Last Updated on Oct 8, 2025 @ 13:22:38 PM.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was an excellent debut for Sandfall Interactive and a love letter to the turn-based role-playing genre in video games. It is rare to see a new studio do something remarkably original in an industry oversaturated by competitive co-op shooters. The graphics, combat, music, and story in particular were all top-notch and worthy of praise.
Months passed, and some players are still reeling over how the story ended and the fate of these beloved characters. To settle it once and for all, the lead writer carved time out of her schedule to reveal which ending is canon.
The Lead Writer Revealed Which of the Endings in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Canon
At the end of Act 3 in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the party overpowered Renoir, and he leaves the Canvas on his own accord with the hope of Alicia keeping her promise. Unfortunately for her, Verso knows her sister well enough and has no intention of leaving the Canvas. Alicia plans to keep it alive along with the other creations, including himself.
Verso, cursed with immortality, no longer wants to live a life he didn’t ask for and intends to end it all himself. This brings the two Dessendre siblings into a final confrontation, and players must decide the fate of the Canvas. Selecting Alicia or Maelle will keep her from recovering from the death of her true brother and keep Verso in limbo for eternity, whereas fighting as Verso will end the Canvas and send Alicia home.
In a recent interview with Lits Play, Jennifer Svedberg-Yen reveals her thoughts about the story she wrote and who was in the right:
“I tell everybody there is no correct ending. There is no canon ending. There is no official Sandfall ending.”
Both endings end on a sour note, where all of the characters suffer a terrible fate of isolation or death. However, Svedberg-Yen trusts the players well enough for them to decide which ending is right for them and their interpretation of the story.
“Neither is perfect. Both of them are heartbreaking in their own ways.”
It is a testament to how well the team at Sandfall Interactive wanted the gaming community to have a real and human experience by putting them first. There is no debate that both Verso and Alicia deserved better, but these conflicts are no different from real-life struggles about loss and regret.
Regardless of your stand about which character did the right thing in the end, Sandfall Interactive achieved its goal in delivering an emotional tale that challenges everything a player knows. The story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a lesson about how one deals with grief and how it becomes dangerous to everything around them.
Both Endings of Expedition 33 Are Heartbreaking in Their Own Right and Tough Pills To Swallow
Sandfall Interactive wanted to teach the gaming community that life isn’t all fun and rainbows, and that mistakes are all learning experiences. Alicia wants to permanently live in the Canvas as Maelle with a copy of her brother, Verso, after being the cause of his untimely death and grew attached to the Lumierians and other creaturs painted by her family, but it will kill her in the end.
Verso, on the other, hand knew the truth behind his existence and was willing to sacrifice everyone in the Canvas, including Expedition 33 and his closest friends; Monoco and Esquie, to finally rest and let the soul of the real Verso rest. Both characters are in pain, and a perfect example of those in denial and grief.
Nevertheless, regarding which ending you chose, there is still a bright future for the Clair Obscur franchise. Did you side with Alicia in the end to continue her false illusions, or help Verso grant his righteous, yet selfish wish to finally die. Let us know in the comments section below!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
For more Thumb Wars coverage, check out one problem Insomniac Games has to solve in Marvel’s Wolverine, and a new look at the Cult of Blood.
Rouvin Josef Quirimit is a Content Writer, an avid gamer (on his PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch), and film enthusiast. He was fortunate to grow up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was enamored by the storytelling of a shared universe full of heart and spectacle. His love for movies led him to great single-player games and he intends to cover major franchises for years to come!
