I still have no idea what Expedition 33’s Gestrals are, but I know that I love them

When the credits roll on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it truly begins to sink in just how dark and depressing the game's story is. I mean, it is rough. Grief, and how everyone deal with it differently, is a core theme of the story of Expedition 33. It's something everyone can sympathize with and feel deep down into the essence of their being, and it's heavy. And that's why the Gestrals are so, so important in a game like this. Screenshot by DestructoidI'm going to get into heavy spoiler territory, so if you haven't finished the game's story and seen its emotional ending, most importantly, Monoco's Relationship Level mission "Sacred River," then come back once you have.The Gestrals are a big source of comic relief in Expedition 33, but they also have so much heart within their wooden bodies, hidden behind their dopey-sounding Gestral language and silly dialogue. Do they actually have hearts? I have no clue. In fact, I don't really know exactly what they are beyond machinations within the world, but they are necessary in this game to illustrate the purity behind its very idea: a painted world for children and family to play in. And that's exactly what the world of Expedition 33 is, as is revealed in the end: a Canvas world created by a boy named Verso that has been corrupted by the grief of his family in the wake of his untimely death.The Gestral Village is one of the more lighthearted areas in the entire game. You visit it early on, and so I kind of moved past it in my own head, but I recently went back after continuing my quest to clear the game's map and viewed it quite differently. It's more than just goofy inanimate objects saying silly one-liners. Its identity is playful and pure, in a world that has been darkened by the most dark human emotion that now encapsulates everything within.The Gestrals are paintbrush people who can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There's tall ones, strong ones, weak ones, baby ones, and everything in between. But one common thread is found within all of the Gestrals: they are dumb and simple. But they do not lack emotional intelligence or the ability to seek out joy in the darkness around them.Screenshot by DestructoidIn act three, players are able to complete a sidequest as part of Monoco's Relationship Level that tasks them with reviving Noco, the little Gestral pal who you meet very early on in the game and who helps lead you to the Gestral Village that kicks off the expedition's big adventure.Gestrals can die, but they can also be resurrected at this Sacred River, which is where the crew heads once Esquie can fly in act three. To resurrect Noco means skipping the queue of others who are waiting, and Village Chef Golgra and her dangerous fighting capabilities stand in your way. And so, Monoco demands a trial by combat, in which Verso participates in with him. Decades of friendship between the wizened warrior Gestral and mysterious heartthrob means that of course he fights alongside his friend. There's no question about it. Monoco later explains that Verso (the real Verso) "gave us the gift of the river" because he "wanted us to experience the excitement of new beginnings," and I think everyone can relate to that sort of exciting fearful feeling we all get whenever one thing ends and another thing begins.It's never explicitly explained what the Gestrals are, but it seems clear to me that their silly appearance and childlike innocence are the creations of a boy looking to have some fun with his painted friends, and that lives on through them despite Verso's death.Screenshot by DestructoidThe innocent joy found within the Gestrals is a reminder of what hobbies, art, and playfulness can bring, and it's where the journey of grief eventually takes us all: the ability to smile and laugh again, even if only for a moment frozen in time, like a painting.The post I still have no idea what Expedition 33’s Gestrals are, but I know that I love them appeared first on Destructoid.

When the credits roll on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it truly begins to sink in just how dark and depressing the game's story is. I mean, it is rough. Grief, and how everyone deal with it differently, is a core theme of the story of Expedition 33.

It's something everyone can sympathize with and feel deep down into the essence of their being, and it's heavy. And that's why the Gestrals are so, so important in a game like this. Screenshot by DestructoidI'm going to get into heavy spoiler territory, so if you haven't finished the game's story and seen its emotional ending, most importantly, Monoco's Relationship Level mission "Sacred River," then come back once you have.

The Gestrals are a big source of comic relief in Expedition 33, but they also have so much heart within their wooden bodies, hidden behind their dopey-sounding Gestral language and silly dialogue. Do they actually have hearts? I have no clue. In fact, I don't really know exactly what they are beyond machinations within the world, but they are necessary in this game to illustrate the purity behind its very idea: a painted world for children and family to play in.

And that's exactly what the world of Expedition 33 is, as is revealed in the end: a Canvas world created by a boy named Verso that has been corrupted by the grief of his family in the wake of his untimely death.The Gestral Village is one of the more lighthearted areas in the entire game. You visit it early on, and so I kind of moved past it in my own head, but I recently went back after continuing my quest to clear the game's map and viewed it quite differently.

It's more than just goofy inanimate objects saying silly one-liners. Its identity is playful and pure, in a world that has been darkened by the most dark human emotion that now encapsulates everything within.The Gestrals are paintbrush people who can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

There's tall ones, strong ones, weak ones, baby ones, and everything in between. But one common thread is found within all of the Gestrals: they are dumb and simple. But they do not lack emotional intelligence or the ability to seek out joy in the darkness around them.

Screenshot by DestructoidIn act three, players are able to complete a sidequest as part of Monoco's Relationship Level that tasks them with reviving Noco, the little Gestral pal who you meet very early on in the game and who helps lead you to the Gestral Village that kicks off the expedition's big adventure.Gestrals can die, but they can also be resurrected at this Sacred River, which is where the crew heads once Esquie can fly in act three. To resurrect Noco means skipping the queue of others who are waiting, and Village Chef Golgra and her dangerous fighting capabilities stand in your way.

And so, Monoco demands a trial by combat, in which Verso participates in with him. Decades of friendship between the wizened warrior Gestral and mysterious heartthrob means that of course he fights alongside his friend. There's no question about it.

Monoco later explains that Verso (the real Verso) "gave us the gift of the river" because he "wanted us to experience the excitement of new beginnings," and I think everyone can relate to that sort of exciting fearful feeling we all get whenever one thing ends and another thing begins.It's never explicitly explained what the Gestrals are, but it seems clear to me that their silly appearance and childlike innocence are the creations of a boy looking to have some fun with his painted friends, and that lives on through them despite Verso's death.Screenshot by DestructoidThe innocent joy found within the Gestrals is a reminder of what hobbies, art, and playfulness can bring, and it's where the journey of grief eventually takes us all: the ability to smile and laugh again, even if only for a moment frozen in time, like a painting.

The post I still have no idea what Expedition 33’s Gestrals are, but I know that I love them appeared first on Destructoid..