While I usually try to only write reviews after I've finished a game, that would mean I would never write a review for Lies of P, which would be a shame because I quite like the game, but am physically incapable of beating it. Skill issue, yes. Now, acknowledging that up front, I'd like to discuss what I enjoy about the game, because it's difficulty is my least favourite aspect, and yet it is the largest barrier to entry and an ever prevalent aspect of its design.
Lies of P is the only souls-like made by a developer that isn't FromSoftware (that I've played) that I don't despise. Unique enough in setting and tone to be distinct from their mainly dark fantasy medieval settings, yet using every system that makes From's titles work. However, the literal copy and pasting of every mechanic from games I really enjoy doesn't earn this game any points.
Setting wise, the Pinocchio influence is surprisingly well handled, being a unique spin on that novel's story distinguishes it from any game I've ever personally seen when it comes to its world building.
Graphically the game is what you'd expect from a modern title, but deserves more praise because it comes from a smaller studio. This comes at the cost of downsizing the scope somewhat, however. The levels are extremely linear, presumably to account for this budgetary limitation. Enemy design, on a visual front, is highly distinct. In fact, the highest praise I could give this game is having such rich enemy variety in a sub-genre that usually fails so spectacularly in that aspect.
Enemy mechanical combat design is pretty varied too. I'll now reveal that I got to the end of the swamp area, and was utterly stuck on the Green Monster boss that sits at the end of it. That's about 2/3 of the way in, or so sources online tell me. I never felt encounters were repetitive up until that point, and I've got it under good authority it remains that way through until the very end.
Now, the big topic - the difficulty. For my money, only the bosses of this game are hard. The areas and enemy encounters can be challenging, but the bosses are consistently designed to not be beaten, but to be perfected. Each boss is a mechanical and visual spectacle, I can't speak highly enough of their quality. However, I am not a player who enjoys analysing and memorising an enemy move-set, but I certainly persisted far beyond the point I thought I would. Knowing how utterly stumped I was, despite trying every strategy the game would afford me, only feels worse when I know there's like three bosses after this one that are even harder. That is always what kills any motivation I have for these hard games, the knowledge that my struggle is for nothing, because an hour from now I'll be put against something even worse.
But hey, there's a definite audience for this type of challenging game, and I'm glad that those types of masochists can play such a high quality knock-off of the FromSoft games for a change, rather than the usual drivel of this category of games.
Lies of P is the only souls-like made by a developer that isn't FromSoftware (that I've played) that I don't despise. Unique enough in setting and tone to be distinct from their mainly dark fantasy medieval settings, yet using every system that makes From's titles work. However, the literal copy and pasting of every mechanic from games I really enjoy doesn't earn this game any points.
Setting wise, the Pinocchio influence is surprisingly well handled, being a unique spin on that novel's story distinguishes it from any game I've ever personally seen when it comes to its world building.
Graphically the game is what you'd expect from a modern title, but deserves more praise because it comes from a smaller studio. This comes at the cost of downsizing the scope somewhat, however. The levels are extremely linear, presumably to account for this budgetary limitation. Enemy design, on a visual front, is highly distinct. In fact, the highest praise I could give this game is having such rich enemy variety in a sub-genre that usually fails so spectacularly in that aspect.
Enemy mechanical combat design is pretty varied too. I'll now reveal that I got to the end of the swamp area, and was utterly stuck on the Green Monster boss that sits at the end of it. That's about 2/3 of the way in, or so sources online tell me. I never felt encounters were repetitive up until that point, and I've got it under good authority it remains that way through until the very end.
Now, the big topic - the difficulty. For my money, only the bosses of this game are hard. The areas and enemy encounters can be challenging, but the bosses are consistently designed to not be beaten, but to be perfected. Each boss is a mechanical and visual spectacle, I can't speak highly enough of their quality. However, I am not a player who enjoys analysing and memorising an enemy move-set, but I certainly persisted far beyond the point I thought I would. Knowing how utterly stumped I was, despite trying every strategy the game would afford me, only feels worse when I know there's like three bosses after this one that are even harder. That is always what kills any motivation I have for these hard games, the knowledge that my struggle is for nothing, because an hour from now I'll be put against something even worse.
But hey, there's a definite audience for this type of challenging game, and I'm glad that those types of masochists can play such a high quality knock-off of the FromSoft games for a change, rather than the usual drivel of this category of games.