| “ | Any gentleman would be fortunate to call you his valet, and you have been a worthy companion to me, besides. | ” |
Jean Passepartout is the playable character in 80 Days. He is a French valet in the service of Phileas Fogg as he embarks upon his wager to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less.
Passepartout acts out the player's decisions in the story, and his personality, background and story changes to suit this.
Background
Passepartout's background can be explored by the player through his branching journal prose. He was born in Paris and has admiration for the city. Prior to becoming Fogg's valet, it is suggested that he was a circus acrobat and served in the Franco-Prussian war in some capacity. He is extremely fond of his mother, who can be revealed to possess African ancestry (thus making Passepartout mixed-race yet white-passing), though she instructed him to hide his heritage and live with his father. He may also remark that his father's family made wine.
The circumstances surrounding him becoming a valet to Fogg aren't mentioned explicitly, but it can be assumed that they're similar to that of the original novel, in which he is whisked away for the wager on the first day of his employment.
Role
Passepartout is the character controllable by the player and is thus involved in every single scenario in the game at all times.
He can have several different endings, returning to London with Fogg victorious or in defeat, returning to London alone, abandoning his master to pursue something else, or even dying on his journey.
Character
Passepartout's character differs depending on how the player chooses to behave, affecting his 'character', 'manner' and relationship with Fogg. He is generally very dedicated to being a good valet, remaining loyal and dutiful to Fogg. He is very worldly due to his adventurous past with his family. He is also a source of comic relief at times in his earnestness, enthusiasm and sentimentality.
Passepartout is bisexual and can have a main female and male love interest (as well as many other minor flirtations), and may even express his love for his master within his journal on the North Pole route.
He can also demonstrate a particular fear of bears, with many opportunities to express it throughout his travels.
Trivia
- Passepartout is heavily based on the character of the same name from the original Jules Verne novel the game is based on, Around the World in Eighty Days. The game takes elements of his character in the original novel (like having a well-travelled life and reacting heavily and often comically to absurd situations) and places them in the new story.
- Passepartout's character is quite fluid thanks to the branching choices the player can make about what he says and does on his travels.
- Passepartout tells Octave that he hates his first name, hence why he hardly uses it.