Close Reading of Clair Obscur: the Dessendre women’s narrative agency

Sammanfattning

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, 2025) is a successful game, celebrated for its story – hence I analyse the narrative and the writing of its female cast critically. The objective of the thesis is to make players notice the unequal gender representations in the game. To realise this goal, I do a close reading of the game while answering the question: How does Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s (Sandfall Interactive, 2025) plot treat the narrative agency of the Dessendre family’s women? The results show female characters harbouring physical power and an influence on the world of the game but lacking major plot relevance. Their relationships are one-sided or they are dominated in them. Characters with physical disabilities also lack agency compared to their able-bodied peers, which reinforces the patriarchal view of “compulsory ablebodiedness”. The relationships are ones of conquest which leans towards a patriarchal type of representation, aside from the multiple stereotypes with which women are depicted. It is also rare to have a female character as an avatar, hence preventing players to forge their opinions through a non-male perspective, constructing an environment where they would not notice the inequality between the treatment of narrative agency between the genders.