Narrative meaning, player agency, and visual design in the act I Climax of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Abstract

This thesis examines how gameplay, visual design, and the manipulation of player agency create narrative meaning through the player’s point of view in the climax sequence of Act I in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025). Through the analysis of the video game, which has received little to no academic attention, I will analyze how contemporary video games create and structure narratives within their unique medium. The first section of this thesis reviews relevant scholarship on narratology, digital environments, immersion, cut-scenes, gameplay, and agency. The second section outlines the methodology and applies the research to the analysis. Through the analysis it can be seen that the video game indeed utilizes several game-specific tools such as the subversion of agency and expectations in order to create narrative meaning and structure. Keywords: video games, narrative, agency, cut-scenes, interactivity