fucking shitty ass game, every fucking enemy out of nowhere grows a second phase which also just happens to have a one shot attack or sends you back to phase one every time you die. the fucking mask keeper is a boss which if you dont want to heal itself, give itself more turns or make you unable to gain ap then you gotta explore the fucking world, like i got shit to do i dont want to explore this world for 10 more hours just to make this shit more easy, and it doesnt help that he can also gain shields by damaging you, which makes it even more unfair if you are already off your game. this shit isnt fun, its just bosses with 2 phases made to be annoying and unfair. the only good part about the game is graphics and story, everything else can go fuck itself

VERY MIXED BAG OF IMPRESSIONS Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leaves me with a swirl of conflicting feelings. TL;DR + Stunningly beautiful world. + Intriguing setting and story. + Excellent voice acting from the main cast. + Smart ideas in the turn-based battle mechanics. – Quick-time events completely undermine the turn-based combat. – Even with QTE autocast and story mode enabled, dodging and blocking remain frustratingly difficult. – The first hour is disappointingly slow and fails to pull you in. THE LONG VERSION The game's opening hour, a mix of cutscenes and wandering the gorgeous city of Lumière, felt surprisingly flat. The world itself is absolutely breathtaking, but the sheer number of new characters introduced at once made it hard for any of them to truly connect with me—especially since I tend to talk to every NPC I encounter. Even a major early twist couldn't shake the sense of detachment I felt from the story. Thankfully, once the actual adventure kicks off, things improve. With fewer characters vying for my attention, I found myself starting to care about the core cast. It was also around this point that I came to appreciate the strong voice acting, which initially got lost amidst the flood of background chatter during the intro. Unfortunately, the biggest flaw reveals itself during combat. Though marketed as a turn-based RPG, the battles rely heavily on quick-time events (QTEs)—to the point where mastering them is essential even when playing on story mode. I ended up enabling automatic QTEs for attacks, but was still forced into tedious trial-and-error sequences just to learn the exact timing needed for dodging and parrying. By Act 2, where I currently am, the situation has worsened: there are now four different types of dodges to juggle, turning every fight into a chaotic QTE slog. It's a real shame, because beneath all the button prompts, there’s actually a fantastic battle system with intriguing synergy mechanics—but it’s completely overshadowed and undermined by the relentless focus on twitch reflexes. In the end, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has flashes of brilliance and moments where it feels like it could have been something truly special. Sadly, the frustrating, almost Soulslike combat layered onto what could have been a stellar turn-based experience makes it a deeply flawed game instead. In the end I'd still recommend the game, but it's barely. Update: I'm a bit further into the game, and I have to change to a "Not recommend". The QTE needed to defend against attacks absolutely ruin what could have been a great game. But once the "Gradient Counter" mechants was introduced I found myself unable to enjoy the game. It's just a chore of endless blocks and counterattacks. *Sight*

a simple no.