Lies of P is a soul-like game from the South Korean developers and it is a new take for them. It embraces the genre to provide a unique outcome. As a classic souls-like game, the loop is pretty simple, grind through a challenging area gain souls, and then cash them at a Bonfire type area. From time to time there will be vague NPCs in different areas. You get to fight challenging bosses that can be frustrating or amazing depending on the type of player you are.
Other studios have tried tackling the formula. Neowiz Games perfectly nails the idea of a souls-like game by making it welcoming to newcomers and veterans of the genre. It is a good single-player experience after the lengthy souls-like experience of the Elden Ring. Lies of P is a traditionally structured game that does not deviate too much from its linear structure.
Half of the thrill of any souls-like game lies within its ability to present you with amazing bosses. The game presents you with cool bosses that not only look good but play well as well. There is a lot of cool stuff in the game. It is well-paced and introduces new mechanics at a steady pace. The Victorian gothic setting is the star of the show which makes it feel like a Bloodborne-inspired game. All this makes you wonder “Is Lies of P worth it?” let’s find out.
Premise (Spoiler Free)
The story is the retelling of the classic fairy tale of Pinocchio hence the name Lies of P. You are a puppet boy who has awakened in the city of Krat. It is a beautiful industrial city that is now crumbling because puppet machines have gone rogue. You will slash your way through as you peel the secrets of the uprising. Along the way, you will find allies that will slow things down and offer a break from intense combat.
Krat Hotel works as bone fires, these are beautiful haunted hotels. There you can cash soul to level up and tweak the build. Lies of P is straightforward but gets complicated as you progress. It will not bombarded with multiple options but rather introduce information periodically.
Combat
Combat is the meat of the game that is satisfying with emphasis on evasion and attacking. You can dodge, strike, and do heavy hits. The responses to your hits are quite decent. Sound effects are good which makes the combat better since hits feel satisfying. It revolves around wearing enemies down and then delivering a fatal blow. You can back step and there is animation for it which can feel good. Switch to a heavy weapon to do massive attacks or a small weapon to deliver quick successive hits.
Lies of P will introduce a lot of weapons as you go on and will constantly tempt you with other builds. Blocking or timing blocks perfectly will let you avoid damage. Timing is hard and reading the enemy attacks can be challenging since the game can get extremely unforgiving at times. You will not always be on the defensive as the game will give you chances to get close. Like Bloodborne, if you block a couple of hits, you can jump in to do damage and gain health. Such a tactic encourages aggression and gives you a chance to come back.
Special Abilities and Customization
Two different meters are used for different abilities depending on the weapon and build you are using. These attacks are called Fable Arts which can be a big magic charge hit, a rapid strike, an overpowered block, or a temporary buff to the weapon. You can fill these meters with attacks or perfect blocks by unlocking them in abilities. As you get weapons you can reassemble them according to your desires specs and abilities.
Every weapon has a top part like a blade and a bottom part which is a hilt. You can mix and match these two parts like putting an on the handle of a dagger and things like that. The weapon works differently depending on your stats so keep that in mind. The combination of the parts of weapons can result in some special attacks. It can be really cool as it is simple but resourceful. There is depth to upgrading the top and handle separately with its own unique sub-upgrading section in Lies of P. Doing this customizing while also dumping souls in health, stamina, and attack among other things is the main part of customization.
More Than A Weapon
Combat of the Lies of P is not just about traditional weapons as there is mechanical stuff involved. You have a mechanical arm called Legion Arm that gives access to more abilities that you can use. The Legion Arm thing is amazing once you unlock it you can craft different arms that have different use cases. Aside from punching arms and grappling in the beginning, you can shoot bombs from arms, stun blast, plant mines in the ground that explode when enemies get close to them, and throw flames among other things.
All of the arms have upgrades that give you access to some big changes to each of the arms you are using. From small things such as a reduction of ability cooldown time to grapple towards the enemy or an increase in the size of the flame attacks and things like that. You will also need to spend items on your character’s mechanical heart which acts like a skill tree. It acts like a traditional skill tree with a little bit of depth. You can dump points in having more health charges, increase a special meter, or have an extra dodge and things like that. Once you dumb a point then you can select bonus attributes as well.
General Gameplay
Lies of P has no RPG-type armor with levels and skills. Armors are just skins and the only thing they affect are your looks. There is more equipable stuff that grants you more protection. The game has a wish stone system that lets you sharpen a throwable blade with elemental buffs. There is a lot of creativity and the way things are organized.
The setting, art design, and level design all of it is good. The surrounding area has various degrees of good stuff. A couple of areas can be boring because they get overshadowed by the big moments in the game. The game is well paced so you will go through these areas at a decent pace. Occasionally, you can face boring enemies but the overall experience overshadows them. Most enemies are amazing and the bosses are really good. You will also see some blank rooms from time to time but overall art design is good. Visually it looks great.
Verdict
Lies of P presents an interesting story with amazing bosses and great chaos. There is some interesting stuff happening in the game but how it lands depends on the person. Some of the voice acting and writing can be weird but they are not that impactful in the grand scheme of things. It is a unique game with its own identity despite being compared with Bloodborne. One can’t help but compare it with Bloodborne as it seems so familiar. The moment I saw the game, my first thought was Bloodborne. I will say that due to the way the game is designed it was bound to happen but it does retain its own unique identity.
The vast amount of customization, Fable Arts, wishes, character buildup, and secrets make it such a good experience. It goes for the souls-like idea but the rest of it is unique. Lies of P is challenging of course but not as hardcore as you can get into it with ease but will hit a wall at some point. It can be hard to get used to this style of play. If you are looking for a game with good art direction and a little forgiving souls-like experience then Lies of P might be it. It’s all about overcoming challenges and playing it with your customizable character the way you want.
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