Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tells a serious story, but the game features numerous optional locations, some of which are not without a sense of humor. People always find humor in tragedy, and “Verso Sketches” is a prime example.
Deep within the magical fabric of Verso, you’ll discover another childish world, created by a young boy, where, at first glance, there’s no room for melancholy, sadness, or hatred. The numerous Gestrals are proof of this, but due to the strangeness of these creatures, their games are equally unusual—for example, some Gestrals participate in ski jumping challenges that require near- pixel precision to win. To save you from tearing your hair out trying to complete this challenge, we’ll give you some tips for accurately jumping into the colorful life preservers.
As you head south from the entrance to Verso’s Sketches, you’ll come across a ramp extending over a rather steep cliff. A long line of Gestrals has formed in front of it, awaiting their chance. There’s just one problem—one small Gestral refuses to move aside or jump down. He claims this is an act of revenge: something was stolen from him, and until it’s returned, he won’t move. You might think you’re supposed to find the stolen item, but in reality, you’ll be doing something completely different. If you talk to the other Gestrals in line, you’ll come to a rather unusual conclusion: Gestral problems require Gestral solutions.
You literally need to walk up to him and knock him off the ramp by pressing the F key. Don’t worry—he’ll be fine. In fact, if you talk to him from below in the water, he’ll say that the “kick” was great fun. The other Gestrals will thank you, and the ramp will finally become accessible. Although, considering how many jumps you’ll have to make to complete the challenge, there’s nothing to be excited about.
After clearing the Gestral from the ramp, you’ll notice three colored rings in the lower pool (actually, three life preservers). If you talk to the Gestral standing next to the rings (below), it will complain that no one wants or can land in its carefully placed rings. It’s made quite clear that accurately landing from the ramp into these rings is a separate minigame. Landing in two rings—blue and yellow—is relatively easy. The red ring, however, will make you curse the day—or the developers who decided to create such a difficult challenge. Fortunately, the reward is given for each ring separately, so you don’t need to land in a row.
Just behind you, at the base of the cliff, is a zipline that will take you back to the ramp.
Blue ring
The blue ring is the easiest. It’s located fairly close to the ramp and has a large diameter, leaving plenty of room for landing. It’s slightly to the right of the ramp, so you need to jump at a slight angle.
A running start isn’t even necessary here. The game doesn’t maintain momentum from running—you reach your maximum jumping distance as soon as you start sprinting. So, the easiest way is to stand close to the edge of the ramp, align yourself with the ring, and, as soon as you start running, jump. If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll see a splash of water as you fall. You’ll be rewarded with a lumina.
Yellow ring
The yellow ring is located to the left of the ramp and requires slightly more precision than the blue one, but is still forgiving. As with the blue circle, you can first position yourself closer to the edge of the ramp, choosing the correct direction to move, then take a short run-up and jump, guided by the splash of water. You’ll need to jump from a further point on the ramp, but still not from the very edge. The reward is a new hairstyle for Mael, the “Double Bun.”
Red Ring
The final ring—the red one—requires true perfection. There’s no room for error here. You’ll often almost reach it, but that’s not enough: landing on the ring isn’t enough; you need to land precisely in its center to create the desired splash. In our experience, Ciel is best for the red ring. All characters jump the same distance, but Ciel’s animations make it easier to track her position on the ramp and time her jump more accurately.
To reach the red circle, you need to jump at the very last moment. Get to the very edge of the ramp before you jump to see how far you can go without falling off. The angle of your jump is also crucial, so make a quick left turn just before you jump. And be sure to maintain forward momentum after takeoff to maintain air speed.
This challenge will require multiple attempts due to its pixel-perfect accuracy, but it’s possible to complete. As a reward, you’ll receive a stylish new hairstyle for Monoco: the “French Bob.”
