It feels like the 2020s is shaping up to be yet another decade where excellent RPGs reign supreme, and we only need to look atClair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the year’s best games so far, as proof. As players see for themselves what makes this game great, developers have been weighing in with their thoughts as well. One of them is Aliona Baranova,Baldur’s Gate 3’s performance director.
Baranovapointed outin response to a tweet about Clair Obscur scoring a 10/10 from Edge Magazine that half of the six titles to achieve that score in the past five years (Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Clair Obscur) feature her long-time partner and co-worker on BG3, Jennifer English. Jokes about English being the secret sauce to a perfect game abounded, but this had me thinking about the strength of the acting in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has A Great Cast
It’ll come as no surprise to anybody that has played the game that while it’s undeniably a beautiful game, full of gorgeously detailed environmentsfacilitated by expert art direction, the facial animations can leave something to be desired. I’m often surprised at the uncanny valley expressions Maelle makes while smiling, or the awful lip sync between a character’s face and voice.
But all the same, Expedition 33 can inspire great swells of emotion, as many players have experienced first-hand. That’s in spite of it not reaching the lofty goal of photorealism that so many contemporary games aspire to. A lot of this can be chalked up to well-directed scenes, but I’d also credit the excellent voice acting.
Expedition 33 has a surprisingly stacked English voice cast for a double-A game, boasting Hollywood stars Andy Serkis and Charlie Cox as Renoir and Gustave, alongside well-known voice actors Ben Starr and Jennifer English as Verso and Maelle. That strong cast is likely what garnered it quite a bit of interest as word of mouth passed around after launch, but I can’t help but highlight English’s performance here.
Jennifer English Is One Of Clair Obscur’s Best Parts
Maelle, as far as I’ve played (I’m nearing the end of Act 2), is the emotional core of the game. While other characters do a lot to balance out the tone withexcellent comedic timing and well-told jokes(Starr’s Verso is hilariously deadpan), it’s English as Maelle who really sells me on the narrative stakes.
Whether it’s her lovingly mocking banter with Gustave, her hyperventilating after a vision, or her screams of grief, Maelle is utterly convincing at every turn. This is even more of a feat when you consider that English’s role as Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3 has made her voice instantly recognisable – there’s really no mistaking it once you’ve spent 100 hours trying to get god’s favourite princess and the most interesting girl in the world to trust you, even as you attempt to convince her to reject her evil goddess. Somehow, despite the fact that you immediately recognise her distinctive voice, the way English voices Maelle makes her sound incredibly youthful, as if you’re really listening to a teenager.
Again, I’m not putting the strength of the voice acting solely on English – the rest of the cast do excellent performances that really endear me to their characters, even with the supporting characters. But there’s a grain of truth to the joke that everything English touches turns to GOTY.
Excellent voice acting can really elevate a game to greatness, even if the facial animations aren’t perfect. Having a solid voice acting cast humanises characters and makes them feelreal, and English as Maelle being the core of this story is proof that great acting can make a great game even greater.Just don’t listen too closely to the French pronunciation.
