Expedition 33 dev says other games play it "too safe" with their storytelling

Once upon a time, when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed university student, I wrote a dissertation on L.A. Noire. While my main focus was its portrayal of PTSD in 1940s America, it's the ending that sticks with me most. I, like many, found protagonist Cole Phelps to be thoroughly unlikable, even arrogant, yet the conclusion of his story still hits hard because he's so convincingly written. That sort of high-stakes, shocking storytelling is threaded throughout Expedition 33, one of the year's best RPGs, which arguably goes one step further by frontloading its most devastating surprise.

Please note that this article contains major spoilers for both Expedition 33 and L.A. Noire. Tread lightly, expeditioner.

Gustave is, of course, the opposite to Phelps - from the moment he's introduced, you fall in love with him. He's enchanting, inspirational, and seems to be a natural leader - and he's voiced by Daredevil star Charlie Cox, which certainly helps. He's established as the main character; the rugged pioneer who might just shatter the Paintress' grasp on the world. He's a hero, through and through.

And then, he's gone. A shot in the night, a spark of light: Gustave is dead. Much like Phelps, who's washed away in a churning torrent of water and never seen again, Gustave's demise is heroic but sudden. There are no war cries or drawn-out death throes here.

But where Cole's general arrogance could leave some saying 'good riddance,' everyone loved Gustave - as did Sandfall. I ask CEO and creative director Guillaume Broche and COO and producer Francois Meurisse if killing Gustave, especially so early on in the game, was a risk, and whether or not they believe it paid off.

"Of course there is a risk when you do [something] like that, but if we don't take risks as a small team, who will?" Broche laughs. "Since the beginning, our whole philosophy has been about not playing it safe, firstly because it's not what we want to do, and secondly because it's boring. If you want to make a splash in any artistic industry, you have to take risks, because if you play it safe you're just 'one of the others.'

"I feel like, especially in terms of storytelling, videogames tend to play it a bit too safe, so it was a really good opportunity to differentiate ourselves," he continues. "The death of Gustave is very natural when you think about the game; you want to have this feeling of loss - you've lost something that was very important, someone who was driving basically the whole Expedition, as well as you as a player. When you lose that, you feel confused and lost, and you feel grief, which is super important in really helping you connect with the rest of the cast.

"We are super happy about how well it worked with players and how deeply attached they were to Gustave, because he was a joy to write and bring to life. He's so lovable, but also complex as a human being."

"We didn't really think about 'oh, are we going to lose every player when Gustave dies' because if it happens it happens," Roche continues. "But we also made choices in terms of gameplay. We didn't want to cut all of your progress so we transfer it to Verso, even if he's a different character. It also comes late enough that you can get attached to Gustave but there are still a lot of things to do in the game and you still have that time to get to know Verso.

"It was a balance to find but we wanted to make sure his death felt impactful and like a big punch in the stomach to players," he says. "We're happy that it worked well for the players - there are some that still hate us for it! Sometimes it's good hate."

"When one falls, we continue," concludes Meurisse, and I don't think I have to say much more.

If you're still playing through Expedition 33, I have good news for you: a huge update is set to drop "in the coming months." If you're still struggling with Simon, though, we have a list of all the best Expedition 33 weapons, as well as the best Expedition 33 builds if you want to give Verso's old pal a good ol' thrashing.

How did you react to Gustave's death? Let us know on Discord. After I'd finished picking my jaw up off of the floor, there was a whole lot of ice cream involved.