of recording reflects better on his skill as an actor and the talent of those behind the game, as they were able to nail the vision for Gustave in a single quick session.
- Released
-
April 24, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
-
Kepler Interactive
