CYBERDRAMATIC GRIEF IN CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33

Abstract

This study examines how grief functions within the narrative structure of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, addressing a gap left by previous research focused primarily on translation, trauma, and player experience. Combining A. J. Greimas’s actantial model and modalities with Janet Murray’s concept of cyberdrama, the study utilizes qualitative textual analysis of narrative events, dialogues, gameplay sequences, and cyberdramatic structures across three acts. The findings reveal that grief operates as a modal intensifier, sustaining the characters' orientation toward action (vouloir-faire) despite shifts in subjects, objects, and knowledge. Additional exploration and optional content further drive this narrative motivation rather than diminishing it. Consequently, this study offers a new structural perspective, showing how grief operates within interactive systems.