Yep, more or less. The game is like if Super Mario RPG and Persona had a baby in the middle of the Champs-Élysées.
And also, somehow, Fantasian
More or less (disclaimer: I haven't actually played those games so I'm going by reputation). The big difference is that the dodge/parry mechanic in Clair Obscur can be punishing. There have been cases where a boss would one-shot characters if I don't get a dodge off, which is very frustrating - I don't play Souls games for a reason, and I don't want that level of fuck you difficulty. But mostly, it is at the level where you will need to spend more time healing if you take hits, but you can muddle through.
While i agree mostly, i feel like it fits the environment/setting in which this story takes place. It feels like a near hopeless expedition; one of which many believe is a suicide mission.
Sure, but while you want the suggestion it’s hopeless, you don’t want it to actually be so, or it’d be a pretty frustrating game.