Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is the first game from Sandfall Interactive, a new video game development studio based in Montpellier, France. A narrative-rich turn-based RPG,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33follows a group of closely-knit characters who are on a journey to defeat the Paintress, a seemingly evil entity who’s been wiping out swaths of people of a certain age across the land with the stroke of her brush.Expedition 33looks to shake up the turn-based RPG genre, giving players more control in combat by allowing them to actively dodge or parry enemy attacks.
Like most otherturn-based RPGs of note,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s music is a core part of the game’s identity, its characters, and its storytelling. Game Rant spoke with the composer ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s soundtrack, Lorien Testard, who provided some insight into what it was like creating the game’s music. AsClair Obscur: Expedition 33is Testard’s first major video game project, he spoke on the unique challenges of creating music for games, howClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s music ebbs and flows with the player, and just how much this project meant to him.This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Expedition 33 is Lorien Testard’s First Major Video Game Project
Q: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t the first video game you’ve created music for, as you’ve also worked on the upcoming PC indie title FAIRYMM: The Insomniac Beauty. Did any parts of your experience with FAIRYMM influence your work on Clair Obscur’s soundtrack or vice versa?
A:Actually, FAIRYMM: The Insomniac Beauty was not a full game; it was a technical demo I took part in several years ago, which didn’t lead to a final game. It’s been on hold for years now. I hope, for Arthur - the creator of the project - that FAIRYMM might one day come back.
For the past five years, I’ve been composing exclusively for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. So there’s no common influence between the two. That said, I’m still the same person: I carry within me this desire to create music for video game worlds. I’m incredibly grateful thatClair Obscur was able to come to life, and that I had the chance to fully express my aspirations through its music.
Q: How is composing music for video games different than any other medium? What are some of the challenges unique to creating a video game soundtrack?
A: It’s different from other media because players spend a huge amount of time in the game. Musically illustrating 60 hours of gameplay isn’t the same as scoring a 90-minute film.
Plus, the player’s actions are unpredictable — you never really know how long they’ll stay in one place or what they’ll do next — so there’s a real challenge in making each area and moment feel alive, to accompany them in a way that feels natural and meaningful, and most of all, to immerse the player in a world that feels alive around them.
The biggest challenge I faced was the scale of the world I had to compose for. But at the same time, it was also one of the most fun parts — having an entire world to paint with music.
Expedition 33’s Concept Art Helped Inspire Testard’s Soundtrack
Q: In a recent Clair Obscur “Behind the Music” video, you mention using the game’s concept art as a source of inspiration when creating the game’s soundtrack. What drew you toward the game’s concept art? Were there any concept pieces in particular that were especially helpful? If so, what were they?
A:The character concept art was helpful. When Nicholas creates concept art, I can feel the emotions that naturally emerge from the character or the landscape. Sometimes, a single look or posture can say so much about the invisible emotions a character is carrying.
That’s what I attempt to capture when composing their themes. Having that visual support early on was a great way to start sharing a feeling and building a musical identity around the character’s heart.
Q: How will the music actively ebb and flow as players explore the world of Clair Obscur?
A:I imagined theworld of Clair Obscuras a vast universe to be painted with music.
The soundtrack follows the player throughout the entire journey — during exploration, combat, and cutscenes — supporting the emotions, environments, and story they experience along the way.
I really enjoyed trying to give each moment of the adventure its own music - songs that could reflect the world around the player, the characters’ feelings, and what’s happening in the story.
The music also evolves dynamically during battles: it can soften if the fight goes on for a long time, giving the player space to breathe, and then gradually build up again to highlight the climax and the end of the encounter.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Soundtrack Features Hundreds of Instruments
Q: How many instruments were involved in making Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s soundtrack? Which of them did you play yourself?
A:I mainly played guitar and a bit of piano for Expedition 33, and I was most often joined by Alice Duport-Percier on vocals.
Over the course of five years, around forty instrumentalists took part in the recording of the soundtrack. But if you count all the VSTs (virtual instruments) as well, there are literally hundreds of different instruments used in the game’s OST.
I didn’t set any strict orchestration rules. I tried to follow what felt right in the moment and enjoy the process of shaping each part of the game through different instruments & music.
Q: From what we’ve seen from trailers so far, Expedition 33’s narrative seems like it will tug at players’ heartstrings. How will the music serve to amplify these moments? Does the soundtrack leave room for the narrative’s quieter, more contemplative moments?
A:Yes, I approached the game’s cutscenes almost like a 4.5-hour film, trying to highlight the characters’ emotions in the most honest and natural way I could. I wrote a lot of underscore
music to quietly support the heroes’ emotional journey, and to create contrast with the more intense moments they experience throughout the story.
I wanted the soundtrack to offer a lot of variety, so that the music could be a constant source of freshness and emotional color as players explore the world. Each area has several different environmental themes, along with one to three battle themes depending on the size of the zone, and a custom boss theme specifically written for each battle.
That way, even if a player doesn’t connect with one particular track, it won’t become repetitive — they’ll move on to a new environment and fight with a new musical atmosphere as their adventure continues. It’s like different canvases, each area will offer a new sound palette and a different way to experience the world.
Q: Clair Obscur features four main playable Expeditioners at the core of its story in Gustave, Lune, Maelle, and Sciel. Out of them, which one was your favorite to compose a character theme for? Why?
A:I’m sorry, I can’t choose, it’s way too hard to answer that question. I loved composing each of the character themes. I put a lot of love and care into every one of them, each track has its own little story behind how it came to life, so I can’t choose. I’m just so happy and grateful to have had the chance to compose the theme for each of our characters!
Q: How do each of the character themes stand apart from one another? Do any of them utilize the same instruments or even similar motifs?
A:Yes, there’s a lot of meaning and connection between the character themes. I had a lot of fun transforming certain motifs and melody so they could echo and respond to each other across the soundtrack.
For example, Gustave’s theme includes a motif from the Lumière theme — his hometown, which means a lot to him.
It’s hard to go into too much detail without spoiling parts of the story, but each character’s theme is telling a story, tied to their journey and the relationships they have with others.
Attentive listeners will be able to pick up on many details throughout the game’s music!
Clair Obscur’s Turn-Based Combat Helped Shape the Game’s Soundtrack
Q: Did any elements of Clair Obscur’s turn-based gameplay design come into play when coming up with particular themes or tracks?
A:Yes, the gameplay definitely played a part in my compositions, but it was really the entire universe of the game that guided the music.
For the final boss theme, for example, I had a rough idea of how the fight would unfold and what that would mean musically. I combined that with the story, the characters' emotions, and my excitement about creating my first final boss theme.
All of that came together to shape the music for the final battle!
I also think a lot about the rhythm and natural flow of the game. Surprise is an important musical element for me — I enjoy playing with what the player thinks expects to hear in the context and what they’ll actually discover.
So I spent a lot of time feeling the overall structure and flow of the game — how the songs connect to one another, when to bring in a break or a shift, and when to let silence and music breathe.
It’s a way of shaping the music to follow and flow with the rhythm of the game. My hope was to turn the soundtrack into a shared experience with the players, something that could draw us together in the world of Clair Obscur.
Q: What was your favorite track to compose for Expedition 33? Why?
A:When I was composing the final songs thatclose the Expedition 33 adventure, I knew I was saying goodbye to these characters after five years by their side. It was incredibly emotional for me. I cried while writing those last tracks, and filming the music video for the final song in the OST was a feeling so special. It felt like something pierced right through me. So I’m really looking forward to hearing what players will feel at the end of their journey, after experiencing the full game and the last songs of our soundtrack.
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