When it comes to motion capture for bosses, it seems Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developers got pretty creative in the studio – so much so, in fact, that they employed a literal water bottle for one of the turn-based RPG's foes.
As Maxence Cazorla – the performance capture actor behind Gustave, Verso, and Renoir, and the voice of Esquie – reveals in a recent online post, François, the turtle boss in Esquie's Nest, was "played" by a plastic water bottle in the mocap studio.
"OK, time to reveal who really did the mocap for Fran-Fran," exclaims Cazorla alongside a clip of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's motion capture in action. "Watch until the end… the truth will shock you."
Okay, time to reveal who really did the mocap' for Fran-Fran!Watch until the end… the truth will shock you. 💥@sandfallgames @expedition33official#clairobscurexpedition33 #expedition33 #motioncapture #acting #videogames #playstation #xbox #steam pic.twitter.com/erj98U1AcxJuly 10, 2025
The top of the video shows the game's live actors, including Cazorla, playing out the scene in which the party comes across François. At the end of the clip, the camera pans out and shows who they're actually facing – and it's certainly no turtle. Before them sits an upright bottle of water, and it's obvious that the actors can hardly contain their laughter. Right as the video cuts off, Maelle actor Charlotte Hoepffner appears to burst out chuckling.
It's just another creative day for game developers in the motion capture studio, it seems – I'm instantly reminded of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and how its devs used a real, live horse in the mocap studio. François might not have been played by a turtle, but I've got to say, the plastic bottle full of water is somehow even funnier. It's made all the more hilarious by how well everything turned out… I mean, that bottle can seriously act.
Playing the new RPG yourself? Here are our best Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tips to read if you're diving in.
