Jennifer English, the voice actor behind Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 and, more recently, Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, recalls one of the most heartbreaking moments she has done in any game – and it can be found in the latter RPG from Sandfall Interactive.
This article contains story spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's second act.
Speaking in a recent interview with Fall Damage, English recalls the scene in which Maelle lays Gustave to rest near the Forgotten Battlefield in Act 2 – and her emotional lines during: "We could never tell if you were my brother or my father. But to me, you were both. The best brother and father I've ever had."
According to English, that sorrowful moment in the RPG and others like it make up "some of the most gut-wrenching" she's ever acted in.
"Jennifer [Svedberg-Yen] wrote the most beautiful script," explains English, naming Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's lead writer. "Her and Guillaume [Broche, game director] – *chef's kiss* – I loved it. I loved working on that game so much, and playing it now, as a player, it's something so magical and special. Every element of it is absolutely 10 out of 10. The music, the art, hopefully the acting, the directing, the story, the combat, the monsters."
English continues: "I love my fellow cast members. Maelle's scenes with Verso were some of the most gut-wrenching things I've ever had to do, and I am just so proud of that work, and everyone's performances in it."
As a fan of the game myself, I'd argue that it's safe to say such scenes stand out as some of the most moving the RPG community has experienced, too – and actors like English add a soul-stirring layer of depth to the already touching lines.
Elsewhere in the interview, the actor looks back at various other lines she's voiced on behalf of Baldur's Gate 3 companion Shadowheart, including the "God's favorite princess" line that was canonized after it went viral thanks to online memes. She shares opinions regarding how players should approach the RPG when it comes to Shadowheart, too – not as her Origin character, apparently, because then you lose loads of my conversational dialogue" in-game.
