This article contains full spoilers for the ending of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 throughout - proceed with caution. The director Guillaume Broche has revealed that multiple ending scenes were cut from the game after he found them ‘awful.’ It seems the original plans could have given Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a different feel altogether.

In an interview, Broche discussed two specific scenes that were removed: the first occurred just before a critical decision point, seeing the characters Maelle and Verso interrupted while trying to converse. Despite concerns voiced by writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Broche was initially confident, stating, ‘I thought it was awesome and very innovative… I was like ’no no, it’s going to work, trust me.’ However, after the mocap session, he recognized the faults, calling it ‘very bad.’

The second scene involved emotional delivery that fell flat during performance. Broche noted that by having motion capture actors Charlotte Hoepffner and Maxence Cazorla switch back to an older version of the scene, which they adjusted to learn in just 30 minutes, the ending was significantly improved and ultimately ‘saved the ending.’

Overall, with the game’s emotional resonance, Broche emphasized that impactful scenes often come with minimal dialogue, providing a deeply gratifying experience for players.