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Baldur's Gate 3 mocap director says Shadowheart actor's role in new JRPG Expedition 33 is even "better than her performance" in Larian's RPG

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By Ashley Bardhan published 24 April 2025

"I'm immensely proud"

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Voice actress Jennifer English brought both dignity and indignant passion to Baldur's Gate 3 elven hottie Shadowheart, but one of the game's performance directors – and English's real-life partner – Aliona Baranova says she's even more impressive in new JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

"I'm immensely proud of Jen's stunning performance as Maelle," Baranova writes on Twitter "When we play, I forget it's Jen!"

"Maelle's depth of emotion, childlike playfulness & hope, commitment to combat, nuance, complexity, rawness," Baranova continues and trails off.

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From our time with Clair Obscur, Sandfall Interactive's debut title that's somehow already scheduled for a live-action film adaptation, we understand why Baranova's feeling so inspired. As we describe in our Clair Obscur review, the game is "turbo-charged with a beautifully sweeping score," while English's interpretation of teen warrior Maelle "holds her own with a sardonic wit."

"I dare say I think it’s better than her performance as Shadowheart…" Baranova continues to say on Twitter, and not lightly either – Shadowheart has been a fan-favorite party member for the past two years since Baldur's Gate 3 came out.

The character is often players' first choice for either their wartime buddy or haunted girlfriend, with developer Larian itself reporting in 2023 that 51.3% of Baldur's Gate 3 players complete her romance arc.

Because of Shadowheart's popularity and the infinite career possibilities it led to, English tells GamesRadar+ that both her and Clair Obscur co-star Ben Starr – who voiced Clive in Final Fantasy 16 – "wanted to be careful about what [project] we chose next."

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But Clair Obscur provided a unique opportunity for authenticity, even in its Belle Époque wasteland. English says that "what was so wonderful is the writing was [...] so brilliant that we can kind of just bring ourselves to it."

"Jen's talent runs so deep, it never ceases to amaze me," Baranova concludes on Twitter.

Final Fantasy 16 actor Ben Starr doesn't just voice a character in new RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, he sings in it, "because there is nothing this man can't do apparently."

Recent updates

A previous version of this article implied Baranova was the lead Baldur's Gate 3 performance director when, instead, she was a Performance Director at Larian collaborator PitStop Productions. Larian Studios' performance director for Baldur's Gate 3, as seen in the game's credits, is Greg Lidstone.

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Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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