Death is Always Brutal: Reflections on Clair Obscur Expedition 33

This article contains possible spoilers Claire Obscur: Expedition 33.

We cannot hide from death, although our culture is often accused of trying to do so. Transhumanism, the systematic embrace of nursing homes, and our dreams of moving towards “celebrations of life” rather than funerals lend some legitimacy to that claim. However, any of these tendencies or tendencies may overestimate their impact in obscuring our view of the Grim Reaper and his trusty scythe.

Because the simple and obvious fact is that we humans cannot hide death. After all, you can’t run away from it. Nor can we hide from it while we are alive. So, no matter how death-shy our culture seems, works of art naturally end up dealing directly with this fact.

In the spring of 2025, a small French video game company sandfall interactive Started the first game. With its amazing cast of characters, stunning design and artwork, engaging story, and great soundtrack, it has created quite a buzz in the gaming world. Not only did it win Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Awards, it also set a record for the most awards. But perhaps nothing stands out more than its extensive explorations of death and grief, and its willingness to leave you deeply moved and uncomfortable by the end.

game title, Claire Obscur: Expedition 33points out the dual nature of the theme. Words similar to italian chiaroscuroFrench term claire obscuraLiterally translated to mean “bright darkness,” it refers to works of art that utilize strong contrasts and interactions between light and darkness to create emotionally rich and dynamic visuals. Light and darkness are not only opposites, but also complement each other. Light shines brighter and darkness is made heavier by its very opposite.

One of the main themes of the game is sadness. Each character in the main character’s family depicts different expressions of coping with loss. There are few (if any) wholesome expressions, but they are all realistic. During the course of the story, one of the main characters, Mael, suffers an unfathomable loss and is overwhelmed by the fear of death that befalls his team wherever they go. In a conversation with an immortal named Verso, she laments the omnipresence of death.

Back side: “Hey, are you waiting? We’re almost there.”

Mael: “Can I endure it? Death, death, and more death everywhere I go. Only death everywhere I go. I just don’t want to see it anymore.”

Back side: “Look, Mael, that’s-”

Mael: “I thought you’d understand. You said you spent your immortality burying the people around you. Does that bother you?”

Mael knew he was facing death. Although young, she was by no means naive. She set out on Expedition 33 to fight a deadly enemy (known as). Nebulon) in an effort to stop the cycle of death called Gommagethe world’s oldest citizens die every year. As the years pass, the age limit goes down one by one, and is currently 33 years old.

Every year, the Gommage erases its oldest inhabitants, and they gently dissolve into a bunch of flowers. It is celebrated with festivals and flowers, eerily echoing the celebrations of our lives. Ms. Mael has witnessed this annual murder 16 times (assuming she was an observant toddler). In a way, she’s used to death. But now she faces a reality check.

Is she used to it? Will she, or anyone, be able to get used to it? Having left the comfortable and safe city of Lumière, she is faced with these difficult questions. surely, effect Although the circumstances of death remain unchanged, exterior Death has. It’s as if the Grim Reaper has been wearing a colorful costume and a friendly mask all this time, and now he’s revealed his true self. death unmasked. Merle discusses this change with her adoptive family, Gustave.

Mael: “The death here is different from the one in Lumière, isn’t it? I thought – oh, I’m used to losing people… but I wasn’t – not on the beach… that guy…”

Gustave: “Yeah…yeah, I know…Nebulons, we were prepared, but we weren’t…and now we’ve finally found the other survivors, and it’s…you know…that’s the insidious thing about Gommage. It’s…predictable. Almost placid. It makes Lumiere happy and accepting, but…Gommage is just as violent, and death…death is final as well.”

Once again, gommage reflects our culture’s attempt to soothe our minds toward the concept of death. However, if there was an expedition, it would be a failure. death is everytime Brutal. death is everytime Violent. This reality cannot be reversed.

Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, said:

Death is indeed a terrible atrocity, and there is no point in pretending otherwise. It is much more cruel not only as a physical event, but also mentally. Human beings are separated from us and all that remains is the icy silence of death. There is no longer any hope in the relationship, as all bridges have been destroyed in one blow. ¹

If the nature of death is such, it’s no surprise that grief can be just as cruel. and this is the end claire obscura It pits the players against each other. Players are faced with a sharp dichotomy of two brutal choices. They have no hope of escaping such a tragic outcome. Mael lives in two worlds. The “real” world and the painted canvas world of “fantasy” maintained only by the fragments of his deceased brother’s enslaved soul.

In the painted world, she and her mother seek refuge and escape the grief of her brother’s death by clinging to her “painted” still-living brother. But that version of her brother wants to protect his sister by destroying the canvas world so that she doesn’t cling to this fantasy life that Mael is naturally drawn to.

No matter what choices and endings players choose, there will be sadness, pain, loss, and death. Even the ending that allows for the resurrection of some beloved characters comes at the cost of Mael’s life in the real world, the loss of his brother’s freedom, and the slow, inevitable fading of the canvas world. Death cannot be defeated in either world.

In either scenario, the grief is almost impossible to bear. And in that sadness, we experience the lament that C.S. Lewis expressed in the film. Observed sadness:

I look up at the night sky. In all these vast expanses of time and space, what is more certain than that, if I were allowed to explore them, I would never find her face, her voice, her touch anywhere? she passed away. she died. Is it that difficult to learn the word?

Yes, Lewis. Yes, that’s right. thin unnaturalness Human death surprises us. The visceral pain, shock, and sadness we experience is appropriate. Anger, refusal to accept, and an insatiable desire to hold on are natural reactions. Tim Keller says:

To say, “Oh, death is natural” is to harden and perhaps kill the part of your heart’s hope that makes you human. Deep down we know that we are not like trees. We are not like grass. We were built to last. We don’t want to be temporary or insignificant. We don’t want to just be waves on the sand. Our heart’s deepest desire is lasting love. ²

This desire should not be ignored. In fact, it should be woken up. claire obscura It helps you do just that. Everything in the game is not make vague. It’s not all darkness. The gameplay, the stunning artwork, the mesmerizing and creative sub-creation and world-building, the classic award-winning soundtrack, the deeply empathetic characters, the noble virtues shown and encouraged, it’s all so beautiful. This is a playable work of art, philosophy, and storytelling. In other words, it’s a literary game. Not all video games are created equal.

Isn’t the tragedy of the ending all the more accentuated by the beauty and goodness of the story, which reflects every human life? No matter how much pain, sadness, grief, failure, loss we experience, by our very nature; what As Keller says, we are “incalculable glory and importance to all human beings.” ³ This is the tragedy of death and its horror. The light of human life only increases the darkness of death.

In a sense, that’s exactly what it is. claire obscura leave us. After all, even if you choose to “escape”, it is expensive and fleeting. light of claire obscura The two worlds are based on the goodness and beauty of their respective characters, do not have With hope. Hope is an illusion at best. It is not powerful enough to defeat the great enemy of death. Therefore, this story is a tragedy. And tragedies, unlike most other stories, stay with us forever. Again, this partly stems from what you shouldn’t do. story shouldn’t This is how it ended. Even if we like the ending from a literary standpoint, we can’t escape that feeling. our The story shouldn’t end like that.

However, the light of Christ shines there, shining so powerfully that it overwhelms even the deep darkness of death itself. The defeat of death through Jesus Christ is a victory of such greatness, grandeur, and glory that it cannot be overstated. The depth of the sorrow of loss can only be overcome by the hope found in the victory of the cross.

So Paul writes:

But when this corruptible has put on imperishability, and this mortal has put on immortality, then there will be a word written, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thank you God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57NASB 1995)

We can grieve. In fact, you should. Certainly imperishable is coming, but for now we are bound to imperishable. Grief is therefore an appropriate response to death and loss. Still, the cycle of death exists. have It’s broken. I have a big enemy, have Defeated. There is a grave called teeth emptiness and resurrection intention last.

Therefore, believers in Christ have the potential not only to grieve, but also to grieve. and hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Because tomorrow will come. The sun will rise again. Although this world is disappearing, new creations are still being born. It is a Christian story and a work of art. Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 They are the guideposts that lead us to that great reality.

1. CG Jung Memories, dreams, and reflections (New York: Vintage, 1965), 314; Citation: Timothy Keller Understanding God: An invitation to skeptics(New York, NY: Viking, 2016), 163 ↩︎
2. timothy keller about death(New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2020), 42 ↩︎
3. timothy keller Understanding God: An invitation to skeptics(New York, NY: Viking, 2016), 139 ↩︎