Lies of P by Neowiz, Round8 Studios, and Rough is a Souls-like game in the vein (no pun intended) of Bloodborne. The premise is an odd one that immediately caught my attention: what if Pinocchio was a steampunk dark fantasy? It’s such an out-there premise that I didn’t initially check the game out, which proved to be a mistake. I was a huge fan of Bloodborne and it was one of my all-time favorite games by the time I finished it.
I ended up choosing to play Lies of P because I’d heard it was the game most like Bloodborne. Is it? I’d argue it’s the only game I’ve played in about five years that can compare. It is dark, well-designed, full of wonderful characters, and possessed of a fascinating story that I became fully engrossed in. The game also has an amazing soundtrack with beautiful orchestra and vocal pieces that I bought the mp3s for. The game designers knew just how awesome the music was since it has the option of playing them in the background of the game’s hub.
The premise is, as stated, a variation on the classic Pinocchio story but with a few million twists. In this version, Pinocchio AKA P is a puppet (steampunk robot) that is brought to life by the blue-haired psychic, Sophia. Sophia reveals that you live in the automated city of Krat that is a little bit of every part of Europe. Until recently, it was a shining utopia of science and alchemy with the populace living privileged lives. Unfortunately, the puppets have all risen up and started massacring the human population. P must rescue his and every other puppet’s creator, Geppetto, and put an end to the crisis. But are renegade robots the only problem in the city? No, no, they are not.
What follows is a story of P gradually uncovering the complicated plots going on behind the scenes before Krat’s downfall. This includes the sinister Alchemists cult, the local religion, the Stalkers sect, and the billionaire industrialist Venigni. The city is a beautiful creation of Old World styles that has fallen into a state of decay but still holds signs of its former beauty. The enemies are incredibly well-designed, and the environments are both fun as well as beautiful to look upon.
Gameplay wise, it’s very similar to other Souls games with Bloodborne the most similar but has a far bigger focus on parrying than dodging. P has a cybernetic arm that can be modified to have special abilities but will be needing to block or parry enemy attacks if he wants to survive against any of the bosses. The dodge rolls in the game are much shorter than most so there’s no point in trying to get out of the way unless you are fighting very specific enemies. Crafting plays a role in the game that is greater than other Souls-likes as you have the option of mixing and matching the various weapons.
Does Lies of P have any flaws? Perhaps a little too much of the challenge is nerfed by the difficulty options but greater accessibility has been something that many gamers consider a feature rather than a bug. The experience for Lies of P is also a lot more linear than Bloodborne or Elden Ring. Still, I think the game is a fantastic experience overall and surprisingly dark. Lies of P has themes of body horror, oppression, and surprising amounts of moral ambiguity as the society of Krat was clearly papering over a large amount of its issues before things went to hell.
Lies of P: Overture is the DLC expansion for the game and I think a fantastic game in its own right. P is transported back into the past by one of the Stargazer devices that can teleport him around and has a chance to save two of the people who might prevent the disaster that befell Krat. The difficulty spike for the game is something that I had to struggle with a bit but eventually managed to overcome. I also came to love the characters of Lea and Arlecchino almost as much as Sophia and Eugenie from the main game.
In short, this is a great game, and fans of dark fantasy will absolutely love it. If you enjoyed Bloodborne or Elden Ring then you’ll almost certainly love Lies of P. It has its very own identity, though, and I feel that is something that needs emphasizing. The fact it does have a “Very Easy” and “Easy” mode means that people who can’t do regular Souls games will also be able to experience this one’s story in its entirety.
Buy Lies of P
