Although there’s not much to complain about when it comes toClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s intricate and original gameplay mechanics, I still don’t fully understand why they didn’t expand Gustave’s features a little bit, even if it took until NG+. Gustave is a beloved character inClair Obscurthat we only get limited time with, but there’s so much potential for more when it comes to his combat mechanics, weapons, and skills. While these limitations make sense at first, the NG+ experience with Gustave feels like a missed opportunity.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.As you’re getting started withClair Obscur, Gustave’s lack ofmajor weapon bonusesand paltry arrangement of skills aren’t anything odd. He serves as a sort of tutorial-type character that gets players oriented and acquainted with the gameplay mechanics and sets the stage for the more complex systems that you experience later on, such asSciel’s Foretell mechanicsor Lune’s Stains. However, by the time we get into New Game Plus, Gustave feels a bit limited compared to the other characters in the game, and I wish we got some enhanced features after the first playthrough.
Gustave Has Limited Skills & No Weapon Bonuses
This Is Great For A First Playthrough, But A Missed Opportunity For NG+
Clair Obscur’sGustavehas a limited set of skills and a rather straightforward combat mechanic, Overcharge, which makes perfect sense for getting players oriented with how the game’s systems work.He acts as a primer for the other characters' more complex systemsand has an easy-to-grasp setup by design. In your first playthrough, Gustave’s basic mechanics are very helpful and allow you to take things in without feeling overwhelmed with too many skill options or overly complicated weapon bonuses.
However, even by the end of Act 1 in your initial playthrough, it starts to feel like there could be a little more depth, and players will often have extraneous skill points with nowhere to invest them in Gustave’s skill tree. Because I wasn’t expecting Gustave to be “replaced” at the end of Act 1,I was initially wondering if I had done something wrongor missed something that would unlock his additional skills.
Obviously, after the tragic twist and beingintroduced to Verso, things started to make more sense. But I was still curious ifNew Game Pluswould offer something more for Gustave and possibly fill out his skill tree, or evenadd weapon bonuses to provide a more dynamic Gustave experiencethe next time around.
Gustave’s Locked Skill Slots Never Open Up
Once you get into NG+, there aren’t very many surprises in store. Though you’ll be able to grab theSecret Baguette weaponsand re-experience story details that might make a lot more sense with advanced knowledge of what’s to come, the gameplay itself will be more than familiar at that point. Gustave’s rudimentary and limited skills aren’t serving as a tutorial anymore, and you’ll have far more skill points than you could ever actually put to use in his skill tree. That’s whyI really wish we got enhanced mechanics for Gustave in NG+.
There’s a missed opportunity here to include additional skills that are Gustave-specific instead of leaving his skill tree slots locked. These initially remain locked because they are “updated” when you start to play as Verso, as Verso is essentially meant to function as Gustave’s Act 2 and 3 counterpart. New and advanced skills in these locked Gustave skill slots would have been fun, and theycould have added a whole new layer of complexity to the NG+ experiencefor players to enjoy.
Likewise, the lack of weapon bonuses specific to Gustave as part of the NG+ experience is a disappointment. By the time you reach NG+, you have a massive arsenal of weapons that, unlike every other playable character,have no leveled bonuses that synergize with his unique Overcharge mechanic. These same weapons have bonuses for Verso, but when playing as Gustave, you essentially have a long list of weapons that aren’t all that different from each other.
All of Verso’s weapons can be used by Gustave when carried over to NG+, but none of them will have any unique weapon bonuses.
Aside from how these weapons look, the damage they deal, and their specific scaling/element affinity, there isn’t much to “build” around for Gustave in the same way other characters' weapons allow for diverse playstyles and builds. It would be interesting to see specific weapon bonuses that enhance or interact with Overcharge in unique ways.Gustave weapon bonus features would make for a much more dynamic Act 1 experiencein NG+,but it doesn’t seem like we’re likely to get these without mods or a major DLC.
Enhanced Gustave Features Could Be Part Of A Clair Obscur DLC
Sandfall Will Probably Focus Its Efforts Elsewhere
Ultimately, I think the only way we’ll ever see enhanced Gustave features, such as weapon bonuses or unique skills, would be through fan-made mods or in an extensive DLC.New Gustave features in a DLC seem unlikely, as developer Sandfall Interactive is probably focusing on entirely new content that expands on the story in different ways, but I’m still hopeful.Clair Obscurmods seem more likely to address Gustave mechanics, but even that will likely be a major challenge for modders.
I love Gustave as a character and enjoy playing him, even if his mechanics are somewhat limited compared to other characters. In fact, it’s precisely because I love his character so much that I wish we had a more enhanced combat experience with him inClair Obscur: Expedition 33. Time will tell if Gustave ever gets an upgrade, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
