Top 33 “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Songs

We’re living in a golden age of videogame OSTs. Soundtracks from FromSoft games, Nintendo games or the “Persona” series (to name a few) have gone down as modern classics … and one recent soundtrack which immediately entered the pantheon of greats was Lorien Testard’s work on “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33”.

I thought it would be fun to rank my Top 33 songs from this brilliant OST, based on my personal preferences. Warning – I may venture into SPOILERS. And I apologize in advance for the lack of French symbols on my English keyboard …

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Every “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Area Ranked

About Me: Video Games

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Main Characters Ranked

Every “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Boss Ranked

33 – Spring Meadows ~ Beneath the Blue Tree

The first proper boss you’ll face in “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” is the Eveque. And as you’ll quickly come to learn and appreciate, every boss theme in this game slaps.

“Beneath the Blue Tree” packs a great energy, but there’s also still an element of mystery to it. This fight happens early in the game, so I guess it’s a representation of the unknown dangers in a new land.

32 – Gestral Village ~ Gestral Market

The Gestral Village is such a goofy, whimsical place. I love it.

The main song for this area, titled “Gestral Market”, is bubbly and playful.

31 – Visages ~ Nocturne pour un Masque de Joie

Haunting. That’s the best word to describe this track.

30 – Sciel

Every character theme in this game is great. “Sciel” is perhaps one of the less memorable ones, but the singing is sublime.

29 – Lune

Just as gorgeous as “Sciel”, but I find “Lune” to be slightly more heroic. Or tragic? I guess the two go hand in hand …

28 – Gestral Beach ~ Is it a Gestral or a Volleyball?

As infuriating as the Gestral games could be, at least their soundtrack was a bop.

27 – Clea

Maybe it’s just my imagine, but I find “Clea” to be quite mature. Defined, even, and yet stern all the same. A perfect representation of the character.

26 – Renoir

The “villain” of the game has a theme which is neither sinister nor imposing. In fact, it sounds weak – as if the character has given everything he can, every fragment of his soul, to do right by his family.

25 – Gustave

Gustave has an absolutely divine theme. I only wish we got to hear more of it …

24 – Visages ~ Portrait Imparfait

“Portrait Impartfait” is a great boss theme. The Visages fight is one of the most visually overwhelming, so it makes sense for the song to be equally grandiose.

23 – Gestral Village ~ Golgra

Golgra has one of the most underrated boss themes in the game.

It’s a combination of a jerky rock riff with some jazzy saxophone over the top, and it works far better than it has any right to.

22 – Spring Meadows ~ Linen and Cotton

Such a lovely song. “Linen and Cotton” feels like you’re taking a dip in a warm, bubbly bath. It’s your mother tucking you in at night with a bedtime story.

21 – World Map ~ Dechire la Toile

You end up hearing “Dechire la Toile” more than any other song, because it’s the world map traversal theme.

It’s very melodramatic and melancholic. This is not a valiant exploration – it’s a soul-crushing, determined fight towards the Monolith.

20 – World Map ~ Children of Lumiere

The other, more sombre world map traversal theme. The “I see you” refrain haunted me as I sailed through the skies.

19 – Forgotten Battlefield ~ Dualliste

The Dualliste boss is a highlight of the game, so it’s no surprise that his theme also gets the blood pumping.

18 – Aline

It’s extraordinary how many classical masterpieces there are on this soundtrack.

“Aline” is all about the matriarch of the family, and the orchestration tugs on your heart-strings. Alice Duport-Percier, the singer on most of these tracks, deserves all the praise in the world.

17 – World Map ~ In Lumiere’s Name

Perhaps the most misleading title on the whole OST. You’d think a song called “World Map ~ In Lumiere’s Name” would be a world map theme, or at least a Lumiere theme. It’s neither.

It’s actually the song that plays during the dreaded Mime fights. I love how bouncy and playful it is … even if the fights themselves sometimes got on my nerves.

16 – Gestral Village ~ Gestral Merchant

The Mime fights have a banging soundtrack, but the Merchant fights are even better musically.

I love the rapid piano and vocal riffs, and the drums also go crazy.

15 – Old Lumiere ~ Reverence

One of the darkest, most sombre battle themes in the OST.

As you fight through Old Lumiere, songs like these take your breath away. You can feel the tragic history radiating from the ruined cobblestone you’re walking upon.

14 – Paintress

The best boss fight in the game also has, to nobody’s surprise, one of the best boss themes.

The orchestration holds nothing back across this nine minute epic – and yet, when the music slows down, the tenderness will break your heart.

13 – Une vie a peindre

After battling through three Acts of thrills and hardships, you finally get the chance to face Renoir once and for all, one last time.

“Une vie a peindre” is a full-on assault of a song. It’s a heavily remixed, drum and guitar soaked, choral fever dream.

12 – Une vie a rever

I can’t believe the third Axon, and the Alicia boss fight, is optional content. It’s scary to think that players could miss such an important piece of the plot – and one of the best songs on the soundtrack.

The first half of “Une vie a rever” is a powerful performance from a choir, but the soft, delicate music is soon overtaken by a barrage of sound.

11 – Sirene ~ Robe de Jour

In-universe, it’s said that Sirene drove Expeditioners mad with her calming dance and inviting voice. I’d probably throw myself off a cliff if I heard this, too. In a good way.

Sirene’s whole gimmick is that she can Charm the party, and I was certainly enchanted by “Robe de Jour”. It has a dream-like quality – I regularly put the controller down in this area just to take in the sights and sounds.

10 – Verso

It’s fitting that arguably the most tragic character in the game gets the most sombre, wistful theme of the bunch.

I like the detail that “Verso’s” theme is just one piano. It’s as if the character himself is crying out to us …

9 – Flying Waters ~ Goblu

“Flying Waters” was one of my favourite areas in the game in terms of visuals and soundtrack. The developers really nailed the mystical underwater vibe.

“Goblu” is my favourite of the regular battle themes in the game. Those detuned bells and haunted vocals sound like a cursed spirit buried deep within a murky depths – except with a percussive, groovy backdrop.

8 – Stone Wave Cliffs ~ Lampmaster

Lampmaster is the final boss of Act 1, and Lorien Testard went for a demonic, Vaudevillian approach to its boss theme.

Those frantic strings and faraway, disjointed vocals do a fantastic job of getting under your skin.

7 – We Lost

If Simon’s badass design, ominous opening cutscene and general aura weren’t enough to ring any alarm bells, then his theme “We Lost” should clue you in that you’re about to have the fight of your life.

It’s a remixed version of “Une vie a t’aimer”, a song ranked even higher up this list. In other words, it’s a phenomenal song made even crazier.

6 – Lumiere / Clair-Obscur

I think it’s fair to say that “Lumiere” and its counterpart “Clair-Obscur” (which is basically the same song) are the collective theme tune to this game.

The style and swagger is quintessentially French, and it’s sung and performed beautifully. The main melody will get stuck in your head for weeks.

5 – Lost Voice

I challenge anyone to watch that opening Gommage scene and not get emotional. Not only is it heart-breaking to see Sophie – and others from Lumiere – fade into nothingness, but the background music is gut-wrenching as well.

“Lost Voice” is a breath-taking string arrangement, with some divine vocals on top. This is one of the most emotionally-charged songs on the OST for sure.

4 – Monoco

I’ve sung the praises of many sombre character themes … but sometimes all you’re looking for in a videogame, the songs which really hit the spot, are the themes which kick ass.

From the moment you meet Monoco, with this jazzy and eccentric saxophone-led theme blaring, you know you’re in for a treat. Bow-wow-wow indeed.

3 – Flying Waters ~ Rain from the Ground

For some reason, “Flying Waters ~ Goblu” isn’t the song that plays during the Goblu boss fight – “Rain from the Ground” is. But I can forgive this odd naming convention because the song is an overlooked banger.

I never see people pointing to this track when talking about the OST’s excellence, but it’s one of the catchiest earworms I’ve ever heard from a game. Those synths and bass pulses are enormous!

The most shocking thing is that it almost wasn’t included in the game. Lorien Testard thought the synth-heavy style was too different from the rest of the soundtrack, but the developers decided to use it anyway. Thank god!

2 – Alicia / Maelle

Like with “Lumiere” and “Clair-Obscur” being the same song, “Alicia” and “Maelle” are basically the same track. Which makes sense. The developers couldn’t have picked a better, more tone-appropriate main menu theme.

It’s the combination of the greatest aspects of this soundtrack – each note is imbued with a history of sadness, and Alice Duport-Percier is enrapturing as the lead vocalist.

1 – Une vie a t’aimer

The second boss encounter with Renoir is a perfect scene. He’s all that stands between you and your goal of the Paintress, and both sides make their point … but sometimes, when words fail, all you can do is fight. And what a fight it is.

There’s a reason they played “Une vie a t’aimer” at the Game Awards – that drop into the chorus has become the stuff of legend, and the pulse-pumping arrangement instantly solidified this as a modern gaming classic.

After beating the game, one of my favourite things to do a was watch other people’s reactions to this scene – specifically, this song . This was the exact moment where myself and millions of other gamers knew we were listening to one of the best gaming OSTs of all time.

Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!