Phat_Baby
Lies of P 2023
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Time Played
--
Days in Journal
2 days
Last played
October 13, 2023
First played
September 29, 2023
Platforms Played
After a whole-ass decade, the curse has been broken. Finally, someone has made a pure-blooded soulslike that's completely on par with FromSoftware. This is really bloody good. Just a super compelling world with probably the best fairytales-turned-horror premise I've seen in a while, weighty, tense combat that absolutely sings in big battles and a lineup of some truly unreal boss encounters. And this all comes from two relatively unknown studios with a background in mobile games. I dunno how this came about, but these devs just decided they were gonna start cookin', and by god, they cooked.
Like, yes. It's very clear what the influences were and, granted, it's blatantly mimicking Bloodborne and Sekiro to a point that can almost be comical at times. But it so obviously comes from a place of love and appreciation for Fromsoft's games rather than an attempt to make a quick buck off a trend. Lies of P just nails what makes a FromSoft game tick. The combat is so weighty and explosive, and the way that perfect blocks shatter enemy weapons gives it this visceral punch that makes learning timings and executing counterattacks feel so satisfying. The bosses are (largely) these spectacular encounters that, despite borrowing quite heavily from FromSoft's best showdowns, make for huge highlights that refine your skills and send adrenaline pumping into your soul. But the personal touch that makes this a step above other non-FromSoft Souslike attempts is the presentation. My god, Lies of P is sexy as hell, and this saucy boy knows how to set a scene to boot. Whether it's the Archbishop boss, the Laxasia bridge showdown or the secret final fight, it just knocks it out of the park when it comes to making battles feel grand and important.
It does have a difficulty problem though, and it's worth noting that it's not gonna be for everyone, even some Souls players. The problem with most third-party Soulslikes is that they can't quite finesse that line between firm but fair, and this really is no different. While nothing in here is quite as punishing as end-game Elden Ring or Bloodborne, there are some parts that are just ruthless because they can be.
My least favourite trend of bosses with a secret second health bar is to Lies of P what lens flares are to JJ Abrams. They jam that shit in like their life depends on it, but forget that the whole point is to make a first phase that's reliably pretty easy. At the end of the game, every fucker has two health bars, but the bastards will also just spend the first phase absolutely leathering you just to make a point. By the end of the game, I'd literally just assume that when I encountered a boss called Diddles the Baby Puppet that was wielding a little saucepan, he would don a gruff voice and be "YOU'RE TOUGH, LOOKS LIKE I'M GONNA HAVE TO UNLEASH MY FULL POWER" and then eviscerate me with a 96 hit combo in the first two seconds after the cutscene.
If there's some bullshit Souls thing you hate, it's probably here: status affects that one-hit you, infuriating delayed strikes, a precise parry window that makes me wanna cry, bosses spamming endless unblockable attacks, gank bosses, getting stun locked into oblivion, annoying boss run-ups. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE STINKY FART SWAMPS. WHY!? WHY DO ALL THESE GAMES NEED A STINKY FART SWAMP WITH ENDLESS LAKES FULL OF POISON BUILD-UP WHICH ARE SWARMING WITH ENEMIES. Miyazaki's undying obsession with stinky fart swamps has been a plague on humanity, and that man better be goddamn happy with himself for creating this apparently essential area cause they are literally never fun and always suck.
BUT! This is a team finding their feet in the Soulslike genre, and while I think the difficulty could use a slight notch down in the early to mid-game segments, I'm happy to navigate through some frustration to experience one of the coolest Soulslikes out there right now. The ending of this very much implies we're getting a lot more Lies of P style games, and I'm so here for it. This is easily one of the best games of the year, and honestly, something I could see myself replaying a lot over time. It's such a cool take on a well-known story, but also a phenomenal RPG that has so much character and gnarly horror.
Who knew that Pinnochio was such a fucking killer man. When that dude stops whining about not being a real boy and his nose growing, he can throw absolute shapes.
Like, yes. It's very clear what the influences were and, granted, it's blatantly mimicking Bloodborne and Sekiro to a point that can almost be comical at times. But it so obviously comes from a place of love and appreciation for Fromsoft's games rather than an attempt to make a quick buck off a trend. Lies of P just nails what makes a FromSoft game tick. The combat is so weighty and explosive, and the way that perfect blocks shatter enemy weapons gives it this visceral punch that makes learning timings and executing counterattacks feel so satisfying. The bosses are (largely) these spectacular encounters that, despite borrowing quite heavily from FromSoft's best showdowns, make for huge highlights that refine your skills and send adrenaline pumping into your soul. But the personal touch that makes this a step above other non-FromSoft Souslike attempts is the presentation. My god, Lies of P is sexy as hell, and this saucy boy knows how to set a scene to boot. Whether it's the Archbishop boss, the Laxasia bridge showdown or the secret final fight, it just knocks it out of the park when it comes to making battles feel grand and important.
It does have a difficulty problem though, and it's worth noting that it's not gonna be for everyone, even some Souls players. The problem with most third-party Soulslikes is that they can't quite finesse that line between firm but fair, and this really is no different. While nothing in here is quite as punishing as end-game Elden Ring or Bloodborne, there are some parts that are just ruthless because they can be.
My least favourite trend of bosses with a secret second health bar is to Lies of P what lens flares are to JJ Abrams. They jam that shit in like their life depends on it, but forget that the whole point is to make a first phase that's reliably pretty easy. At the end of the game, every fucker has two health bars, but the bastards will also just spend the first phase absolutely leathering you just to make a point. By the end of the game, I'd literally just assume that when I encountered a boss called Diddles the Baby Puppet that was wielding a little saucepan, he would don a gruff voice and be "YOU'RE TOUGH, LOOKS LIKE I'M GONNA HAVE TO UNLEASH MY FULL POWER" and then eviscerate me with a 96 hit combo in the first two seconds after the cutscene.
If there's some bullshit Souls thing you hate, it's probably here: status affects that one-hit you, infuriating delayed strikes, a precise parry window that makes me wanna cry, bosses spamming endless unblockable attacks, gank bosses, getting stun locked into oblivion, annoying boss run-ups. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE STINKY FART SWAMPS. WHY!? WHY DO ALL THESE GAMES NEED A STINKY FART SWAMP WITH ENDLESS LAKES FULL OF POISON BUILD-UP WHICH ARE SWARMING WITH ENEMIES. Miyazaki's undying obsession with stinky fart swamps has been a plague on humanity, and that man better be goddamn happy with himself for creating this apparently essential area cause they are literally never fun and always suck.
BUT! This is a team finding their feet in the Soulslike genre, and while I think the difficulty could use a slight notch down in the early to mid-game segments, I'm happy to navigate through some frustration to experience one of the coolest Soulslikes out there right now. The ending of this very much implies we're getting a lot more Lies of P style games, and I'm so here for it. This is easily one of the best games of the year, and honestly, something I could see myself replaying a lot over time. It's such a cool take on a well-known story, but also a phenomenal RPG that has so much character and gnarly horror.
Who knew that Pinnochio was such a fucking killer man. When that dude stops whining about not being a real boy and his nose growing, he can throw absolute shapes.