Lies of P
Lies of P developed by Neowiz Games studio is a souls like RPG that incorporates mechanics from Bloodborne and Sekiro into its gameplay. With souls-like games explosion in popularity in the last ten years we have gotten a lot of games with similar mechanics that try to replicate the Fromsoftware formula. Some games have been successful in that regard, The Surge and Nioh. We have gotten another in the middle of October which is a reboot of Lords of the Fallen. It seems like the Souls genre is here to stay for a couple more years.
Out of all souls like games, Lies of p seems to capture the soul of Fromsoftware’s Seikro and Bloodborne games. It had a good reception from games media and the Souls community. I looked at the Neowiz development history and only found a couple of 2D and double A games. I think Lies of P might be their most successful game yet. From the main menu design to the music, it is a triple A premium package game. And it is a $60.00 priced game in the recent $70.00 priced triple A games market. The gameplay itself matches the quality of the main menus’ design.
I am only a bit over the halfway mark in Lies of P. With over twelve hours in the game. Having experienced what the game offers, with it multiple systems I have a good grasp of it. First and foremost, the visuals of the game are stunning. From the design of the locations to the many different NPCs and enemies. It all contributed to the feeling that you are in a world where something has gone awry. The atmosphere is dripping with the feeling that something has really gone wrong, and it pushes you toward many paths to try and solve the mystery. Oh, and what a cool mystery it is.
Lies of p takes place in a kind of alternate timeline of the popular story Pinocchio. I love the way Neowiz incorporated some elements of the classic story like the lying system in the game. The game captured me from the beginning with its visuals and the story of the game. Of course, this being Souls like a lot of the backstory is being told through item descriptions, letters, and points of interest. Compared to the Souls games though, Lies of P story does have a more straightforward nature and as you go the story is revealed more and more through NPC dialogue. It is much easier to grasp the full story of Lies of P than of Souls games. That’s not to say the story does not measure up, in fact, I have been really anticipating trying to find out what exactly happened with the puppets going crazy and the petrification disease that’s befalling humans.
The story takes place in the city of Krat. For some reason, the puppets have gone mad and started killing all the humans. At the same time, a deadly petrification disease is spreading across Krat city infecting all humans within. Seems like a hopeless situation for the surviving humans in the city. In the middle of this is when our hero, a more advanced and intricate puppet designed by Geppetto himself, hears a voice calling out for help. A blue butterfly lands on him and he activates and gets up to go, this is the start of his journey. You will meet a lot of different NPCs that will help you and maybe lead you astray as well. There are characters from the story Pinocchio like the cricket Jiminy and of course Geppetto himself. It really is a wonderful setup that gets you intrigued right away to find answers.
There are many systems in this world. Ergo is a substance that helps you level up and also acts as a currency to buy items and weapons. It is also a crucial aspect of the main story and acts as the lifeblood of puppets. The weapon system in this game is fascinating. There are two parts to a weapon, the blade and the handle. For every weapon you find, you have the option to switch each part out and experiment with weapon combinations. With the exception of boss weapons. How amazing is that, It really reminds me of Bloodborne’s trick weapons where they have two modes. Weapons also have a durability meter on the bottom right of the screen.
Hang on because this is a really cool implementation. You have what’s called the legion arm which is your left arm. It has a grinder built into it so when your weapon durability falls low you just press the grinder button to sharpen your weapon. Not only that, when you progress you can unlock different types of grinders that add effects to your weapons. There are different types of legion arms as well you can unlock. Early in the game, you will unlock the puppet string which can grab a human sized enemy towards you. And as you go further into the game there are cool legion arms that you can unlock with cool effects. There are also throwable items that are really strong and do big damage to bosses and enemies. I really recommend using these because it helps to dwindle down the enemy’s HP bar.
There is a skill tree that you unlock after a certain point in the game. It’s called the P organ and it represents the heart. This is a cool concept because the heart represents the engine that powers the puppets. There’s also a skill reset that I just unlocked which also neatly ties into the story. As you can see with all these systems in place, Lies of P’s combat is very diverse and deep. The main way you defend is by either parrying or dodging. It seems as though they took inspiration from Sekiro and this is the intended way for you to defend against enemies. For me though I am used to dodging more and there are skills in the skill tree that supplement the playstyle. I am thoroughly enjoying myself and am getting engrossed in the story. I recommend if you are a Souls fan pick this game up and give it a try. It is a great time, there are frustrating moments like in every game but of course, because this game is great fun you move forward with the conviction to finish the game.
