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I havent been able to stop thinking about the beginning ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33for weeks.
If youve seen the trailer, itunfortunately gives away pretty much everything.
It’s the other 2025 game with the number 33 in the title.
Death is all over video games, of course.
Practically every game is about killing, butthere arent a lot of games out there about dying.
Bon Voyage And Happy Gommage
Gustave is nervous.
Gustaves little sister, Maelle, encourages him to take the direct approach.
This reunion is long-awaited for them both, but they know they wont have much time.
Sophie accepts the gift, and the two share an uncomfortable, but meaningful moment.
Maybe in another life.
Its a beautiful day in the city of Lumiere as everyone comes together to acknowledge this annual event.
Flower petals cover the ground and dance gently in the wind, transforming the city into an impressionist painting.
The streets are heaving with vendors and crowds enjoying the festivities.
But theres also a sense of foreboding.
Its hard to ignore the state Lumiere is in, even with all the decorations and distractions.
Its erase the Lumiere has been in a state of near ruin for a long, long time.
As Gustave escorts Sophie across the city, the people they encounter seem to address her with pity.
Throughout the city are piles of furniture and household belongings left behind for the next generation to enjoy.
Its their Gommage - a French term that means to scrub, to rub out, to erase.
How Do We Face The End With Dignity?
If you know the premise of Expedition 33, you already know whats really going on here.
The people of this world are cursed.
The number drops every year, and everyone is running out of time.
Sophies age is her terminal illness.
Its a far more predictable end than most, but its a terminal illness nonetheless.
She knows it, everyone knows it.
Thats why theyre all here: to say goodbye.
Its a funeral for people who are still with us, which makes sense in its own morbid way.
Who wouldnt want to attend their own funeral?
Whats disconcerting is seeing everyone acting like this is a reason to celebrate.
If youve ever watched someone slowly die, you know exactly what this feels like.
Seeing The Beauty In All Things, Even Death
Some people do fight back against death.
Cancer researchers, epidemiologists, and geneticists dedicate their lives to the cause of preventing people from dying early.
Further into the game, Gustave says the really insidious thing about the Gommage is how predictable it is.
Everyone knows how it works, and it happens every year on the same day the exact same way.
Shes grateful for the time shes had, not angry at the time she doesnt.
I dont know if Ill ever find a way to make peace with death.
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