This list contains spoilers!
Summary
Despite initially seeming like somewhat of a side character,Maelleends up playing an important role in the story ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33. As someone who is younger than the rest of the main cast, and is therefore in no fear of being taken away by the paintress and anytime soon, it means Maelle has a rather different perspective of the world from her comrades, which has resulted in some extremely memorable quotes that can be heard throughout a playthrough.
Sure, Maelle may be a lethal combatant with her deadly rapier and hit-and-run fighting style, but she also has a clever way with words.Expedition 33has been highly praised for its dialogue, and a prime example of this can be seen through Maelle, who has produced some of the most memorable and iconic quotes from the story.
8"Escape. Yeah. That’s What I Wanted"
Maelle Tries To Make Sense Of Her Situation
Despite having no idea what horrors she would come up against when entering the Continent, Maelle was more than ready to embark on an expedition alongside Gustave at the beginning of the game. After Gustave sadly falls in battle, though, Maelle is suddenly forced to ponder what exactly pushed her to sail away from Lumiere in the first place, and though she can’t quite put her finger on it, she at least admits that she wanted to escape in one form or another.
While this quote, which is said during a bonding scene between her and Verso, provides some very subtle foreshadowing to revelations later in the game, it also emphasizes the thrill of adventure that comes with most RPGs and the idea of escaping normality to experience something new.
7"He’d Be Super Happy Because We’re Sending Them Soaring On Fun Little Adventures"
Sometimes, All It Takes Is A Joke To Cheer Up The Mood
One of Gustave’s main hobbies is picking up rocks and seeing how far he can throw them towards the Paintress, and it’s something that Maelle picks up not long after the group enters the Continent. Even after Gustave is taken out of the story, Maelle continues this tradition, and during an intimate moment with Verso, even cracks a joke about sending the rocks on “fun little adventures” every time she tosses one into the sky.
Maelle rarely ever gets to show off her humorous side, considering how bleak and dark the story becomes, but this quote proves that she definitely knows how to make her allies chuckle to ensure morale never becomes too lowamong the party. It’s also just a heartfelt way to call back to Gustave and his quirky antics.
6"Time To Spill Some Ink"
A Creative Threat Maelle Throws Out At Her Enemies
During combat, each party member will have something to say any time they perform an action, such asparrying or dodging, but they also utter a small line once players actually take control of them in a fight. In the case of Maelle, she readies her rapier by her side and proclaims that it’s “time to spill some ink”. Of course, this is a clever way to threaten the Nevrons by referencing the fact that they were created by the Paintress and, therefore, are going to end up in a pool of their own ink once the battle is over.
It’s a quote that easily gets plays hyped up for the battle at hand, while also showcasing the more vicious side of Maelle, which only really shows itself every now and again. As far as battle quotes go, this is one that seems fitting for Maelle’s character while also being memorable because of its creativity.
5"Everyone In Lumiere Is An Orphan"
Maelle Struggled Fitting Into Society At Lumiere
In the early portions of the game, Gustave is constantly asking Maelle why exactly she’s decided to embark on the expedition, especially considering she still has many years to live before she’s taken away by the Paintress. Though she keeps her reasoning vague, she does at least admit that she doesn’t feel all that comfortable in Lumiere, but it’s this specific quote that explains her reasoning the best.
Calling everyone in Lumia an orphan gives the impression that Maelle believes it’s a city where people are alone and without guardians to watch over them, hinting at the true intentions of the Paintress. It manages to retainthe mysterysurrounding Maelle while also giving a slight glimpse into her true feelings towards the place she grew up in.
4"I’m Always Missing Something That Everyone Else Just Gets"
Some Neat Foreshadowing And A Very Relatable Quote In General
Seeing as she viewed Gustave as part of her family, Maelle would never be afraid to spill her true feelings to him anytime they had a moment to chat. During one of their very first interactions in the camp, Maelle admits that she always feels that there are things she just doesn’t quite grasp or understand that everyone else takes for granted, which can be interpreted in a few different ways.
Of course, on a surface level, it references the fact thatMaelle is clearly much youngerthan the rest of the cast, and therefore still needs time to make sense of the world and everything within it. However, it’s also a line which cleverly hints at the fact that Maelle is far more important than she initially realizes, and despite her memories being gone, she’s still aware that there’s more for her to discover along the journey.
3"It’s Not Make Believe. It’s Not…You’re Not…"
Maelle Finds Hope In A World Of Fiction
Once it’s revealed that the world ofExpedition 33is just an imaginary painting created by Aline, Maelle suddenly begins to regain her memories of her real world equivalent before she became Maelle in Lumiere. While Verso seems troubled at this reveal, considering the real Verso is no longer even alive, Maelle assures him that the painting and everything that happened within it was not just simply make-believe, and does still have some meaning to it.
This is subtly foreshadowing the differences in how the two view the painting, as while Verso sees it as an illusion, Maelle views it as a form of escapism, which she’s unwilling to let disappear. It also just encourages players to think about the importance of fiction within our everyday lives and how these made-up stories can still have an emotional impact and importance.
2"We Could Never Tell If You Were My Brother Or Father. But To Me, You Were Both"
Family Is Complicated
A central theme ofExpedition 33that underscores a lot of the story is family, and while there are many examples of this, one of the most obvious is the relationship shared between Gustave and Maelle. Despite it not being made clear what Gustave’s exact relation to Maelle truly is, what is evident is that he’s willing to put his life on the line to keep her safe, even trying to convince her not to embark on the expedition when they were still in Lumiere.
This particular quote comes during Gustave’s funeral, where Maelle admits that, despite not knowing whether he was her father or brother, it really doesn’t matter, as he ultimately felt like both in her eyes. It’s a poetic way to end Gustave’s journey, while simultaneously drawing attention to thefamilial core of the game.
Maelle Has Suffered So Much At Such A Young Age
Gustave’s death at the end ofAct 1is a moment that shocks the entire party, but the one who takes it the hardest is Maelle. Once players take control of Verso in the camp, they can approach Maelle to see how she’s feeling, not long after the incident, but despite Verso trying to give his condolences, Maelle rejects them. Considering she saw Gustave as a family member, losing him at such a young age would understandably take a massive toll on Maelle emotionally, along with the people she lost in the real world, too, before the painting was even created.
At the same time, it also marks a turning point for Maelle, she vows to protect the rest of her friends with her life to avoid having to receive condolences and sympathies ever again in the future. It’s a heartbreaking quote that digs deep into the pain and suffering Maelle has gone through throughout her complicated life.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
WHERE TO PLAY
Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint “33.” And tomorrow we depart on our final mission - Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again.We are Expedition 33.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever. Explore a fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France in which you battle devastating enemies.
