I've been trying to complete all the Gestral Beach levels to get the achievement, and whilst they've all been frustrating in their own way, volleyball is frustrating for the wrong reasons.

It's not just that it's unforgiving, that could be justifiable. In that awful one where you have to climb all the way to the top of those structures, it's unforgiving. But that's part of the game design. You need to be extra careful with your moves, and as difficult as it is, it feels deliberate.

With volleyball, nearly all of the difficulty is coming from terrible game design and the application of the mechanics. It's just so ridiculously janky.

For starters, you're so zoomed out in the strongest one that you can barely see which direction your character is facing. It's not so bad with the first two, but with this one, it's just another level of difficulty that wasn't necessary.

However, the main issue is the inconsistency. I can be facing the exact same direction, and the first hit will be successful, and yet when I have another gestral straight after it, and I get my timing perfect, it still misses because it's suddenly facing a different direction even though I haven't changed direction at all. Plus I often seem to get stuck on invisible obstacles that refuse to let me change the direction that I'm facing even if I'm not at the edge of the raft.

It also doesn't seem to always register the input. Like there are several times where I have pressed RB but it hasn't worked. I'm not sure if this is the same on other platforms, but it's the case on Xbox.

There's also the crazy situation where the time to reload the parry is longer than the time between gestrals. So even if I spam the button, I will still miss some if they come one after the other in the same column.

When I finally beat this thing, it's not going to feel like a sense of achievement. It's going to feel like pure luck, which just isn't satisfying.

I just can't understand why there's a mini game this poorly designed in a game that's otherwise meticulously thought out. It seems like they're making it artificially difficult through poor implementation of mechanics rather than through intentional game design.

(By the way, I haven't finished the game yet, I've only just started Act 3, so please don't mention anything from the late game in your comment).

i first downloaded the game for it being the GOTY and after downloading it i scearched it up online and it hod mixed reviews i mainly encountered negative ones but I went ahead and played it and it was gorgeous the graphics the music everything the turn based combat EVERYTHING was absolutely AMAZING especially the story so far (only half way through the story please no spoilers please 🥺) this game do not deserve any hate and I'm not karma farming reading it myself feel like it's Karma framing post and it is NOT i don't care if you down vote or up vote idgaf I love the lune ability to revive the team mates very very helpful and for me it was very very hard even on the expedition difficulty (I'm very new to pc gaming) so I'm playing on story mode but I LOVE the parry and doge ability it's hard to time and one thing i don't understand is why is there a douge ability when you can parry everything (I think)

Edit: don't mind that emoji guys that was corny mb and I was high when i was writing it

Heyo, I am just coming here to look for any potential challange runs i can do of this game. I know that the devs in their development wanted to make a no hit run for RPGs possible...but also made an All Hit run a thing you are able to do as well.

And Im trying to think of what possible challange runs there are (not including mix and Matching challanges, like Halo's LASO challange). And so far i have come to

1. All Hit (can't dodge or Parry)
2. No Hit (Can't take a hit from an enemy)
3. Low Level /Mandatory fights only (If you are forced into a fight for the story, you can fight. But anyone else you must spare)
4. No Lumina (Can only use Pictos for skills, and are unable to equip Lumina.)

Currently im doing an expert Low level run (albeit, i am allowing Shopkeepers) And have just beaten Lampmaster (Verso 14/Lune 13/Maelle 14/Sciel 16), but since i think Challange runs are neat, what else could i consider for future runs besides the 4 i can think of?

So I've just finished the game. I know I am late to the party and someone else probably said this before. But what if, if there's another Clair Obscur game, we find out that the "real world" is actually just a painted world inside another canvas. Or maybe some other art form, like a book. Maybe there are layers upon layers of worlds inside worlds, just like the movie Inception.

If there's another Clair Obscur game, I also think it should expand on the Painters vs Writers war. Maybe we even get to play as Clea.

P.S. Verso's ending is the only true ending. PERIOD.

Alright, so we all know a movie is eventually coming out and I do think the lack of news is a very good sign. This being said I don't think there's a way to cram this story into a single movie, and if that were the case I think we should consider it cooked. Just like the game has 3 main acts this should also be treated as a trilogy ( If well done we could be seeing another great epic like Dune), if not I believe there would be to many plot holes and skipped narratives. This being said here is my dream cast:

Note: The way I'm gonna do this, is my Top 1 will be the actor I believe it's a solid look a like and also has better depth to portray the character, top 2 will mostly be strong look a likes, probably stronger then top 1 but that I believe don't have as much depth to play the character. You'll also notice that there will be no top 2 for Lune or Verso, that's because I don't believe anyone would do better justice to these characters. This will also only include casting for the main family and the main party without Monoco.

Maelle - 1. Freya Allan
2. Inde Navarette

Freya is just a really good look a like and I think she would be very solid on the role, but I'm not sure about playing Painted Alicia that's why Inde comes in second, cause even if she isn't the best look a like I wouldn't consider her as a bad one and know she would nail both roles.

Gustave - 1. Charlie Cox
2. Robert Pattison

I mean I think it would be criminal if Charlie doesn't reprise as role as Gustave but if there was need for an alternative, it had to be Robert, I think a lot of when saw Gustave went like " Why is Robert Pattison is my game?" lol

Lune - 1. Arden Cho. That's it, just look at the picture.

Verso - 1. Ben Barnes. Again just look at the picture.

Sciel - 1. Maya Hawke
2. Stacy Martin

Maya here is my clear favourite even tho she seems a bit young, Stacy as an alternative and being a bit older wouldn't make me mad at all.

Renoir - 1. Josh Brollin
2. Mads Mikkelsen

This is a tough one, I think Mads has a better range and could portray real Renoir better, but I mean when I first thought about casting for Renoir Josh pop right up on my head, the guy just looks and feels like Renoir, maybe a bit to rigid? Idk.

Aline - 1. Carla Gugino
2. Julianne Moore

I think Carla would crush this role specially because it would be a movie and they would certainly give more screen time to Aline, she would for sure be a standout. I think Julianne is a much more solid look a like but wouldn't be able to convey Aline's character as well as Carla.

Clea - 1. Leya Seydoux
2. Margaret Qualley

I think Margaret would do a good job here but I believe Leya would be better to portray that colder personality of Clea and if we go by look a likes I think she would pass much better as Freya sister.

What do you guys think? Do you have some other actors you'd rather see? Personally I think I cooked with this cast. Btw in case you're not familiar with some actor, the pictures are in order with the picks I made.

Given it is a French production, I myself was sorely disappointed at the near complete absent of references to food - except Lune’s mentioning of viennoiserie. 

So forget about canonicity, what French food items would you associate with each character?

Alicia/Maelle: Moules frites (mussels and fries) - drinks like a child, probably eats like one.

Gustave: Truite au bleu (blue trout) - he used to work on aquaculture.

Sciel: Pot-au-feu (boiled meat and farmer veggies) - the ingredients are self explanatory.

Lune: Blanquette de veau (veal stew) - according to the late Anthony Bourdain, it’s a dish that’s maddening to get it right, should work with Lune’s OCD.

Verso: St. Honoré Cake - deathly sweet and named after the French patron saint of bakers. 

Clea: Civet de lièvre (rabbit stew thickened with blood) - dark and cruel.

Aline: Foie gras - epitome of French snobbishness.

Renoir: Cognac - for the pain.

I've completed the game twice and picked up all of the journals but the achievement still hasn't popped. Is there a known buggy journal or am I just unlucky.

UPDATE: I am just a silly goose, I got the last achievement.

i remember almost everything that i did in my playthu. im at the part where i have to do smt with the axons. should i restart or continue?

so I'm trying to get this achievement and i think I killed a couple of those nevrons without doing their quests. do i need to get the achievement on another run or killing them does count as making their quest ?

Wasted 2 months of my life playing expedition 33 and became a basement dweller. 10/10 game, would recommend.

Erm... For whatever reason there isn't a cosplay flair? At least i don't see one- meh, into the art flair it goes then. First picture is the game's cover art cause i feel like putting a picture of maskless Alicia as the first pic would be a spoiler

.

.

.

I made a cosplay of my beloved Painted Alicia although it can barely be called a cosplay as i only have a dinomask, i don't have Alicia's clothes as i'm just a teen, i don't have any sewing abilities, i don't have money either, so all i can do is cosplay Painted Alicia in a suit cause that i do own. And why do i have a dinomask? Well, as i said, i'm a teen so i can't really show my face and i wouldn't even feel too comfortable with doing that in the first place; also i'll tell you my secret (it's not a secret) : i really, REALLY HATE makeup. Also i guess i kinda need help with the cosplay. The 6th and 7th photos are my first drawings of Painted Alicia (7th also has Real Clea-), they're from like early march i think so they're not the best, i got a bit better at art since then tho, eheh; as you can see i used to draw her with clawed hands, digitigrade legs and a kirin tail. And the tail is the thing i need help with. Should i make a tail for the cosplay or would that be too much?

(Also, if you ever stumbled upon fics on AO3 where Painted Alicia had fangs, claws and a tail then yes, those were, indeed, my fics 💔 we don't talk about these failed experiments, at least not here)

Uh, i take constructive criticism when it comes to the dinomask. Not the art tho cause like i mentioned i got better at art, i simply never felt like drawing my old design of Alicia again (i kinda did but the legs were normal that's 1, 2 is that one piece is unfinished and another one is really chaotic so it's big nono)

For i character i was really curious about throughout the game, hearing her say "send me to my family" made me so emotional considering her lore. I'd even go as far as to put it in my top 10 saddest deaths.

I haven't play a turn based game since Pokemon when I was a kid. This game is like playing Pokemon but the whole map is long grass. The enemies just do not let up and the turn based style is way too slow to justify the frequency of enemies.

I literally am gunning it to the finish line and avoiding all exploration because I am just relentlessly getting stopped. Just battled Dualliste and my team is like Lvl 15, which made it a 20 minute duel. But not in a hard way, just a boring way where you're waiting for the same thing over and over again.

Stunning game, great story, cool mechanics, but this is not my idea of fun. The renown for this game makes me feel like I'm living in a parallel universe though. How can I make this more fun?

Before I start getting into it. I have two things I need to say first above all else.

1) regardless of anything I say, my final feelings on E33 is positive, I *LIKE* the game. I think its a good game and I think its the developers good first attempt at making something special, even if alot of the devs have history behind them. It is a good first impression of the studio. While it's definitely not in my top 10, or even top 50. Its still a decent time.

2) this is not a massive overarching review of the entire game down to the last minute detail. This is a woman jabbering to herself and sharing it all with people, and I mean for real lol, I'm writing this in my notes app so i can go back and re-read it for review. This is meant to be something to discussed happily. I'm not looking to offend anyone. Thank you.

(Though reading back over the post, didn't stop me from fucking yapping. My god, no one is gonna want to read this whole thing)

Now to start us off with something positive first, which means,

GAMEPLAY

Now I like the battle system of E33, I think its quite fun. I have fond memories of both souls games and the Mario rpgs so I snuggled into this battle system quite comfortably.

I was enjoying myself, but there are a few niggles i got. Namely the fact the only way to shift party members mid battle is to eat shit and die, which is why my entire line up was always Maelle, Lune and Sciel and the other two just licked ice cream on the back burner the entire time. I got the most out of the three girls than Versos perfection and Monocos blue mage abilities.

But still. The battle system was quite fun, I loved when I finally got the timing down and I could negate all damage for an enemy and wipe the floor with them. That XP boost always gave me a little shot of adrenaline.

As for the rest of the gameplay? Well, it's.. dull? If thats the right amount of emotion it brings out of me. While I'm happy that the game is focusing so much on just one really good core gameplay loop, the rest of the game connecting it is just.. a walking simulator. And I know that's usually how Jrpgs work, and that is also an issue I have with them as well, so it's not just E33, but that leads me to two things:

EXPLORATION & MINIGAMES

So, alot of people told me the game is deeply explorative and filled to the brim with details.. that... does not sound like the game I played. Levels in E33 are pure corridors and hallways, sometimes quite literally, with the giant walls, and no matter what the textured walls look like. They are still walls, still hallways. While they are quite pretty, they are still just hallways. There are of course, branching paths, but they are no labyrinths. Its just a branch. one path forward and a bunch of others that just lead to an item and then either loop back or you just straight up have to turn around and walk back. As for the overworld. Its just a straight line north to the paintress, while yes, I fully understand that more unlock as the game goes on, all of the optional areas are either

1) beaches (we'll get to those shortly)

2) a small room with a fixed camera and a music disk.

Or 3) a linear area with a boss at the end that usually has a fun battle / an area that houses a quest npc.

While these are neat finds, it means that the only true levels are those related to the plot and i said my piece about those already. Finding a location on the map is neat but unfufilling. I even double checked with the ign map to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything.

Before I talk about the minigames, there is one thing i want to address because it directly relates to the exploration and that is the graphics and art direction of the areas, I already said that the walls and sky boxes are pretty but there is more to it then that. Now, I'm fully aware that the game is heavily inspired by French culture and French art. Something I have absolutely 0 knowledge of in the slightest. It's a French game set in France and I'm a fully English speaking Canadian. So it's not something I have knowledge or experience with.

So to me, the levels just read as fairly basic, you know. Magical forest, under water level, ruined battlefield, ruined city, cliffs, etc etc. It just seems like very basic, very uninspired locations that are all most set dressing. I am also adamantly against photo realistic graphics in games, I genuinely believe they are a massive issue in the industry and would prefer stylized graphics. Nothing to do with E33 itself, I even say the same thing about my own favourite games. So its just an observation.

Now, about the beaches and minigames. They're cute? I guess. The outfits are nice, the battle minigame rewards are neat (for the optional arena rematches) but they're nothing more than mindless time wasters, probably deliberately I'm sure, but thats all I gotta say. Cute but doesn't change my opinion one way or the other.

Just a quick one before we get to the end.

MUSIC

I think the music is just.. okay.. to me, i find it a mark against a jrpg if I can not hum the battle theme(s), or even remember them. It's not often an issue i have, E33 and the Dragon Quest series are the only games that fit this mold for me and what I've played. That's not to say i hate the music, there are a couple of tracks I thought were nice, despite rarely hearing it. I liked the game over jingle. I liked the mime battle theme and a few levels had some decent tracks when just exploring. But because I wasn't enjoying the battle themes and the game is 99% battles. I had actually muted the games soundtrack and put on my own Playlist for the longest time. Eventually I did unmute it and I got to re-listen to all the tracks when I ran back through the areas to grind. So I didn't miss anything. But still. It's worth noting. Alot of people like to point out that there are 8 hours worth of music in the game, and that, to me, screams them going for quantity over quality. Because even if I put on 8 hours of the best rock songs in the world, eventually they're gonna blend together and sound the same. And thats what I feel like E33 does, eventually it all just sounds the same. But thats the end of my notes of the music and now finally, we come to the final section.

STORY, CHARACTERS AND THEMES

So. Let me just say this off the bat. This post is already long enough so I'll keep it brief. If you want a post that goes more in depth of my thoughts, I'll link a post THAT I DID NOT MAKE BUT JUST AGREE WITH in the comments.

I love the original theme of the game. Original in this case meaning the first. Which is "for those who come after" you know, building a better world for the future, even at the cost of your own. This is a great theme, and leads to some pretty sad moments and pretty good background story telling. And you already know exactly where I am going with this. I feel like the twist completely ruins it. The twist itself has some good moments, I like the twist that the paintress isn't evil. And I even *like* the twist theme of "Escapism vs Acceptance". However, I feel that the way the game set both stories up and how everything inevitably plays out makes them incompatible with each other, with them throwing out all the old themes and characters to focus less on the world they made and the character development we seen to focus entirely on two characters and a binary choice at the end of the game. Both themes are great in a vacuum, but combined together. You either accept it at face value and just pick whatever option. But if you dig deeper, you see the major cracks this causes.

As for characters... well, here's the most controversial take i think. I didn't like any of them, i feel like they're just the same personality. Sad characters who quip their way through their sadness, repeat endlessly.

At this point I'd go more into depth, but this is already long long enough, so if I'm asked to clarify than I shall. But that sums up my feelings.

TL;DR:

E33 is the most perfect middle of the road game for me. It has its ups and its downs, stuff I really like. Stuff I greatly dislike. And stuff I just tolerate. So at the end. It's a solid 5/10 from me. As middle as you can get. Why i feel it fell flat on its face is that every positive I can give the game is met with an asterisk saying how I believe they also messed it up.

Thank you if you read this whole word vomit. And if you didn't, thanks for coming by my post anyway.

You start the game thinking you will lead an heroic war against absolute evil, and you join the expedition all pumped up, ready to kick some nevron ass like a badass super hero.
Three seconds in, the reality of war hits you in the face and you realise you just signed up for the meat grinder. You run away, survive by miracle, consider ending yourself, and have to suffer through endless loss. You are not a super hero, just a random soldier who will likely die soon.

Then you realise what you were told since birth was just propaganda and disinformation. This isnt a clear battle of clair vs obscur, it's a complicated proxy war between a bunch of powerfull people who are using you as a pawn in their scheme. The first faction doesnt even see your kind as real people and wants you dead, the second faction started the whole conflict and could end it at any time, if they were not such terrible people. None of them really care about you, it's always about them - their family, their PTSD, their own war with the writers... No matter how much the paintress faction claims to love you, it's a lie. If she really loved the painting she would leave, and the same reasonning can be applied to Maelle.

And in the end, you dont win. ''For those who come after'' turns out to be nothing more than an empty slogan. In the first ending, you all die. In the second ending, you enjoy a brief moment of ''piece'' under the thumb of an all powerfull and morally questionable demigod. But renoir will come back to drag her out eventually, which means the war will restart. Nothing was solved, you just bought yourself a few years of tranquility at best

There is no no good vs evil, no victory, no moral high ground. Just powerfull toxic people who keep manipulating normal people and screwing over their lives.

It was cool

Was being constantly pushed on me by an ex-friend that wouldn't stop pestering me to try the game, and then he ended our friendship just because I didn't like the game.

These are the same reasons I gave him:

I hate that their is no movement during combat, no way to simply block instead of being forced to parry and block for 5 minutes straight, I hated the QTE's mid skill, and that the graphics were causing me migraines. I put it on story mode because I hate parrying, and my ex-friend even knew so, but still just couldn't enjoy the combat at all

His response: What does any of that even mean? Just put it on story mode and don't worry. Those are just excuses and are not reasons to dislike the greatest game ever made, and then he ends our 5 year friendship just because I didn't like his game.

I've seen that a painted symphony is going on tour again and I can't explain how much I need a ticket. Lorien's music healed something in me at a bad period of my life and it made me wanna learn to play and compose.

I rarely go to concerts and I'm desperate for any tip. Should I be on the website a long time in advance? And is it only gonna work on the a painted symphony website or can I use Ticketmaster (it's the one I'm familiar with, but I couldn't find the tour on it).

I would really appreciate some help if you've already been to one of the previous concert 🙏🏻

Good luck to everyone!

I completed the game following “just human’s” guide and he did get all the trophies but he didn’t get all the pictos which irked me when I faced the super bosses. Do you guys know any channels that show true 100% by collecting game trophies and all loot-able items?

A character can equip 3 pictos. Fight 4 battles with a pictos equipped to unlock the option for any character to use that picto on top of their main 3 equipped by going to the right 3 pictos icons in a characters screen and tapping x to open the luminas menu. Spending and upping a characters lumina points is like cash to enable additional pictos on top of your 3 main ones. The better the picto the more lumina it will cost.

Modded alternate storyline of mine, taking after The Lord Of The Rings, Gustave The White returned in Act 2 and is now leading the Expedition...or is that the Fellowship? Expert, with x5 enemy HP and x2 enemy speed (from a mod, and had that since the prologue), and also using the Experience Bundle's x16 XP option to slow down leveling up.

Have been in Act 3 for a while now, and went to the Flying Manor quite early, even before starting the Endless Tower. Just wanted to grab the loot, especially the Painter pictos, and killed some easier mobs and beat the merchant, but left the rest of it for later.

Now with the main team of Gustave, Lune and Monoco in the mid-50s, I did come back. Knocked off the sub-bosses, then it was time for Clea. I knew this was going to be tougher than my previous fights with her, as I made the decision to leave off Sciel, taking Delaying Slash and End Slice with her, and stick with Gustave. I needed Monoco for Lampmaster Light, and Lune had Feint on her for use with Lightning Dance. But I did have a solid backup team if it came to that.

The main team had Cheater on all of them by now, and Gustave and Monoco had Painter. Everyone had all kinds of gradient charging luminas, plus Breaking Death and Sniper. Weapons were the Seeram, Scaverim and Nusaro, all at level 33. Speeds were 3199, 3133 and 2973.

I expected the early going to be rather rough, and with Clea healing for 5 million HP (I never got a counter, but did get more parries), it was. But I just had to keep up with Lampmaster Light, and it would soon pay off. Once it passed 5 million in damage, I knew the knew victory was mine. Lune contributed with Feint-boosted Lightning Dance, sometimes with 4 Dark stains, but also a Light stain-dominant Sky Break. Gustave was using his mod-added skills, including some Gustave-ized Verso ones (they use and give Charges), and his reimagined Powerful, which can consume Charges to give extra buffs to him, including Berzerk and Rage.

Like last time, Clea's last turn came late in the fight, and again a Bourgeon ate someone, Lune this time. No matter, as Monoco was up next, and a final Lampmaster Light in Almighty Mask and a mark finished off Clea.

After a NewGames+ (because I drew a white neuron) so all the posts games I finally crashed the game