“It’s essentially asking players to live with existential pain and form their own responses,” Starr explains. That brand of JRPG angst has inspired a devoted community — including a surprising fashion statement: berets.
“If you go to fan events you’ll spot hundreds — sometimes thousands — wearing berets,” Starr says. “Every time someone tells a story about being moved by the game, then spends hundreds of hours creating art, cosplay, or performances inspired by Maelle, Sciel, or Lune — that’s proof of the emotional power Guillaume Broche and Jen Svedberg-Yen have built into this world.”
Jennifer English, who voices two roles in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, described the challenge as rewarding: “Playing two characters was difficult — I had to capture the subtlety of ‘the same, yet distinct.’”
