More Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is on the way, as developer Sandfall Interactive announced earlier this month it’s working on a free “major” update with new enemies and “surprises to discover.” We don’t know the specifics of what the update will entail just yet, but that hasn’t stopped fans from theorizing. Because of the artwork released alongside the update announcement (seen above) and Sandfall’s updated profile picture across its social media accounts, Expedition 33 fans have theorized an evil Esquie may show up in the update. I’m convinced.
[Ed. note: Spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 follow.]
The new artwork is ostensibly an image from outside the painted world of the canvas, likely of a young Verso’s childhood bedroom. The sketch in the open notebook in the foreground shows Verso, wielding a sword and dagger, mounted on the back of Esquie, everybody’s favorite, wine-filled camp companion. They look to be rushing toward some sort of shrouded foe.
As this is the only new image released so far, choosing it heavily implies Esquie will have some sort of role to play in the new content to come. (We also know his voice actor Maxence Cazorla is back in the booth recording new lines, as are several cast members.) Esquie, of course, is a giant sweetie in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; he’s someone the expeditioners seek out for comfort (and wine). He’s also alluded to as being “the most powerful creature in the world,” as Monoco says in a camp conversation. Esquie himself says at one point, “Bad things happen we get mad,” indicating the benevolent dancer has a dark (or, you could say, “Whooo”) side to him.
That potential dark side of Esquie is something fans are theorizing we’ll see in the update. “Time for the true super boss: Esquie,” one Redditor commented on a post sharing the update news.
Sandfall recently changed the game’s profile picture across social media to a rather ominous rendering of a character that bears more than a passing resemblance to a shadow-draped menacing Esquie, prompting one player to emphatically campaign to fight against Esquie. “ESQUIE BOSSFIGHT ESQUIE BOSSFIGHT.” The updated profile picture could just be Halloween-themed and connected the Nevron Takeover event Sandfall is holding on its socials starting Oct. 25. It’ll be calling for and sharing fan art based on various prompts, like “Musical,” “Creepy,” or (objectively the best) “Nevrons in Baguette Outfits.” Still, though, with the picture’s resemblance to Esquie and him being featured in the update art, it’s hard not to look at those red eyes and spiky collar and not see an evil Esquie.
Another theorized that Clea, Verso and Alicia’s sister, could have painted an evil version of Esquie when she and her siblings were kids. “Calling it: Evil Esquie made by a young Clea to scare Verso when they were kids. Now, after Clea came back for a giffy, she took the time to tell him to hunt expeditions in a specific region of the canvas where information about the truth of the canvas are hidden,” they wrote.
As far as conspiratorial fan theories go, it’s not half-bad; Clea has a history of meddling in the canvas, painting over and distorting the in-canvas Clea as well as manipulating Simon, who makes for the game’s toughest boss fight. Clea’s voice actor Devora Wilde is also returning to voice more lines, which is more surprising than her costars returning as Clea didn’t have a large on-screen presence in the game, and only spoke outside of the canvas.
Maybe these Expedition 33 fans and I are wearing our tinfoil hats too tight. The social media profile pic could just be a fun spooky-season image, and Esquie could just be his usual kind self, and only his usual kind self, in the DLC. And yet…
