[Warning: This piece includes spoilers for Clair Obscur’s late-game Act 2 reveals.]
I love a serious story as much as the next person, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is incredibly serious. It starts with hundreds, likely thousands, erased from existence before an expedition of a couple dozen go off to fight the Paintress, the deity-like being responsible for said erasure of Lumière’s citizens. Most of those expeditioners shockingly die rather quickly. Like I said — serious. But Clair Obscur can also be incredibly goofy, and no character straddles both the serious and the goofy better than Esquie.
You meet Esquie early on in Clair Obscur, around when you encounter the obsession-worthy Gestrals, battle-ready little dudes. You’re barred from entering Esquie’s nest until you learn the password, which is a resounding, “GET OUT OF MY WAY!” (though, that isn’t actually the password – sorry for shouting). Once you speak with Esquie and grab his rock from his cranky buddy François, he’ll join your expedition.
Esquie, because he’s the best, doesn’t join as a fighter, but as your mount (because why ride a horse when you can ride Esquie?). He’s a talkative mount, and I still giggle whenever Esquie yells “Exploration!” when we’re out and about on the continent, or “Time for swim swim!” when we’re taking a dip. The way his arms incessantly flap when flying never fails to make me grin.
Eventually, as more rocks are acquired, he’ll gain the ability to grab underwater items. This ability comes as a reward for leveling up Verso’s relationship with Esquie, and their relationship lends depth to the characters and the game at large. They share secrets, like how Esquie is full of Verso’s good wine. Esquie tells the group their secret, and Verso playfully scolds him in a way that shows these two have been friends for some time.
While Verso bonds with the expeditioners — and can share romantic scenes with Sciel or Lune — those bonds aren’t as deep as his friendships with Esquie and Gestral warrior Monoco. Mostly, it’s Verso’s fault, as he can’t be honest with Sciel, Lune, and Maelle in ways he can with his old friends. During some stretches, he distances himself from the expeditioners and allows them space to grieve or dance to take their mind off things while Verso remains in the background.
One of Esquie and Verso’s more friendship-affirming conversations happens while spending time together at camp. Esquie picks up on his friend’s down-in-the-dumps mood, leading to one of the more touching conversations in the game. “I too am ‘Whooo.’ But I’m also ‘Wheee.’ So the ‘Wheee’ balances the ‘Whooo,’” Esquie says, hitting on something we all can relate to: holding conflicting emotions simultaneously. Being joyful but low at the same time, frustrated yet excited. The “WheeeWhooo” conversation captures this tension between light and dark permeating throughout Clair Obscur; hell, the title roughly translates to “light dark.” The group can swing from the joy of discovering Gestrals are real to just a few hours later grappling with the loss of Gustave. Through this all, though he doesn’t have a large role to play in the narrative, Esquie is something of its emotional rock, if you’ll allow me, whether he’s comforting Maelle or dancing ballet as Verso plays the piano.
Once all the truths are laid bare by the end of Clair Obscur’s second act, and you discover who Verso truly is (for the final time) — a painted copy of the real and deceased Verso — Verso truly opens up to Esquie, wondering if he misses the real Verso, if it bothers Esquie that the Verso we know isn’t the Verso Esquie befriended. It’s a stark moment in the game; Verso hasn’t always been the most upfront about his internal struggles, often just reluctantly opening up about his grief-stricken family and their role in the devastation wrought upon Lumière.
Esquie, the wholesome giant, continues being the emotional rock of the group. He leaves no room for confusion, and provides the type of kind-hearted, open-armed response that’s endeared him to fans. “You’re my friend,” he says, assuring Verso that no matter how Verso views himself, Esquie will always see him as his ami.
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