Lies of P

I'm not generally a person who plays games for the difficulty. I like a challenge, but for me, the main draw to any single-player game is the story. If the difficulty prevents me from experiencing the narrative, I'm not going to enjoy it.

I have played through Lies of P probably three or four times now.

There's something about this world the developers created, something that keeps making me want to come back, even though I've experienced nearly everything there is to see in this game.

The gameplay is incredibly fun, the characters are engaging, the music is phenomenal, and the twist on the Pinocchio story is beyond interesting. It's gripping.

I cannot wait for the DLC to release just so I have a chance to experience something new in this world.

This is the first review I've ever written for a game. And there are games out there that I love, games that have literally shaped who I am as a person.

But for some reason, I was compelled to write something about this one.

I wonder if that says something more about the game, or me?

This is the best non From Software souls-like I have played. It really holds up to them very well. If you like the more linear story style like Dark Souls then I can't recommend this enough. If you're coming from only Elden Ring, this game should still be very enjoyable to you, but it's not just open world. The story itself is engaging and the gameplay is fun. If you're a souls fan you should definitely play this one.

I actually tried this game twice before on GamePass but due to a tragic affliction known as a 'skill issue' I really struggled with the perfect guard/block style of combat. However I decided to buy the game and stick at it and I am glad I did.

These devs clearly love FromSoft games as this is a pure souls-like through and through, though based loosely on the fable of Pinocchio which gives it a unique vibe all of its own. The setting of the fictional city of Krat is fantastic, particularly enjoyable (to me) are the early parts of the game where they really give you the sense of a world destroyed by a puppet uprising (robots really) and a deadly disease outbreak that wreaked havoc on the world.

The combat relies more on Sekiro like blocking than souls style rolling and parrying etc and while this can be great, it often is hard to read enemies and get the timing and rolling is not effective until you upgrade it and you won't have enough resources (Quartz) to upgrade rolling until at least a second playthrough. This is where I think Lies of P limits its audience to an extent - the combat is punishingly difficult at times and you pretty much have to master the perfect blocking style of combat or you're going to have a difficult time. Once you do however, you can stagger enemies for critical hits or backstabs and much like the Dark Souls games, satisfying backstabs on unaware enemies are perfectly implemented here and feel very familiar. Stamina management is also essential here and probably the most unforgiving of any souls game I have played so far.

I really enjoyed the early levels of this game but found the last levels starting to get tedious and on my second run through I found myself simply running past a lot of enemies just to get through areas where I didn't need any items to fully complete my run. Getting knocked off of thin platforms and having to fight tough mini boss level enemies while being ranged attack spammed is something I will never enjoy in souls-like games.

I did find some of the voice acting absolutely awful but it is something I notice a lot of these Asian/Korean games do. Like in Final Fantasy games (in my limited experience), where the characters talk in a weird way that is not at all how people actually talk to each other. Though overall it still is passable as it kinda adds to the unique vibe of the game and I don't primarily play souls-likes for the voice acting.

Worth mentioning the game runs incredibly well and (mostly) bug free, while not pushing the limits of graphics tech it still looks really nice for an Unreal 4 game and I had a constant 120 FPS without any stutter and I think this will be pretty unforgiving on even older systems. The sound was nice too and I actually decided to leave the music on (I usually mute music in games) and I liked the dreamy music that plays at the central hub of Hotel Krat - the games version of Firelink Shrine. Oh and thinking of Firelink, the game does some classic FromSoft level design things like linking levels back to the central hotel area, along with the obligatory shortcuts and secrets you expect in a souls game.

Overall I highly rate Lies of P but the big problem it has that will put off a lot of people is the difficulty. For me personally, this game is the hardest souls-like I have tried other than Sekiro, which I just could not get to grips with (though I plan to try that again too). It is a shame too as these souls-likes are also great RPGs and I encourage anyone curious to look at mods to make these games easier if they want to play them, as they are well worth experiencing.

A flawed gem of a souls-like and the best non FromSoft souls game (I have tried) in my opinion.

Sincerely from the bottom of my heart, Thank You for this update.
THE ABILITY TO CHANGE YOUR DIFFICULTY MID GAME & GET ACHIEVEMENTS is game changing.
Im 33. I have a wife and 2 daughters plus a full time job. I wanted to keep playing the game but I wasn't going to spend the next 5 or so hours learning the exact Parry times for the boss I was on. It was too stressful & gaming isn't something I do to stress myself out now. So at boss 6 I said...great game, I'm too high and slow most of the time..guess I'm not good enough to see the end, & I uninstalled it.
I heard about the update and reinstalled tonight.
I put my game on the middle setting instead of default hard and kicked "VI's" ass.
Let me see the world man. Let me see how it this awesome story ends. Let me search for quest stuff without feeling stressed about dying all the time. I know I suck, but I paid money.
The same thing happened with Hollow Knight. I have one dreamer left but I was 50 hours in and had no urge whatsoever to do the Traitor Lord run and get my ass kicked all week or month. It's just not even fun anymore. I'm not running back and forth across the huge ass map to upgrade my nail. So no ending for me...no biggie, it was still fun and I got my money's worth. I had no idea what was happening anyway.
If I'm lucky Team Cherry will take note so I can finish their game. Doubtful.
Like shit guys..you can even get the achievements on VERY EASY mode...my wife can play now.
I will 100% purchase the DLC now. Thank you so much for setting a new standard. I hope you guys make all your money and more!

Steampunk is one of those settings I love, and Lies of P utilizes it brilliantly in both its environments and enemies. I loved exploring all the game's chapters and never felt like ideas were being recycled lazily.
The weakest point of the game for me is the main bosses, although I still enjoyed all of them. Some bosses can make you feel unfairly punished due to weird telegraphing. However, they are all visually cool and provide the rewarding sense of achievement you're accustomed to if you've played a Souls-like before.
The way you build your character allows for a lot of creativity. Non-unique weapons can be separated into two parts: blade and handle. You can mix and match different weapon blades with different handles, enhancing them to better complement the stats you're investing in. Stats function like a traditional Souls-like—you earn points by defeating enemies and allocate them to attributes such as health or stamina.
For a first entry into the genre, the studio has done an incredible job, and I can't wait for either a sequel or the upcoming DLC to refine the formula further. The developers seem receptive to player feedback on social media, which is a strong positive indicator to me that they'll address this game's flaws in future titles.

One of the best Soulslike so far with a good gameplay, mechanics, story, atmosphere and even the steampunk visuals.
A Bloodborne x Sekiro like, amazing combat, brilliant boss designs with super fair patterns and challenging as well. A must play from me!

Fun, cozy and relaxing game. if you enjoy dying repeatedly while questioning every life choice that you've ever made. Every parry and attack feels like you’ll never live up to your parents' expectations.