‘I Was Exhausted’: The Story Behind Expedition 33’s Beloved ‘Whee Whoo’ Moment

Alright, let’s dive into this maelstrom of creative chaos.

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So, writing a novel? That’s you, alone in a room, maybe talking to your cat. But hey, at least it’s just you. Now a screenplay? Sure, wrap it up in 120 pages unless you’re, I don’t know, penning for someone epic like Scorsese. But a video game script? Buckle up. It’s a riot. A total team exercise. You’re stretching words like taffy, cramming them into the gameplay, and hammering it all together with a crew of writers. Sometimes, you’re just hurling words into the void. Especially at 3 a.m. when your brain is mush. And weirdly enough, that brain fog can spark genius.

Now, take Clair Obscur. This game’s got layers of French flair that totally hooked players. Esquie, this larger-than-life character, just steals the show with a campfire chat. Imagine him pondering over his pal François, with Verso chiming in. Esquie reminisces how François was all “Wheeee!” and now he’s just “Whooo.” You decide François’s vibe with dialogue choices. It’s like a wild, silly ride.

Svedberg-Yen, the mastermind behind this, cracks a laugh. She goes, “Three a.m. madness struck while I dreamed up these seven Esquie dialogues!”

The Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 script? Oh, it’s a behemoth—800 pages if you can believe it. And guess what? That’s without all those NPC side chats or mounds of lore tucked in the background. Svedberg-Yen? She’s a sponge, soaking up inspiration from crumbs and clouds and everything in between. Take Monoco, for instance, a floating creature in the game—guess what? It’s her dog with a digital twist. The dog needed a haircut once. Boom, Monoco gets a trim in-game.

And there’s this moment – Verso jabs at Monoco, calling him an “overgrown mop.” Straight outta Svedberg-Yen’s life. “Said it to my dog, used it on Monoco,” she shrugs.

Back to the “whee whoo” escapades. It’s nonsensical, dreamtime babble but it felt true. Svedberg-Yen had this epiphany about heavy emotions, joy, sorrow, the whole spectrum. She was exhausted, words eluded her, but—“wheeeeee!” It slotted right there.

See, for her, fantasy writing is tethered to realness. Characters with roots in everyday vibes, even if they’re in a place far, far beyond. She acts on instinct, even for quirky bits. Tragedy peppered with chuckles—why not? Life’s like that. “Too far?” she muses. “When I flounder for words, I plug in my feels. That’s raw. That’s real.”