This review contains spoilers
Lies of P is a game about lying.
For a game that copies a lot of the most recognizable characteristics of From Software games, it still feels like a wholly original and unique game despite how many people write this game off as a ‘Bloodborne clone’. What I think Lies manages to do that other souls-likes fail at is advancing the design elements of From rather than simply siphoning their mechanics to influence how the player perceives the game: Pulse Cells are analogous to the Estus Flask, but also let you recharge your final Cell if you perform well enough in combat, opening up build options in whether you want to do more damage in this riskier state or simply want a faster charge rate. Legion Arms reflect a much more limited, less abusable version of Sekiro’s Shinobi Prosthetic, and Guard Regain’s compatibility with blocked damage places this game in an aggression range between DS3 and Bloodborne, with the parry-focused combat of Sekiro.
Because of these various yet closely associated influences, the game is almost like a perfect remix of the Fromsoft formula, allowing you to appreciate where certain ideas are pulled from before the game puts a new spin on them. I’m personally incredibly happy with the level design of this game, which feels like it draws most directly from Dark Souls II of all places, a risky choice considering the general attitude most people have towards that game. One of my biggest complaints with Dark Souls III is how that games’ level design very quickly abandons any aspect of interconnectivity or large-scale exploration that the first two games in the series allowed for in favor of an almost entirely linear experience that put its combat front and center, for better or worse. Lies of P manages to somehow have the best of both worlds, with incredibly engaging bosses that I always look forward to fighting and levels that don’t feel like straight lines with an absurd number of bonfires. Most levels here wrap around themselves in really impressive ways that allow for stargazers to be placed incredibly sparingly, a design choice I will always prefer to DS3’s more ‘theme-park’ approach to level progression.
Beyond the game’s astonishing level of mechanical cohesion (I haven’t even mentioned the Assembly system, which is honestly reason enough to play this game if you’re a fan of games with similar combat systems), the cohesion of this game’s story is criminally undervalued. I can’t really blame most people for not being able to take this game seriously for being a soulslike about… Pinnochio, especially when most of our internal perceptions of the character are either of the Disney version or the character in the Shrek movies. You’re just going to have to trust me when I say that this game is a very thought-out adaptation of the source material and doesn’t simply use the Pinocchio property as a shallow aesthetic stunt. Lies is a game that actually uses the property it’s adapting within the vehicle of it’s story, and I have an endless respect for this game in how much faith it has in its own concept. When asked “What makes someone human?” Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinnochio serials answers that it is our ability to help others and act for their sake that makes us human, as shown in Pinocchio’s transformation at the end of the story after months of studying, working hard and saving money to care for his sick father. Lies of P’s answer, is actually not very different: We’re human because we can choose to act, and by exercising our agency we help each other far more than we help only ourselves. The game’s Real Boy ending sees everyone in the hotel replaced with a puppet copy after being killed by the newly reborn, perfectly obedient Carlo, after. The game’s most ‘Pinocchio’ mechanic, Lying, even shows a refreshing amount of nuance and respect to human morality by never painting the choice to lie or not as a simple choice between ‘doing the right thing’ and ‘doing the wrong thing’. Many of the choices in this game feel like they lack a ‘right’ answer, but often I found that lying to most people was often a mercy that showcased how communication often has to fulfill an emotional need more than a logical one. That’s not to say that lying is always the new ‘right thing’ in this game; Although the best ending in the game requires you to express your humanity a lot (through lying, mostly), the game still has a couple lies that genuinely stumped me on whether I wanted to lie or not; Do you decipher Alidoro’s scroll and tell Eugenie’s brother is dead? Do you tell Venigni that your own father is responsible for the destruction of Krat? Do you admit to Arlecchino that you are, in fact, a murderer? I can’t begin to express how relieving it is that this game isn’t trying to lecture the player about honesty or morality, understanding that lying is both innately amoral and innately part of the human experience. Lying is a choice, and what is more human than the ability to make our own choices?
Lies of P is the most honest game I’ve played.
For a game that copies a lot of the most recognizable characteristics of From Software games, it still feels like a wholly original and unique game despite how many people write this game off as a ‘Bloodborne clone’. What I think Lies manages to do that other souls-likes fail at is advancing the design elements of From rather than simply siphoning their mechanics to influence how the player perceives the game: Pulse Cells are analogous to the Estus Flask, but also let you recharge your final Cell if you perform well enough in combat, opening up build options in whether you want to do more damage in this riskier state or simply want a faster charge rate. Legion Arms reflect a much more limited, less abusable version of Sekiro’s Shinobi Prosthetic, and Guard Regain’s compatibility with blocked damage places this game in an aggression range between DS3 and Bloodborne, with the parry-focused combat of Sekiro.
Because of these various yet closely associated influences, the game is almost like a perfect remix of the Fromsoft formula, allowing you to appreciate where certain ideas are pulled from before the game puts a new spin on them. I’m personally incredibly happy with the level design of this game, which feels like it draws most directly from Dark Souls II of all places, a risky choice considering the general attitude most people have towards that game. One of my biggest complaints with Dark Souls III is how that games’ level design very quickly abandons any aspect of interconnectivity or large-scale exploration that the first two games in the series allowed for in favor of an almost entirely linear experience that put its combat front and center, for better or worse. Lies of P manages to somehow have the best of both worlds, with incredibly engaging bosses that I always look forward to fighting and levels that don’t feel like straight lines with an absurd number of bonfires. Most levels here wrap around themselves in really impressive ways that allow for stargazers to be placed incredibly sparingly, a design choice I will always prefer to DS3’s more ‘theme-park’ approach to level progression.
Beyond the game’s astonishing level of mechanical cohesion (I haven’t even mentioned the Assembly system, which is honestly reason enough to play this game if you’re a fan of games with similar combat systems), the cohesion of this game’s story is criminally undervalued. I can’t really blame most people for not being able to take this game seriously for being a soulslike about… Pinnochio, especially when most of our internal perceptions of the character are either of the Disney version or the character in the Shrek movies. You’re just going to have to trust me when I say that this game is a very thought-out adaptation of the source material and doesn’t simply use the Pinocchio property as a shallow aesthetic stunt. Lies is a game that actually uses the property it’s adapting within the vehicle of it’s story, and I have an endless respect for this game in how much faith it has in its own concept. When asked “What makes someone human?” Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinnochio serials answers that it is our ability to help others and act for their sake that makes us human, as shown in Pinocchio’s transformation at the end of the story after months of studying, working hard and saving money to care for his sick father. Lies of P’s answer, is actually not very different: We’re human because we can choose to act, and by exercising our agency we help each other far more than we help only ourselves. The game’s Real Boy ending sees everyone in the hotel replaced with a puppet copy after being killed by the newly reborn, perfectly obedient Carlo, after. The game’s most ‘Pinocchio’ mechanic, Lying, even shows a refreshing amount of nuance and respect to human morality by never painting the choice to lie or not as a simple choice between ‘doing the right thing’ and ‘doing the wrong thing’. Many of the choices in this game feel like they lack a ‘right’ answer, but often I found that lying to most people was often a mercy that showcased how communication often has to fulfill an emotional need more than a logical one. That’s not to say that lying is always the new ‘right thing’ in this game; Although the best ending in the game requires you to express your humanity a lot (through lying, mostly), the game still has a couple lies that genuinely stumped me on whether I wanted to lie or not; Do you decipher Alidoro’s scroll and tell Eugenie’s brother is dead? Do you tell Venigni that your own father is responsible for the destruction of Krat? Do you admit to Arlecchino that you are, in fact, a murderer? I can’t begin to express how relieving it is that this game isn’t trying to lecture the player about honesty or morality, understanding that lying is both innately amoral and innately part of the human experience. Lying is a choice, and what is more human than the ability to make our own choices?
Lies of P is the most honest game I’ve played.
This review contains spoilers
All that there was to say about Lies of P has been said already, and I concur with all you praisers - this is one of the best soulslikes to date, up there with the best of FromSoft's.
It’s ironic how my opinion on LiP is almost inverted from Dark Souls. The first DS is, honestly, not that good of a game; the pacing is whack, enemy movesets straddle the line between boring and annoying, level design is often tedious, and bosses are the definition of "hit-or-miss". At the same time, Dark Souls was a groundbreaking game with a world and ambiance so captivating that it's safe to call it one of, if not the most important and beloved games of the 2010s. These elements would only get refined and expanded upon in future Souls games, to the point where Dark Souls III is kinda one of my favourite games based on writing and atmosphere alone (in addition to being a fun game anyway). All of the Dark Souls games are good as games, but, in spite of their reputation, I believe their success lies more in the exploratory, audio-visual and narrative aspects, not really mechanics or buildcrafting options.
Lies of P is almost the opposite for me. Gameplay here is fantastic, taking all the most enjoyable and dynamic parts of combat and enemy design from the soulsborne "series", mixing them together and creating something that feels similar, yet exhilaratingly unique. I particularly liked how accessible and open Lies of P can be: sure, you don't have the ranged options you had with FromSoft, but every avenue for melee combat is equally viable and fun, in addition to (mostly) great balancing on items and summons. To this day I regret summoning for my first Ornstein and Smough fight, but I never once felt like I was cheating here if I just chose to summon a spectre and pellet the boss with grenades until the spectre dies. Unless you're a die-hard strength-buildoid, you're gonna have the time of your life playing Lies of P if you at all enjoyed Dark Souls or Bloodborne.
But what differentiates great games from good ones, in my opinion, is that great games achieve balance between all their aspects. Combat, narrative, visuals, audio, level design, boss design, balancing, pacing, even UI have to all work in service of each other to make a truly outstanding action-game. And while Lies of P does exceedingly well in the technical and gameplay departments, it doesn't really have…the sauce. You know?
Those "woah" moments, like finding your way back to Firelink Shrine, or first arriving in Anor Londo, or touching the egg, or first laying eyes on the horizon in Majula, or fighting Sister Friede, or making your way down to Ash Lake - there isn't really an equivalent in this game. The realms in which Lies of P struggles the most is definitely the story and themes.
There are certainly a lot of attempts to establish themes, but most fall flat in the fleshing out stage. The game asks “What makes a human?” or “What is freedom?”, but doesn’t provide many interesting takes, or even asks the questions in any sort of intriguing way. I suppose it’s quite lovely to imply that what makes one truly human, is genuine expression of your true feelings and a willingness to make your own choices, but characters rarely go beyond “I’m a puppet and can feel love”, or “I’m a human who’s kind of anti-social”. Like a lot of videogames, Lies of P is more interested in plot rather than story, with plenty going on (and at a great pace, too!), but not too much happening to key players or even episodic characters.
And it’s not like From Software games are big on character arcs either, but, simply put, Solaire alone is more interesting and note-worthy than almost every guy, gal and robot pal in Lies of P, because his conflict is a lot more emotional, and his writing is a lot more memorable. Implied depth of some characters is hidden in item descriptions, and you sometimes get really well defined cast members, especially if they’re a vendor in the Hotel, but aside from Polendina and the weird shit that happens to Sophia, there isn’t much to hold on to. Antonia is one-note, as is Eugenie, Veghini shows little outside of his “I’m a genius wealthy socialite but publicly-minded and a bit cowardly too” routine, and Gepetto is SUPER boring. I wouldn’t say that Lies of P’s narrative quality is poor because it’s not as good as Dark Souls, but it is, purely in isolation, just not too exciting or stimulating.
The vibes are off the chart here, though, and the first time you get to a new location always feels pretty magical and engrossing, in large part because of just how excellent Lies of P is in its general construction. This game never felt too hard, too dark, too reliant on one motif or level gimmick; like an automaton, it moves tirelessly forward. New weapons, new enemy types, new locations, new cool shit is waiting around every new corner. Nothing really overstays its welcome, and every experience is a fleeting moment you want to have once more. If nothing else, where Lies of P doesn’t fully deliver, it still leaves you hungry for more. Which kinda reminds me of RE4?
Speaking of which, let’s talk about ripoffs. Much digital ink has been spilled on the subject of “ripoffs”, a lot of deliberation on what is or is not a “good ripoff”, and endless discussions about where does a line between a ripoff and an homage lie. In the last 10-ish years, the most interesting subject of this particular discourse has definitely been the Star Wars sequel trilogy, with The Force Awakens being an especially interesting case-study. It takes a lot of clear inspiration from A New Hope, with major plot points, on paper, being almost identical to the original film. Any sequel trilogy defender will tell you that, yes, a lot of general story beats and character archetypes are similar, but the new characters, distinct from the old, specifically Finn and Kylo Ren, provide a new emotional context to the proceedings, elevating The Force Awakens from a simple ripoff to something new, while still being familiar.
And I tend to agree with this. I’ve always thought it disingenuous to lay out two very different pieces of art on a table, dissect them with utmost technical certainty, and claim that because “A mentor dies in both” or “Both have a second act oopsy-fucksy that sets our heroes back before they prevail in the finale”, that these two things are fundamentally the same. It’s fine to feel like a similar structure reminds you too much of a thing you’ve already experienced, but so often those kinds of comparisons are made to shove a thing into a plastic tube, where you can freely point out all the flaws and supposed lack of originality, disregarding context and all the little and small stuffs that make this thing unique.
Lies of P, even more so than The Force Awakens, handles its myriad inspirations in a very sophisticated way. Obviously, a huge point of comparison here is Bloodborne, but even calling Lies of P a “Bloodborne-inspired game” feels wrong to me. Truly, what is Bloodborne here? A 19th century European urban setting? A nimble character? The rally system? Like, two weapons? Sure, but if you play each game, those things are handled differently, feel different, look very different, exist in a completely different context, and, as a result, the games don’t resemble each other at all.
Is there some Sekiro here? Sure; you have different prosthetics, one of which is basically a grappling hook, you have a focus on staggering your opponent by blocking their attacks with precise timing, but those things, again, are very differently done. The Legion Arms that P is rocking aren’t prosthetics, but feel like an integral part of your character, thanks in large part to how effectively the whole “playing an automaton” gimmick has been executed. There’re also incentives to switch your Legions every other location and boss, because each one is more effective against certain enemies, in certain levels, or against a certain boss. Depending on your strategy and how much of your Elden Ring playthrough is dominated by the Greatsword, you may roll through the entire game with just the String, or the Shield, or even the starter arm, since it takes up the least weight and is very straightforward, but a lot of players will keep on switching and finding new approaches with each Arm. The Perfect Guard mechanic doesn’t resemble the Sekiro parries, or, for that matter, the normal block of any of the Souls games: you are encouraged to study enemy and boss movesets, but there isn’t one most optimal strategy for avoiding damage. Depending on your skill, playstyle or how fucked up the boss is, you can dodge, block + rally, perfect guard, or parry an attack at your leisure. There’s a lot more space to run around, stay perfectly still, use items, summons, unique weapon skills, etc. than in most other soulslikes.
Of course, like with any soulslike, there are balancing issues here. The perfect guard system especially is a bit at odds with enemy design: most enemies you encounter, especially in the first several levels, are really squishy, and your best bet to deal with them is stunlocking them with a flurry of light attacks. That doesn’t leave much room to get acquainted with how perfect guards work, and when bosses start ramping up, you might find yourself experiencing a bit of a difficulty spike; you didn’t need to know how to parry, and now you do. This is why the Scrapped Watchman was the second-hardest boss in the game for me, even though it’s the second one you meet. Until I met him, I basically tried playing Lies of P like a traditional soulslike, with the pattern of “dodge, two-three hits to punish, rinse and repeat until the bitch is dead”. But after I figured out how to effectively use all the tools P has at his disposal, this game really transformed into something entirely new from what I’ve seen before.
Of course, towards the last quarter of the game, Lies of P starts giving you all kinds of ridiculously strong trinkets to mess around with, which can significantly mess with the challenge. Your mileage may vary, but a fully upgraded Aegis, the Perfection Grindstone and a spectre buffed with a Flame Wishstone is all you need to bully all but a couple of the end-game bosses without many issues. I generally felt that items and summons didn’t hamper the challenge and fun of the game for most of it, but some of those items, combined with some others, can be a real overkill. The Two Dragon Sword especially can be a complete menace.
Despite the big and the small issues I had with this game, it’s undeniably an impressive achievement. Judging from the absolutely wild post-credits scene, I wouldn’t be expecting a watershed soulslike moment from Round 8 anytime soon, but with Lies of P I am now confident that we’re nearing a dawn of a new era of soulslikes. With From Software seemingly moving away from the genre, and how Lies of P is (probably?) the most critically and commercially successful soulslike since Miyazaki started stirring shit up, after Shadow of the Erdtree drops, Round 8 might just be the stewards of this new age. Cheers to it being a good one, may Dorothy do Yoda flips on fools in her game, may Pinocchio’s nose staff pierce the heavens in the DLC.
P.S.
Actually a lot of this reminded me of Resident Evil 4, the whole village section coupled with a cable car ride was very RE4. And then the dogs did the thing from the first game? But then the big petrification bosses were very Bloodborne, so I dunno. Great homages all around honestly
It’s ironic how my opinion on LiP is almost inverted from Dark Souls. The first DS is, honestly, not that good of a game; the pacing is whack, enemy movesets straddle the line between boring and annoying, level design is often tedious, and bosses are the definition of "hit-or-miss". At the same time, Dark Souls was a groundbreaking game with a world and ambiance so captivating that it's safe to call it one of, if not the most important and beloved games of the 2010s. These elements would only get refined and expanded upon in future Souls games, to the point where Dark Souls III is kinda one of my favourite games based on writing and atmosphere alone (in addition to being a fun game anyway). All of the Dark Souls games are good as games, but, in spite of their reputation, I believe their success lies more in the exploratory, audio-visual and narrative aspects, not really mechanics or buildcrafting options.
Lies of P is almost the opposite for me. Gameplay here is fantastic, taking all the most enjoyable and dynamic parts of combat and enemy design from the soulsborne "series", mixing them together and creating something that feels similar, yet exhilaratingly unique. I particularly liked how accessible and open Lies of P can be: sure, you don't have the ranged options you had with FromSoft, but every avenue for melee combat is equally viable and fun, in addition to (mostly) great balancing on items and summons. To this day I regret summoning for my first Ornstein and Smough fight, but I never once felt like I was cheating here if I just chose to summon a spectre and pellet the boss with grenades until the spectre dies. Unless you're a die-hard strength-buildoid, you're gonna have the time of your life playing Lies of P if you at all enjoyed Dark Souls or Bloodborne.
But what differentiates great games from good ones, in my opinion, is that great games achieve balance between all their aspects. Combat, narrative, visuals, audio, level design, boss design, balancing, pacing, even UI have to all work in service of each other to make a truly outstanding action-game. And while Lies of P does exceedingly well in the technical and gameplay departments, it doesn't really have…the sauce. You know?
Those "woah" moments, like finding your way back to Firelink Shrine, or first arriving in Anor Londo, or touching the egg, or first laying eyes on the horizon in Majula, or fighting Sister Friede, or making your way down to Ash Lake - there isn't really an equivalent in this game. The realms in which Lies of P struggles the most is definitely the story and themes.
There are certainly a lot of attempts to establish themes, but most fall flat in the fleshing out stage. The game asks “What makes a human?” or “What is freedom?”, but doesn’t provide many interesting takes, or even asks the questions in any sort of intriguing way. I suppose it’s quite lovely to imply that what makes one truly human, is genuine expression of your true feelings and a willingness to make your own choices, but characters rarely go beyond “I’m a puppet and can feel love”, or “I’m a human who’s kind of anti-social”. Like a lot of videogames, Lies of P is more interested in plot rather than story, with plenty going on (and at a great pace, too!), but not too much happening to key players or even episodic characters.
And it’s not like From Software games are big on character arcs either, but, simply put, Solaire alone is more interesting and note-worthy than almost every guy, gal and robot pal in Lies of P, because his conflict is a lot more emotional, and his writing is a lot more memorable. Implied depth of some characters is hidden in item descriptions, and you sometimes get really well defined cast members, especially if they’re a vendor in the Hotel, but aside from Polendina and the weird shit that happens to Sophia, there isn’t much to hold on to. Antonia is one-note, as is Eugenie, Veghini shows little outside of his “I’m a genius wealthy socialite but publicly-minded and a bit cowardly too” routine, and Gepetto is SUPER boring. I wouldn’t say that Lies of P’s narrative quality is poor because it’s not as good as Dark Souls, but it is, purely in isolation, just not too exciting or stimulating.
The vibes are off the chart here, though, and the first time you get to a new location always feels pretty magical and engrossing, in large part because of just how excellent Lies of P is in its general construction. This game never felt too hard, too dark, too reliant on one motif or level gimmick; like an automaton, it moves tirelessly forward. New weapons, new enemy types, new locations, new cool shit is waiting around every new corner. Nothing really overstays its welcome, and every experience is a fleeting moment you want to have once more. If nothing else, where Lies of P doesn’t fully deliver, it still leaves you hungry for more. Which kinda reminds me of RE4?
Speaking of which, let’s talk about ripoffs. Much digital ink has been spilled on the subject of “ripoffs”, a lot of deliberation on what is or is not a “good ripoff”, and endless discussions about where does a line between a ripoff and an homage lie. In the last 10-ish years, the most interesting subject of this particular discourse has definitely been the Star Wars sequel trilogy, with The Force Awakens being an especially interesting case-study. It takes a lot of clear inspiration from A New Hope, with major plot points, on paper, being almost identical to the original film. Any sequel trilogy defender will tell you that, yes, a lot of general story beats and character archetypes are similar, but the new characters, distinct from the old, specifically Finn and Kylo Ren, provide a new emotional context to the proceedings, elevating The Force Awakens from a simple ripoff to something new, while still being familiar.
And I tend to agree with this. I’ve always thought it disingenuous to lay out two very different pieces of art on a table, dissect them with utmost technical certainty, and claim that because “A mentor dies in both” or “Both have a second act oopsy-fucksy that sets our heroes back before they prevail in the finale”, that these two things are fundamentally the same. It’s fine to feel like a similar structure reminds you too much of a thing you’ve already experienced, but so often those kinds of comparisons are made to shove a thing into a plastic tube, where you can freely point out all the flaws and supposed lack of originality, disregarding context and all the little and small stuffs that make this thing unique.
Lies of P, even more so than The Force Awakens, handles its myriad inspirations in a very sophisticated way. Obviously, a huge point of comparison here is Bloodborne, but even calling Lies of P a “Bloodborne-inspired game” feels wrong to me. Truly, what is Bloodborne here? A 19th century European urban setting? A nimble character? The rally system? Like, two weapons? Sure, but if you play each game, those things are handled differently, feel different, look very different, exist in a completely different context, and, as a result, the games don’t resemble each other at all.
Is there some Sekiro here? Sure; you have different prosthetics, one of which is basically a grappling hook, you have a focus on staggering your opponent by blocking their attacks with precise timing, but those things, again, are very differently done. The Legion Arms that P is rocking aren’t prosthetics, but feel like an integral part of your character, thanks in large part to how effectively the whole “playing an automaton” gimmick has been executed. There’re also incentives to switch your Legions every other location and boss, because each one is more effective against certain enemies, in certain levels, or against a certain boss. Depending on your strategy and how much of your Elden Ring playthrough is dominated by the Greatsword, you may roll through the entire game with just the String, or the Shield, or even the starter arm, since it takes up the least weight and is very straightforward, but a lot of players will keep on switching and finding new approaches with each Arm. The Perfect Guard mechanic doesn’t resemble the Sekiro parries, or, for that matter, the normal block of any of the Souls games: you are encouraged to study enemy and boss movesets, but there isn’t one most optimal strategy for avoiding damage. Depending on your skill, playstyle or how fucked up the boss is, you can dodge, block + rally, perfect guard, or parry an attack at your leisure. There’s a lot more space to run around, stay perfectly still, use items, summons, unique weapon skills, etc. than in most other soulslikes.
Of course, like with any soulslike, there are balancing issues here. The perfect guard system especially is a bit at odds with enemy design: most enemies you encounter, especially in the first several levels, are really squishy, and your best bet to deal with them is stunlocking them with a flurry of light attacks. That doesn’t leave much room to get acquainted with how perfect guards work, and when bosses start ramping up, you might find yourself experiencing a bit of a difficulty spike; you didn’t need to know how to parry, and now you do. This is why the Scrapped Watchman was the second-hardest boss in the game for me, even though it’s the second one you meet. Until I met him, I basically tried playing Lies of P like a traditional soulslike, with the pattern of “dodge, two-three hits to punish, rinse and repeat until the bitch is dead”. But after I figured out how to effectively use all the tools P has at his disposal, this game really transformed into something entirely new from what I’ve seen before.
Of course, towards the last quarter of the game, Lies of P starts giving you all kinds of ridiculously strong trinkets to mess around with, which can significantly mess with the challenge. Your mileage may vary, but a fully upgraded Aegis, the Perfection Grindstone and a spectre buffed with a Flame Wishstone is all you need to bully all but a couple of the end-game bosses without many issues. I generally felt that items and summons didn’t hamper the challenge and fun of the game for most of it, but some of those items, combined with some others, can be a real overkill. The Two Dragon Sword especially can be a complete menace.
Despite the big and the small issues I had with this game, it’s undeniably an impressive achievement. Judging from the absolutely wild post-credits scene, I wouldn’t be expecting a watershed soulslike moment from Round 8 anytime soon, but with Lies of P I am now confident that we’re nearing a dawn of a new era of soulslikes. With From Software seemingly moving away from the genre, and how Lies of P is (probably?) the most critically and commercially successful soulslike since Miyazaki started stirring shit up, after Shadow of the Erdtree drops, Round 8 might just be the stewards of this new age. Cheers to it being a good one, may Dorothy do Yoda flips on fools in her game, may Pinocchio’s nose staff pierce the heavens in the DLC.
P.S.
Actually a lot of this reminded me of Resident Evil 4, the whole village section coupled with a cable car ride was very RE4. And then the dogs did the thing from the first game? But then the big petrification bosses were very Bloodborne, so I dunno. Great homages all around honestly
Gráficos
( ) Horrível
( ) Ruim
( ) Pixel Art/Retro
( ) Aceitável
( ) Bom
(X) Ótimo
( ) Cada quadro foi pintado por Da Vinci
História
( ) Que história??
( ) Até tem história, mas não entendi nada
( ) Tem história só pra não dizer que não tem
(X) Uma história digna de prestar atenção
( ) Uma história bem elaborada
( ) Mais complexa que Machado de Assis
Jogabilidade
( ) Tudo trabalhado igual a coluna de uma senhora de 90 anos
( ) Horrível
( ) Ruim, mas com muita determinação até que vai
( ) Esquisito no começo, mas você acostuma
( ) Boa
( ) Gostoso de jogar
(X) Orgasmo para os dedos/mãos
Trilha sonora
( ) Preferia ser surdo
( ) Deixa mutado
( ) Nada de especial
( ) Boa
(X) Memorável
( ) Toque isso no meu funeral
Sons
( ) Horrível
( ) Ruim
( ) Ok
( ) Bom
(X) Absurdamente gostoso de ouvir
Nível de diversão
( ) Tão legal quanto assistir uma poça d'água evaporar
( ) Da pra passar um tempo
( ) Vai te prender por horas!
(X) Meu mundo melhorou depois de jogar isso aqui
( ) Já amanheceu ???
Bugs
( ) BUGOU
( ) Dá pra jogar
( ) Os bugs deixam o jogo mais divertido
( ) Alguns bugs
(X) A palavra bug é desconhecida
( ) Esse jogo saiu perfeito do forno
Tempo de jogo
( ) 1-5 horas
( ) 8-15 horas
( ) 15-35 horas
(X) 35-50 horas
( ) 50-100 horas
( ) +100 horas
Para melhor experiência
( ) Desinstalar
(X) O jogo é Offline
( ) SinglePlayer
( ) Todas formas são boas
( ) Multiplayer - SinglePlayer gosta muito rápido
Vale a pena ?
( ) Arrependimento
( ) Reembolsa isso ai
( ) É bom, mas pra zerar uma vez só
( ) Recomendo!
( ) Muito bom de jogar
( ) Bom pra caralho, JOGUEM!
(X) Queria apagar a memória só pra me encantar de novo
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Considerações finais
(Pontos Positivos)
-> Bem ambientado
-> Boa variedade de trajes
-> Poder de combinar partes de armas
-> As escolhas serem relacionadas a falar a verdade ou mentir é uma sacada boa
-> Movimentação do personagem muito fluída
-> Mentir ser humano no jogo é muito foda essa sacada
(Pontos Negativos)
-> O jogo poderia ensinar melhor algumas coisas
-> O personagem poderia ser mais parecido com o pinóquio que estamos acostumados
( ) Horrível
( ) Ruim
( ) Pixel Art/Retro
( ) Aceitável
( ) Bom
(X) Ótimo
( ) Cada quadro foi pintado por Da Vinci
História
( ) Que história??
( ) Até tem história, mas não entendi nada
( ) Tem história só pra não dizer que não tem
(X) Uma história digna de prestar atenção
( ) Uma história bem elaborada
( ) Mais complexa que Machado de Assis
Jogabilidade
( ) Tudo trabalhado igual a coluna de uma senhora de 90 anos
( ) Horrível
( ) Ruim, mas com muita determinação até que vai
( ) Esquisito no começo, mas você acostuma
( ) Boa
( ) Gostoso de jogar
(X) Orgasmo para os dedos/mãos
Trilha sonora
( ) Preferia ser surdo
( ) Deixa mutado
( ) Nada de especial
( ) Boa
(X) Memorável
( ) Toque isso no meu funeral
Sons
( ) Horrível
( ) Ruim
( ) Ok
( ) Bom
(X) Absurdamente gostoso de ouvir
Nível de diversão
( ) Tão legal quanto assistir uma poça d'água evaporar
( ) Da pra passar um tempo
( ) Vai te prender por horas!
(X) Meu mundo melhorou depois de jogar isso aqui
( ) Já amanheceu ???
Bugs
( ) BUGOU
( ) Dá pra jogar
( ) Os bugs deixam o jogo mais divertido
( ) Alguns bugs
(X) A palavra bug é desconhecida
( ) Esse jogo saiu perfeito do forno
Tempo de jogo
( ) 1-5 horas
( ) 8-15 horas
( ) 15-35 horas
(X) 35-50 horas
( ) 50-100 horas
( ) +100 horas
Para melhor experiência
( ) Desinstalar
(X) O jogo é Offline
( ) SinglePlayer
( ) Todas formas são boas
( ) Multiplayer - SinglePlayer gosta muito rápido
Vale a pena ?
( ) Arrependimento
( ) Reembolsa isso ai
( ) É bom, mas pra zerar uma vez só
( ) Recomendo!
( ) Muito bom de jogar
( ) Bom pra caralho, JOGUEM!
(X) Queria apagar a memória só pra me encantar de novo
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Considerações finais
(Pontos Positivos)
-> Bem ambientado
-> Boa variedade de trajes
-> Poder de combinar partes de armas
-> As escolhas serem relacionadas a falar a verdade ou mentir é uma sacada boa
-> Movimentação do personagem muito fluída
-> Mentir ser humano no jogo é muito foda essa sacada
(Pontos Negativos)
-> O jogo poderia ensinar melhor algumas coisas
-> O personagem poderia ser mais parecido com o pinóquio que estamos acostumados
LIES OF P : THIS IS WHAT P LIED FOR
Lies of P did not take the world by storm in 2023. Lies of P does border on plagiarism with the games it plunders (Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice). Lies of P also has dog enemies.
But it's still a hell of a game.
Honestly, it took me by complete surprise. I remember playing the demo and thinking, "Wow they literally just copy/pasted 90% of Bloodborne and Sekiro gameplay even down to the UI and the "Pretty Lady That Levels You Up". Except this time she's blue! Y'know...like the blue fairy! Except wait. Hold on. Why is she absolutely the best of these "level-up ladies" from any of the "Soulsborne" games (minus Emerald Herald)?
Look, I understand there are a lot of folks who think it's in poor taste to overly compare Lies of P with the "Soulsborne" games. And trust me, Lies of P certainly has its own identity in many ways. But the developers did this to themselves. It's not my fault I'm about to literally just compare them when they literally made a 90% FromSoftware game. So let's just get this out of the way.
THE TRUTHS
-Lies of P is a different style of storytelling. It's more direct, with more cutscenes and much more NPC interaction. But it still asks you to kindly consider its item descriptions and collectible journal-type things. And I've got to say...the NPCs are comparable...or honestly maybe even more engaging than in FromSoftware games. Again, it's totally different, but I grew much more attached to and was more compelled by characters like Red Fox/Black Cat, Sophia, and Alidoro (to name a few). Yes, the FromSoftware games have their heavy hitters...but there was something really nice about really being able to communicate with these NPCs. It felt more HUMAN (more on that in a bit). And it was genuinely pretty refreshing for most of them to not have overly-anime backgrounds and arcs. They feel like real people.
-Lies of P cannot transcend the Trick Weapons of Bloodborne. But the ability to deconstruct your weapons and put handles on different blades is novel and a joy to play around with. They also give you a...mechanical arm (Sekiro Prosthetic Arm) that has unique abilities which also encourages experimenting with your style of combat. Overall, you can make a lot of fun builds in this game. Lies of P is a very, very naughty boy though in how it directly steals BOTH the rally and stance systems from Bloodborne and Sekiro, respectively. That being said...it's actually executed pretty damn well. It demands you at least be competent with both mechanics enough to know when one style might be a better option for certain enemies and bosses. In fact, I would go as far to say it absolutely clears Elden Ring in this regard (having multiple viable styles of mechanical gameplay).
-The boss DESIGNS are incredible. They certainly have that Berserk/Dark Souls maximalist philosophy (no "just a big red salamander" here), and this includes the various humanoid furries (Stalkers) you fight along the way. But how are they? Well, mostly pretty fun. I would say it comes close to rivaling Bloodborne at times. But other times it takes bad inspiration from Elden Ring with relentless enemies that have unlimited stamina and unjustifiably hit like a freight train. But the real issue is that WAY TOO MANY of them have second phases with a new, full health bar. And that's annoying. I have never "loved" this approach to bosses, but it can work out incredibly well when used sparingly for the best designed fights. Think Sword Saint Isshin and Sister Friede. But despite there being too many multiphase fights, I overall found the bosses to be pretty thrilling and fun. As a little final note...the Black Rabbit Brotherhood is a top 3 gank fight for sure. Excellently designed!
-Krat is no Yharnam. But it's definitely better than Lothric (minus Irithyll). The level designs are pretty wonderful visually and offer a pretty good amount of variety that kept me interested in what the next level would treat me to. An opera house, the seedy slums, a puppet factory, a literal landfill...none of the levels dropped below average which is pretty amazing. That being said, they lack the intricate geometry, enemy placement, and hazards of FromSoftware titles. But dear reader...I think that Krat Hotel may be my favorite hub, only rivaled by Majula. Seriously, the ambiance, the look, the NPCs, THE FUCKING MUSIC. Oh my god, the records you collect for the player at your base are unbelievably good. "Quixotic" and "Feel" are officially on my Spotify rotation. Absolutely gorgeous pieces of music.
-Rapid fire truths: the music in general slaps so hard. P as a protagonist is pretty compelling and I even dare say, more engaging on an emotional level than Wolf from Sekiro. There are a healthy amount of fun puzzles along the way (think treasure maps and riddles). I love Gemini--it's really nice to have a lil buddy to keep you company is this dreary, lonesome world. And the drip game is solid.
THE LIES
-Lies of P has "okay" enemy variety. There's definitely more on the puppet side of things. But the cadavers really blend in together, especially the big brutes. There's more to be desired here.
-The "Lie" mechanic is an interesting concept that isn't fully realized. Throughout the game you are given dialogue choices essentially to either lie or tell the truth. From(soft) what I've seen, there don't seem to be many varying outcomes depending on which you pick, with a few exceptions. In fact, in many instances the rewards are even the same.
-While it isn't that far off...Lies of P really just doesn't have the same gamefeel of "Soulsborne" games. Particularly the two it's taking so much from. There's a noticeable lack of tactile motion--P skates along the ground a bit, his feet not quite connecting with the ground as his animations are faster than the amount of ground he's covering. And man there's a big lack of physics in clothing and fabric. Bloodborne really spoiled us in that regard and Lies of P's various wardrobe options seem to stiffly fall behind P like he just got done drying them in the freezer.
-Oh boy. And here it is: the last level is a fucking SLOG. It's far too long, especially because the visual elements are perhaps the most generic and underwhelming when compared to literally every other level. I grew so tired of the same enemies being shoved at me over and over again that I ended up just running past them and skipping an entire section. Every time I got to a new Stargazer (bonfire), I thought "Surely that was it, right?" Meanwhile little did naive me know that I was only halfway through.
Not only this, but a VERY sour taste was poured down my throat when I reached the end of one of my favorite NPC's arcs. But the final outcome-determining factor that would either lead to me murdering them or them getting to leave and try to have a better life came down to this: a currency I very rarely collected because I had little use for it. When I spoke to this NPC...I had zero in my pockets. I ended up having to kill two of my favorite NPCs, thus getting their VERY BAD ending because I didn't happen to have a specific currency item with me right there on the spot. This put me in an even more bad mood than I already was.
Etcetera, etcetera...and then the end finally came. And by golly...I had a reverse Elden Ring experience. Despite absolutely loathing this final mission, I finished the game really happy. The final boss even kind of sucked! How can this be? Well, allow me to explain. The thing that gives Lies of P its own identity was something I alluded to earlier. Its story.
Upon watching the reveal trailer for this game, I mocked it. "A Pinocchio inspired Bloodborne? What the absolute fuck were these freaks thinking?" Well I'm happy to say they really nailed it. There may be some silly plot points, a not-so-great big bad, and unnecessary loose ends. But holy shit this is absolutely a gold standard example of taking a previously existing thing and adapting it into something wholly unique that simultaneously sticks to the source material. I won't go into spoilers but the side stories of the Blue Fairy, the Fox and the Black Cat, and Geppetto himself are not only captivating, emotional, and fit perfectly into this little world of Krat..but they also fulfill the identical plots of these characters from the original story in very creative and novel ways. It also sticks the themes very well in regard to humanity and lies. I know that the lying system wasn't perfectly executed, but it was really interesting how the lies you tell to become more human were multi-faceted. Lying is not always the "bad option". Sometimes the lie is for self-preservation. Sometimes the lie is to help someone you care about realize something about themselves. Sometimes the lie is to protect that someone from a truth that would only serve to bring them pain.
Lies of P is a human story. The people feel grounded in this reality, and I genuinely cared about them and how their stories were going to unravel. The message is not exactly revolutionary and sometimes used less than elegant visual metaphor. But it's really cool to see the narrative designers really dedicate themselves to a theme and really explore it in a way that aligns with the gameplay.
So yeah, while the last level is total of BS aside from a couple cool bosses and storylines, I ended feeling really satisfied and even emotional. And that, to me, makes Lies of P one of those games that provides an experience you can only have in a video game
Lies of P did not take the world by storm in 2023. Lies of P does border on plagiarism with the games it plunders (Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice). Lies of P also has dog enemies.
But it's still a hell of a game.
Honestly, it took me by complete surprise. I remember playing the demo and thinking, "Wow they literally just copy/pasted 90% of Bloodborne and Sekiro gameplay even down to the UI and the "Pretty Lady That Levels You Up". Except this time she's blue! Y'know...like the blue fairy! Except wait. Hold on. Why is she absolutely the best of these "level-up ladies" from any of the "Soulsborne" games (minus Emerald Herald)?
Look, I understand there are a lot of folks who think it's in poor taste to overly compare Lies of P with the "Soulsborne" games. And trust me, Lies of P certainly has its own identity in many ways. But the developers did this to themselves. It's not my fault I'm about to literally just compare them when they literally made a 90% FromSoftware game. So let's just get this out of the way.
THE TRUTHS
-Lies of P is a different style of storytelling. It's more direct, with more cutscenes and much more NPC interaction. But it still asks you to kindly consider its item descriptions and collectible journal-type things. And I've got to say...the NPCs are comparable...or honestly maybe even more engaging than in FromSoftware games. Again, it's totally different, but I grew much more attached to and was more compelled by characters like Red Fox/Black Cat, Sophia, and Alidoro (to name a few). Yes, the FromSoftware games have their heavy hitters...but there was something really nice about really being able to communicate with these NPCs. It felt more HUMAN (more on that in a bit). And it was genuinely pretty refreshing for most of them to not have overly-anime backgrounds and arcs. They feel like real people.
-Lies of P cannot transcend the Trick Weapons of Bloodborne. But the ability to deconstruct your weapons and put handles on different blades is novel and a joy to play around with. They also give you a...mechanical arm (Sekiro Prosthetic Arm) that has unique abilities which also encourages experimenting with your style of combat. Overall, you can make a lot of fun builds in this game. Lies of P is a very, very naughty boy though in how it directly steals BOTH the rally and stance systems from Bloodborne and Sekiro, respectively. That being said...it's actually executed pretty damn well. It demands you at least be competent with both mechanics enough to know when one style might be a better option for certain enemies and bosses. In fact, I would go as far to say it absolutely clears Elden Ring in this regard (having multiple viable styles of mechanical gameplay).
-The boss DESIGNS are incredible. They certainly have that Berserk/Dark Souls maximalist philosophy (no "just a big red salamander" here), and this includes the various humanoid furries (Stalkers) you fight along the way. But how are they? Well, mostly pretty fun. I would say it comes close to rivaling Bloodborne at times. But other times it takes bad inspiration from Elden Ring with relentless enemies that have unlimited stamina and unjustifiably hit like a freight train. But the real issue is that WAY TOO MANY of them have second phases with a new, full health bar. And that's annoying. I have never "loved" this approach to bosses, but it can work out incredibly well when used sparingly for the best designed fights. Think Sword Saint Isshin and Sister Friede. But despite there being too many multiphase fights, I overall found the bosses to be pretty thrilling and fun. As a little final note...the Black Rabbit Brotherhood is a top 3 gank fight for sure. Excellently designed!
-Krat is no Yharnam. But it's definitely better than Lothric (minus Irithyll). The level designs are pretty wonderful visually and offer a pretty good amount of variety that kept me interested in what the next level would treat me to. An opera house, the seedy slums, a puppet factory, a literal landfill...none of the levels dropped below average which is pretty amazing. That being said, they lack the intricate geometry, enemy placement, and hazards of FromSoftware titles. But dear reader...I think that Krat Hotel may be my favorite hub, only rivaled by Majula. Seriously, the ambiance, the look, the NPCs, THE FUCKING MUSIC. Oh my god, the records you collect for the player at your base are unbelievably good. "Quixotic" and "Feel" are officially on my Spotify rotation. Absolutely gorgeous pieces of music.
-Rapid fire truths: the music in general slaps so hard. P as a protagonist is pretty compelling and I even dare say, more engaging on an emotional level than Wolf from Sekiro. There are a healthy amount of fun puzzles along the way (think treasure maps and riddles). I love Gemini--it's really nice to have a lil buddy to keep you company is this dreary, lonesome world. And the drip game is solid.
THE LIES
-Lies of P has "okay" enemy variety. There's definitely more on the puppet side of things. But the cadavers really blend in together, especially the big brutes. There's more to be desired here.
-The "Lie" mechanic is an interesting concept that isn't fully realized. Throughout the game you are given dialogue choices essentially to either lie or tell the truth. From(soft) what I've seen, there don't seem to be many varying outcomes depending on which you pick, with a few exceptions. In fact, in many instances the rewards are even the same.
-While it isn't that far off...Lies of P really just doesn't have the same gamefeel of "Soulsborne" games. Particularly the two it's taking so much from. There's a noticeable lack of tactile motion--P skates along the ground a bit, his feet not quite connecting with the ground as his animations are faster than the amount of ground he's covering. And man there's a big lack of physics in clothing and fabric. Bloodborne really spoiled us in that regard and Lies of P's various wardrobe options seem to stiffly fall behind P like he just got done drying them in the freezer.
-Oh boy. And here it is: the last level is a fucking SLOG. It's far too long, especially because the visual elements are perhaps the most generic and underwhelming when compared to literally every other level. I grew so tired of the same enemies being shoved at me over and over again that I ended up just running past them and skipping an entire section. Every time I got to a new Stargazer (bonfire), I thought "Surely that was it, right?" Meanwhile little did naive me know that I was only halfway through.
Not only this, but a VERY sour taste was poured down my throat when I reached the end of one of my favorite NPC's arcs. But the final outcome-determining factor that would either lead to me murdering them or them getting to leave and try to have a better life came down to this: a currency I very rarely collected because I had little use for it. When I spoke to this NPC...I had zero in my pockets. I ended up having to kill two of my favorite NPCs, thus getting their VERY BAD ending because I didn't happen to have a specific currency item with me right there on the spot. This put me in an even more bad mood than I already was.
Etcetera, etcetera...and then the end finally came. And by golly...I had a reverse Elden Ring experience. Despite absolutely loathing this final mission, I finished the game really happy. The final boss even kind of sucked! How can this be? Well, allow me to explain. The thing that gives Lies of P its own identity was something I alluded to earlier. Its story.
Upon watching the reveal trailer for this game, I mocked it. "A Pinocchio inspired Bloodborne? What the absolute fuck were these freaks thinking?" Well I'm happy to say they really nailed it. There may be some silly plot points, a not-so-great big bad, and unnecessary loose ends. But holy shit this is absolutely a gold standard example of taking a previously existing thing and adapting it into something wholly unique that simultaneously sticks to the source material. I won't go into spoilers but the side stories of the Blue Fairy, the Fox and the Black Cat, and Geppetto himself are not only captivating, emotional, and fit perfectly into this little world of Krat..but they also fulfill the identical plots of these characters from the original story in very creative and novel ways. It also sticks the themes very well in regard to humanity and lies. I know that the lying system wasn't perfectly executed, but it was really interesting how the lies you tell to become more human were multi-faceted. Lying is not always the "bad option". Sometimes the lie is for self-preservation. Sometimes the lie is to help someone you care about realize something about themselves. Sometimes the lie is to protect that someone from a truth that would only serve to bring them pain.
Lies of P is a human story. The people feel grounded in this reality, and I genuinely cared about them and how their stories were going to unravel. The message is not exactly revolutionary and sometimes used less than elegant visual metaphor. But it's really cool to see the narrative designers really dedicate themselves to a theme and really explore it in a way that aligns with the gameplay.
So yeah, while the last level is total of BS aside from a couple cool bosses and storylines, I ended feeling really satisfied and even emotional. And that, to me, makes Lies of P one of those games that provides an experience you can only have in a video game
What an S tier souls like. A definite spiritual successor to bloodborne.
I really bought into the hype around this being on par with FromSoft games, and so went into it with that expectation. I think Lies of P has a lot of good things going for it; the ambiance is great and the narrative premise is interesting enough. Everything else, on a technical and gameplay level, absolutely loses me.
For me, as a huge fan of Bloodborne, the line between influence and flat-out imitation becomes extremely blurry. From game mechanics to dialogue to encounters, it just seems like too much of a rip-off for me to properly enjoy what they're presenting as a standalone piece of work. And for that, the elements of Bloodborne they did rip are some of the least enjoyable aspects of that game to begin with.
The mobs are pretty boring, the combat is grueling, and the 7-frame parry window makes places an artificial difficulty level in all boss encounters that makes me feel like I'm playing a game that's hard just for the sake of saying it's hard. Character design is flat, customization is uninteresting, and I feel like I made no real connection with any aspect of the game in my 15-18ish hours of playtime.
For me, as a huge fan of Bloodborne, the line between influence and flat-out imitation becomes extremely blurry. From game mechanics to dialogue to encounters, it just seems like too much of a rip-off for me to properly enjoy what they're presenting as a standalone piece of work. And for that, the elements of Bloodborne they did rip are some of the least enjoyable aspects of that game to begin with.
The mobs are pretty boring, the combat is grueling, and the 7-frame parry window makes places an artificial difficulty level in all boss encounters that makes me feel like I'm playing a game that's hard just for the sake of saying it's hard. Character design is flat, customization is uninteresting, and I feel like I made no real connection with any aspect of the game in my 15-18ish hours of playtime.
It does well the things that Souls usually does well, but it misses the mark quite a bit on the things that Souls typically struggles with.
Beautiful to look at and thoroughly enjoyable to play, Lies of P is practically a copy of Souls' ideas and manages to be a very competent copy. I find the level design impressive, for example, so interesting, area after area. Overall, it must have the most tolerable poison swamps in these games as well, which is a great achievement.
The gameplay is quite fluid, and I think the game offers a good variety of weapons, even more so than the base game of Bloodborne, for example, and visually, the game is very appealing. The effort to maintain thematic consistency is also highly commendable.
That said, as mentioned, it's a game that falls short in the same areas where Souls games usually falter. Combat on stairs is problematic, the game has a weird input buffer, the camera is a nightmare against large enemies and near walls, and the parry should feel better for a game this fast-paced with unavoidable attacks. I have the feeling that many of the deaths I experienced in the game are unfair, which for a game of this type is a cardinal sin. The bosses also gradually become more challenging with larger HP pools and some of them just turns as really tiresome battles.
I really want to see a sequel with a more polished technical aspect and more variety, but still maintaining the solid combat weight and level design. However, as is customary with these games, I imagine a sequel even more "hardcore" simply for the sake of being "hardcore." It's a shame, because these games generally have much more to offer as games than just "impossible bosses," "git gud," etc. And Lies of P is a good example of that.
Beautiful to look at and thoroughly enjoyable to play, Lies of P is practically a copy of Souls' ideas and manages to be a very competent copy. I find the level design impressive, for example, so interesting, area after area. Overall, it must have the most tolerable poison swamps in these games as well, which is a great achievement.
The gameplay is quite fluid, and I think the game offers a good variety of weapons, even more so than the base game of Bloodborne, for example, and visually, the game is very appealing. The effort to maintain thematic consistency is also highly commendable.
That said, as mentioned, it's a game that falls short in the same areas where Souls games usually falter. Combat on stairs is problematic, the game has a weird input buffer, the camera is a nightmare against large enemies and near walls, and the parry should feel better for a game this fast-paced with unavoidable attacks. I have the feeling that many of the deaths I experienced in the game are unfair, which for a game of this type is a cardinal sin. The bosses also gradually become more challenging with larger HP pools and some of them just turns as really tiresome battles.
I really want to see a sequel with a more polished technical aspect and more variety, but still maintaining the solid combat weight and level design. However, as is customary with these games, I imagine a sequel even more "hardcore" simply for the sake of being "hardcore." It's a shame, because these games generally have much more to offer as games than just "impossible bosses," "git gud," etc. And Lies of P is a good example of that.
A very good game.
Is it a sin that this is my favorite souls like?
...Yes, that includes all of Fromsoft's titles....
...Yes, that includes all of Fromsoft's titles....
An absolutely beautiful game both aesthetically and narratively. Unashamedly proud of both the material it draws on from Pinocchio as well as its gameplay design from FromSoft. A great example of "X story but Adult". That it doesn't care about utilising concepts from Pinocchio to make its world makes it at times both hilariously cheesy yet totally earnest and inspiring. The way it adapts the themes of grief, loss, and recovery from the original story comes across as heartfelt and meaningful. Just a fantastically beautiful game with incredibly well crafted environments and polished mechanics. It is quite easily the single best soulslike game not made by FromSoft that I have ever played.
vampyr combat with really hard bosses?
cants say i enjoyed the non humanoid bosses but other than that holy shit so gooood
The gameplay is a 1-to-1 copy of Bloodborne, which is ok because I love Bloodborne. Story is a bit silly given the fact it is based on the story of Pinnocho, and the devs, God rest their souls, try their best to make it seem cool and not silly. There were many times when I did roll my eyes at the story and dialoge in the game, but by the end I found myself invested in story and wondering how it would all wrap up. That being said the video game trope of the "True Ending" is a bit over played, and the fact this game has 3 different endings, and you have to play the whole game through to see each one leaves a bit of a bad taste.
tbh it's the only souls-like that actually "gets it" and you can definitely tell the devs loved what they were making here.
Since I played it, my unpopular gaming opinion has been that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a bad game. I have tried to play it twice, with around 15 hours of play time, but, as far as I am concerned, it is simply not a fun game. It is unfortunate, because it is so widely acclaimed and loved, particularly for its parry-based combat system. I have long lamented the fact that I could not find as much enjoyment in it as others have, despite how much I tried. This is not a review of Sekiro, however, but one of Lies of P, which despite its many explicit influences, is not only a great game on its own, but I believe it to be everything that Sekiro could and should have been.
Even the premise of the game, a reimagined version of the story of Pinocchio, causes the game to stand out for its quality. This very easily could have been a cheap cash grab in the vein of the Winnie the Pooh horror film we got last year, but in this case, we were granted a glimpse into the positive effects of a well-known character entering the public domain. In many ways, these two creations are similar; dark and twisted perspectives on household children's stories. The difference is that the Winnie the Pooh film was made with the sole intention of shock factor to bring in a quick payday, whereas Round8 Studios clearly set out to use the character of Pinocchio to increase the marketability of their incredible souls-like.
That is probably a little unfair, as the studio have also clearly put a great deal of thought into how they wanted to tell the story, and although it may have some puppet-like qualities to it on its own with stiff and stilted moments, I was surprisingly invested in it and its endearing cast of characters. Not only that, but the aesthetic of the game is both unique and familiar, effortlessly bounding between dirty, rusty scrapyards and regal, elegant European architecture. The mechanic of choosing between telling the truth or a lie, while simple, remains effective. It is always pretty clear what the game considers to be the "correct" answer, but this does not detract from the experience, in fact, I believe it greatly adds to it, further distancing the game from the rest of the genre by forgoing the standard complex lore which is communicated through eight total lines of dialogue plus one random statue asset (not that that is always a bad thing, I actually also enjoy this style greatly when it works). Knowing what you are meant to be saying allows for the impact of rejecting it to be more effective, as well as keeping the primary focus on the moment-to-moment gameplay and emphasising the point the developers want to make about the morality of the children's tale they are adapting.
And boy, is that moment-to-moment gameplay good. Where (again, at least to me) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game that seems to hate you for playing it, Lies of P seems to be built around both accommodating and challenging the player at once. The game leans further into the A side of ARPG than others, restricting your gear to basically just some charms and a sword, but this is arguably the best thing about the game. It keeps the mechanics focused, the rewards pool relevant, no matter your build, while making it possible for you to pursue a huge range of playstyles. The ability to customise your sword, combining almost any blade and handle, creating a combination that suits you, makes finding new weapons endlessly exciting and makes your weapon feel far more personal. It is nothing short of a stroke of genius, combined with the fact that the variety and style-factor of weapons was clearly given a great deal of consideration during development. The game does not just want you to have a good build, but a cool build.
The other highlight to me, and where the comparison to Sekiro really takes hold, is the game's emphasis on parrying your opponents attacks. This, combined with the way staggering works, allows you to have some incredibly cool moments, while maintaining the challenge of the combat and giving the developers the means to mess with the player. Attempting to hit the heavy attack on the boss who is currently in the middle of a crazy combo as you can see their stagger window disappearing can be the making of - or the end of - a run. It is truly a brilliantly implemented design choice. This, along with other changes such as the mechanic of your last health item recharging after you have used it, gives the player the sense that any run, no matter how scuffed, has the potential for the clutch of all clutches. It feels great to play.
I will not go into any specific bosses here, since they are undoubtedly best experienced blind, but I will mention that the game stumbled towards the end with a boss that gave me flashbacks to the "Elden Beast" in Elden Ring. Rest assured, however, that it stuck the landing, ultimately delivering one of the most satisfying, fun and memorable souls-like experiences I have ever had. Even if you have never played a souls-like before, I would strongly recommend this game to you. This is your chance to see just how much fun this genre can be.
Even the premise of the game, a reimagined version of the story of Pinocchio, causes the game to stand out for its quality. This very easily could have been a cheap cash grab in the vein of the Winnie the Pooh horror film we got last year, but in this case, we were granted a glimpse into the positive effects of a well-known character entering the public domain. In many ways, these two creations are similar; dark and twisted perspectives on household children's stories. The difference is that the Winnie the Pooh film was made with the sole intention of shock factor to bring in a quick payday, whereas Round8 Studios clearly set out to use the character of Pinocchio to increase the marketability of their incredible souls-like.
That is probably a little unfair, as the studio have also clearly put a great deal of thought into how they wanted to tell the story, and although it may have some puppet-like qualities to it on its own with stiff and stilted moments, I was surprisingly invested in it and its endearing cast of characters. Not only that, but the aesthetic of the game is both unique and familiar, effortlessly bounding between dirty, rusty scrapyards and regal, elegant European architecture. The mechanic of choosing between telling the truth or a lie, while simple, remains effective. It is always pretty clear what the game considers to be the "correct" answer, but this does not detract from the experience, in fact, I believe it greatly adds to it, further distancing the game from the rest of the genre by forgoing the standard complex lore which is communicated through eight total lines of dialogue plus one random statue asset (not that that is always a bad thing, I actually also enjoy this style greatly when it works). Knowing what you are meant to be saying allows for the impact of rejecting it to be more effective, as well as keeping the primary focus on the moment-to-moment gameplay and emphasising the point the developers want to make about the morality of the children's tale they are adapting.
And boy, is that moment-to-moment gameplay good. Where (again, at least to me) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game that seems to hate you for playing it, Lies of P seems to be built around both accommodating and challenging the player at once. The game leans further into the A side of ARPG than others, restricting your gear to basically just some charms and a sword, but this is arguably the best thing about the game. It keeps the mechanics focused, the rewards pool relevant, no matter your build, while making it possible for you to pursue a huge range of playstyles. The ability to customise your sword, combining almost any blade and handle, creating a combination that suits you, makes finding new weapons endlessly exciting and makes your weapon feel far more personal. It is nothing short of a stroke of genius, combined with the fact that the variety and style-factor of weapons was clearly given a great deal of consideration during development. The game does not just want you to have a good build, but a cool build.
The other highlight to me, and where the comparison to Sekiro really takes hold, is the game's emphasis on parrying your opponents attacks. This, combined with the way staggering works, allows you to have some incredibly cool moments, while maintaining the challenge of the combat and giving the developers the means to mess with the player. Attempting to hit the heavy attack on the boss who is currently in the middle of a crazy combo as you can see their stagger window disappearing can be the making of - or the end of - a run. It is truly a brilliantly implemented design choice. This, along with other changes such as the mechanic of your last health item recharging after you have used it, gives the player the sense that any run, no matter how scuffed, has the potential for the clutch of all clutches. It feels great to play.
I will not go into any specific bosses here, since they are undoubtedly best experienced blind, but I will mention that the game stumbled towards the end with a boss that gave me flashbacks to the "Elden Beast" in Elden Ring. Rest assured, however, that it stuck the landing, ultimately delivering one of the most satisfying, fun and memorable souls-like experiences I have ever had. Even if you have never played a souls-like before, I would strongly recommend this game to you. This is your chance to see just how much fun this genre can be.
how does this p have so many friends when they lie so mucch oo woo hoo hoo this reference is probably too old for most people on here but it's probably still not very funny either way bye
I honestly have nothing negative to say about this game. If you like Soulsborne games, then you will love this
Best souls-like game yet...The art design for environments, level designs and music are phenomenal. Story is crafted very well and it got some nice side quests with twists. Many boss fights kinda sucks as their moves can be straight unfair and have to learn to avoid or parry those (more than other souls game atleast imo). Especially I fricking hate the bosses with decay status effect (Looking at you Parade Master)
Overall this is a game with compelling story and beautiful soundtrack. And the gameplay is good with many useful mechanisms but the boss fights could've been improved.
Overall this is a game with compelling story and beautiful soundtrack. And the gameplay is good with many useful mechanisms but the boss fights could've been improved.
It’s kind of like they made the any mod any weapon mod for fallout 4 into a real game
The only Souls-like game that managed to reach the level of quality seen in titles from From Software.
However, my biggest complaint would be the easy difficulty. Version 1.5 of the game seems to have been significantly toned down, rendering many of its systems seemingly pointless. While I understand the developers' motivation to make the game more accessible to a wider range of gamers, I can't help but wish we could experience the original vision around which most of the mechanics were designed, especially regarding shortcuts and the additional combat systems (Legion, Fabel, Spec. Grindstone, Cube).
Many of the side abilities serve as nothing more than a get-out-of-jail card for dealing with a single tough enemy while traveling between bonfires. Unfortunately, most of these side weapon systems lack good synergy and are not useful in other ways. In boss fights, these systems become a tedious checklist, which quickly becomes annoying.
Another issue I have is the overuse and odd placement of shortcuts. Most of them become redundant after unlocking them, possibly due to the reduced difficulty. While shortcuts in Dark Souls are usually satisfying to unlock after a challenging push and are often unexpected, LoP overuses them and reveals them too early, removing the sense of discovery. The linearity of the levels only adds to this issue.
Still, LoP is a very enjoyable game with a fantastic atmosphere, story and satisfying combat. Despited being called just another souls clone, the game has enough of identity to stand on its own, in terms of both gameplay and story.
However, my biggest complaint would be the easy difficulty. Version 1.5 of the game seems to have been significantly toned down, rendering many of its systems seemingly pointless. While I understand the developers' motivation to make the game more accessible to a wider range of gamers, I can't help but wish we could experience the original vision around which most of the mechanics were designed, especially regarding shortcuts and the additional combat systems (Legion, Fabel, Spec. Grindstone, Cube).
Many of the side abilities serve as nothing more than a get-out-of-jail card for dealing with a single tough enemy while traveling between bonfires. Unfortunately, most of these side weapon systems lack good synergy and are not useful in other ways. In boss fights, these systems become a tedious checklist, which quickly becomes annoying.
Another issue I have is the overuse and odd placement of shortcuts. Most of them become redundant after unlocking them, possibly due to the reduced difficulty. While shortcuts in Dark Souls are usually satisfying to unlock after a challenging push and are often unexpected, LoP overuses them and reveals them too early, removing the sense of discovery. The linearity of the levels only adds to this issue.
Still, LoP is a very enjoyable game with a fantastic atmosphere, story and satisfying combat. Despited being called just another souls clone, the game has enough of identity to stand on its own, in terms of both gameplay and story.
Lies of P is nothing short of amazing. The game takes clear inspiration from FromSoft's souls-style, but more importantly, replicates it very well without coming off as cheap. Femboy bloodborne rules all WOOOOOO!
I give Lies of P a light 8 out of 10!
I give Lies of P a light 8 out of 10!
DUDE. This game is AWESOME. Great gameplay, awesome atmosphere, great visuals, great music, memorable characters, amazing quality of life features, incredible performance, great level design. I had an excellent time with Lies of P and I highly recommend it to any fan of hardcore action games.
This review contains spoilers
Lies of P: Uma ótima experiência, mas também confusa (para mim)
Eu peguei pra zerar Lies of P pouco depois do lançamento dele, nunca havia jogado nenhum outro Souls-like na minha vida, sou extremamente leigo nesse gênero de jogo, mas ainda assim eu zerei, tive muitos problemas com skill issue porque eu não estava acostumado com esse gênero de jogo, mas aos poucos fui pegando o jeito, e eu só passei a gostar mais e mais desse jogo, e mesmo agora meses depois de ter jogado pela primeira vez, eu só comecei a gostar mais ainda dele.
A confusão que eu sinto sobre esse jogo é bem simples, ele conseguiu me prender bastante e acho que me serviu muito bem como meu primeiro souls-like, mas meses depois de zerar, eu comprei Dark Souls III porque eu ainda estava no hype desse jogo, e Dark Souls n clickou muito comigo, eu ainda acho um bom jogo mas não tão bom quanto Lies of P, isso não é uma discussão sobre qual é o melhor, talvez eu estava esperando uma coisa e recebi outra, talvez eu não goste muito da vibe mais medieval do jogo, ou talvez ele seja complexo de mais pra mim 🤷🏻 eu não sei. Essa é o único sentimento de confusão que eu sinto em relação a esse jogo, porque esse jogo clickou tão bem comigo, e Dark Souls não? Enfim, eu tenho um palpite.
Esse jogo tem personalidade, e MUITA, o protagonista, toda a adaptação da obra Pinóquio e de seus personagens pra esse jogo eu achei simplesmente INCRÍVEL, eu tenho uma grande paixão em relação a esses livros com contos antigos porque, primeiro você vê a animação da Disney sobre aquela história, com muitas alterações e até mesmo mudam completamente o rumo da história as vezes, e depois, se você tiver um pouco mais de interesse, você pesquisa sobre ou lê o livro original, e é aí que pelo menos pra mim, está toda a mágica dessas histórias, você descobre que nem tudo naquela história é como na adaptação bonitinha da Disney, muitas vezes a história original aborda temas muito mais pesados, de formas muito mais pesadas em comparação ao que a Disney faz, como a própria história de Peter Pan, que acho que é o que fez eu desenvolver esse meu amor sobre "o lado obscuro" dessas antigas histórias, e eu não estou falando de teorias como "o Peter mata as crianças que querem sair da terra do nunca" ou coisa do tipo, eu estou falando dos livros que contam a história do personagem de um jeito diferente, mesmo que não seja algo desconhecido, muitas pessoas não sabem desse lado mais "sombrio" das histórias, como o próprio Peter Pan no livro "The Little White Bird" em que Peter sai de casa com apenas 1 semana de vida, ele sai voando com as fadas e simplesmente não volta mais, mas ele nunca se esqueceu de sua mãe ou de sua casa. Até que:
— "Há muito tempo disse ele -, eu, assim como você, achava que a minha mãe sempre ia deixar a janela aberta para mim. Por isso, fiquei longe de casa durante luas e mais luas, e depois voei de volta. Mas havia barras na janela, pois a mamãe havia se esquecido de mim. E tinha outro menininho dormindo na minha cama."
Agora, porque eu falei sobre o Peter Pan Aqui? Pra tentar explicar o porque histórias "alternativas" das quais nós conhecemos são simplesmente incríveis, elas nos dão outra perspectiva sobre aquela história, trazendo outra interpretação, e dependendo da forma como é abordada a história podemos levantar muitos pensamentos que puxam mais pro lado filosófico da coisa.
O meu amor com Lies of P é daí pra mais, eu amo todos os personagens desse jogo, eu amo todos os discos de música que estão no gramofone do hotel de Krat, eu adoro todo o plot que o jogo tem que sinceramente eu só fui entender na minha segunda zerada porque eu quase não prestei atenção na história a primeira vez que eu joguei, eu amo todas as pequenas side quests do jogo, eu amo como elas se fecham, eu amo como a humanidade ou NÃO humanidade de P é refletida em muitos momentos no jogo principalmente no hotel de Krat, eu simplesmente amo essa mecânica das mentiras, eu amo escutar as músicas do jogo e ver "o ergo está reagindo" ou coisa do tipo, eu amo que quando você se torna um "humano" essa mensagem é substituída por "seu coração está batendo" poder ouvir os batimentos cardíacos no coração de P pra mim é simplesmente incrível, eu amo como quando você se torna mais humano a sua tela inicial muda, eu amo como eles conseguiram linkar toda uma relação com o Carlo e o Rei dos Títeres, o que torna tudo ainda mais triste quando você re-joga já sabendo o que os bosses estão falando, vendo como o rei dos Títeres não estava tentando matar e sim AJUDAR o P, eu amo a cena em que o P derrama lágrimas tendo o corpo de Geppetto já em seus braços, mostrando que sim, P é um Humano, ele se tornou um e nós acompanhamos toda a sua jornada, eu amo como os desenvolvedores conseguiram pegar uma obra como Pinóquio e transformaram nisso.
Eu provavelmente não vou virar um grande fã de Souls-like ou coisa do tipo porque não é um gênero que me atrai muito, mas todo o background que tem por trás da história do P, toda essa lore do Carlo com o Rei dos Títeres, todo o simbolismo do jogo, esse é um jogo muito especial pra mim e eu acho q deve ser jogado, re-jogado, re-re-jogado e por assim adiante, eu sei que é um jogo que não tem um fator replay tão bom quanto Dark Souls tem por exemplo, mas continua sendo uma experiência incrível, e eu sei que cada nova vez que eu for jogar o jogo, eu vou descobrir algo novo, eu vou tirar algo novo desse jogo, um ensinamento, nem que seja um pensamento um pouco mais profundo que os outros pensamentos, algo de novo eu sei que sempre vou tirar desse jogo.
Lie or Die.
Eu peguei pra zerar Lies of P pouco depois do lançamento dele, nunca havia jogado nenhum outro Souls-like na minha vida, sou extremamente leigo nesse gênero de jogo, mas ainda assim eu zerei, tive muitos problemas com skill issue porque eu não estava acostumado com esse gênero de jogo, mas aos poucos fui pegando o jeito, e eu só passei a gostar mais e mais desse jogo, e mesmo agora meses depois de ter jogado pela primeira vez, eu só comecei a gostar mais ainda dele.
A confusão que eu sinto sobre esse jogo é bem simples, ele conseguiu me prender bastante e acho que me serviu muito bem como meu primeiro souls-like, mas meses depois de zerar, eu comprei Dark Souls III porque eu ainda estava no hype desse jogo, e Dark Souls n clickou muito comigo, eu ainda acho um bom jogo mas não tão bom quanto Lies of P, isso não é uma discussão sobre qual é o melhor, talvez eu estava esperando uma coisa e recebi outra, talvez eu não goste muito da vibe mais medieval do jogo, ou talvez ele seja complexo de mais pra mim 🤷🏻 eu não sei. Essa é o único sentimento de confusão que eu sinto em relação a esse jogo, porque esse jogo clickou tão bem comigo, e Dark Souls não? Enfim, eu tenho um palpite.
Esse jogo tem personalidade, e MUITA, o protagonista, toda a adaptação da obra Pinóquio e de seus personagens pra esse jogo eu achei simplesmente INCRÍVEL, eu tenho uma grande paixão em relação a esses livros com contos antigos porque, primeiro você vê a animação da Disney sobre aquela história, com muitas alterações e até mesmo mudam completamente o rumo da história as vezes, e depois, se você tiver um pouco mais de interesse, você pesquisa sobre ou lê o livro original, e é aí que pelo menos pra mim, está toda a mágica dessas histórias, você descobre que nem tudo naquela história é como na adaptação bonitinha da Disney, muitas vezes a história original aborda temas muito mais pesados, de formas muito mais pesadas em comparação ao que a Disney faz, como a própria história de Peter Pan, que acho que é o que fez eu desenvolver esse meu amor sobre "o lado obscuro" dessas antigas histórias, e eu não estou falando de teorias como "o Peter mata as crianças que querem sair da terra do nunca" ou coisa do tipo, eu estou falando dos livros que contam a história do personagem de um jeito diferente, mesmo que não seja algo desconhecido, muitas pessoas não sabem desse lado mais "sombrio" das histórias, como o próprio Peter Pan no livro "The Little White Bird" em que Peter sai de casa com apenas 1 semana de vida, ele sai voando com as fadas e simplesmente não volta mais, mas ele nunca se esqueceu de sua mãe ou de sua casa. Até que:
— "Há muito tempo disse ele -, eu, assim como você, achava que a minha mãe sempre ia deixar a janela aberta para mim. Por isso, fiquei longe de casa durante luas e mais luas, e depois voei de volta. Mas havia barras na janela, pois a mamãe havia se esquecido de mim. E tinha outro menininho dormindo na minha cama."
Agora, porque eu falei sobre o Peter Pan Aqui? Pra tentar explicar o porque histórias "alternativas" das quais nós conhecemos são simplesmente incríveis, elas nos dão outra perspectiva sobre aquela história, trazendo outra interpretação, e dependendo da forma como é abordada a história podemos levantar muitos pensamentos que puxam mais pro lado filosófico da coisa.
O meu amor com Lies of P é daí pra mais, eu amo todos os personagens desse jogo, eu amo todos os discos de música que estão no gramofone do hotel de Krat, eu adoro todo o plot que o jogo tem que sinceramente eu só fui entender na minha segunda zerada porque eu quase não prestei atenção na história a primeira vez que eu joguei, eu amo todas as pequenas side quests do jogo, eu amo como elas se fecham, eu amo como a humanidade ou NÃO humanidade de P é refletida em muitos momentos no jogo principalmente no hotel de Krat, eu simplesmente amo essa mecânica das mentiras, eu amo escutar as músicas do jogo e ver "o ergo está reagindo" ou coisa do tipo, eu amo que quando você se torna um "humano" essa mensagem é substituída por "seu coração está batendo" poder ouvir os batimentos cardíacos no coração de P pra mim é simplesmente incrível, eu amo como quando você se torna mais humano a sua tela inicial muda, eu amo como eles conseguiram linkar toda uma relação com o Carlo e o Rei dos Títeres, o que torna tudo ainda mais triste quando você re-joga já sabendo o que os bosses estão falando, vendo como o rei dos Títeres não estava tentando matar e sim AJUDAR o P, eu amo a cena em que o P derrama lágrimas tendo o corpo de Geppetto já em seus braços, mostrando que sim, P é um Humano, ele se tornou um e nós acompanhamos toda a sua jornada, eu amo como os desenvolvedores conseguiram pegar uma obra como Pinóquio e transformaram nisso.
Eu provavelmente não vou virar um grande fã de Souls-like ou coisa do tipo porque não é um gênero que me atrai muito, mas todo o background que tem por trás da história do P, toda essa lore do Carlo com o Rei dos Títeres, todo o simbolismo do jogo, esse é um jogo muito especial pra mim e eu acho q deve ser jogado, re-jogado, re-re-jogado e por assim adiante, eu sei que é um jogo que não tem um fator replay tão bom quanto Dark Souls tem por exemplo, mas continua sendo uma experiência incrível, e eu sei que cada nova vez que eu for jogar o jogo, eu vou descobrir algo novo, eu vou tirar algo novo desse jogo, um ensinamento, nem que seja um pensamento um pouco mais profundo que os outros pensamentos, algo de novo eu sei que sempre vou tirar desse jogo.
Lie or Die.
This game transcends FromSoftware's Souls genre in ways I didn't think anyone else could, honestly. Beyond unbelievable.
i need a month long nap after this
so good
Not a half-bad Soulslike. Combat mechanics felt great and I loved so much of the art design and music. Remember kids, hesitation is defeat.
...Did I play the same game as everyone else?
This game feels absolutely HORRIBLE to play. Everything feels like it does not work. Parrying is way too precise to use all the time, which would not be a bad thing if the fucking dodge did not work most of the time. I cannot count how many times that I perfectly hit dodge on time and the enemy STILL hits me. At first I was wondering that it was a skill issue, and I was really hoping it was, but nothing felt right. Attacking does not feel satisfying, animations on enemies feel incomplete like they're missing frames, making them even worse to fight, and the main way of avoiding attacks feeling like it doesn't work most of the time.
Also this game includes the worst thing about every Souls game that came out between Dark Souls 1 and Sekiro. You have to travel back to the main hub, talk to the level up waifu, and then travel back to where you were. Why? I know you're trying to imitate Bloodborne but you also don't need to imitate the bad things it did.
I really wanted to like this game, but the truth is I have not been this disappointed and pissed off with a game in a long time. And it sucks because this game does do things really well. The level design is decent and the weapon customization is amazing, but what does that mean when the game just feels like dogshit to play?
This game feels absolutely HORRIBLE to play. Everything feels like it does not work. Parrying is way too precise to use all the time, which would not be a bad thing if the fucking dodge did not work most of the time. I cannot count how many times that I perfectly hit dodge on time and the enemy STILL hits me. At first I was wondering that it was a skill issue, and I was really hoping it was, but nothing felt right. Attacking does not feel satisfying, animations on enemies feel incomplete like they're missing frames, making them even worse to fight, and the main way of avoiding attacks feeling like it doesn't work most of the time.
Also this game includes the worst thing about every Souls game that came out between Dark Souls 1 and Sekiro. You have to travel back to the main hub, talk to the level up waifu, and then travel back to where you were. Why? I know you're trying to imitate Bloodborne but you also don't need to imitate the bad things it did.
I really wanted to like this game, but the truth is I have not been this disappointed and pissed off with a game in a long time. And it sucks because this game does do things really well. The level design is decent and the weapon customization is amazing, but what does that mean when the game just feels like dogshit to play?
This game made me realise that souls games are not my type of game.
It is still a great game tho
It is still a great game tho
Gostei bastante, a historia e os personagens são muito cativantes, gosto como não é uma coisa confusa igual os jogos souls onde não da pra saber da historia sem ver vídeos de 12 horas resumindo. A gameplay é épica e bem variada, isso de montar as armas e isso mudar completamente a gameplay é a melhor inovação que esse jogo trouxe. A soundtrack é ótima também.