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.
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."
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.
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.
