Excellent souls game on par with the FromSoft originals. Souls-likes generally have a bunch of quirky features to try and differentiate themselves from one another but this one follows the FromSoft design very closely which works in its favour since I love those games.
This means the combat is difficult and satisfying and the ambience is amazing. It feels very familiar in a good way, but with some refreshing adjustments. Unfortunately it also means that a number of typical annoying mechanics also carry over such as multi-phase bosses, a variety of debuff ailments, camera issues and a bunch of NPC fights which I have always found to be miserable. Still, this game generally leans more on the side of QOL when it comes to implementing these ideas, for example I actually enjoyed the swamp level in this game.
There are still remarked differences though. The level design is much more linear, there is exploration but it is relatively limited. The story is a bit more direct and while the characters are often goofy, the tone is still dark.
The most significant change from my perspective is the combat, it is much more parry focused. From what I can tell, it's more like Sekiro than souls but I haven't played that one yet. It's very satisfying and well designed but also more 'game-y', boss fights leaned slightly more towards pattern memorisation and rhythmic inputs instead of rewarding a slow and cautious playstyle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in fact FromSoft has also been moving in the same direction of fast action combat for the past few years. I'd actually go as far to say Lies of P does a better job for the most part, the rally mechanic is so well implemented to reward aggression and the boss fights are difficult but very fun and engaging. The linear nature of the game also helps a lot with the difficulty balancing and consistency, I felt considerably less frustration playing this game compared to Elden Ring for example.
As for my main problems with the game, the camera was not great in some situations, better than Elden Ring but still not ideal. As I said before, I really don't like the NPC fights, especially gank ones but thankfully they aren't too difficult and there is some cheese potential. I also don't know why attacking costs stamina in this game (outside of realism), I think it would flow better without that. The final area of the game was somewhat half baked but that seems to be a tradition with these games.
Overall then, I like this game a lot and I think it's a great addition to the genre. The visuals, sounds and performance is fantastic and the combat is satisfying and well designed. A+ from me.
This means the combat is difficult and satisfying and the ambience is amazing. It feels very familiar in a good way, but with some refreshing adjustments. Unfortunately it also means that a number of typical annoying mechanics also carry over such as multi-phase bosses, a variety of debuff ailments, camera issues and a bunch of NPC fights which I have always found to be miserable. Still, this game generally leans more on the side of QOL when it comes to implementing these ideas, for example I actually enjoyed the swamp level in this game.
There are still remarked differences though. The level design is much more linear, there is exploration but it is relatively limited. The story is a bit more direct and while the characters are often goofy, the tone is still dark.
The most significant change from my perspective is the combat, it is much more parry focused. From what I can tell, it's more like Sekiro than souls but I haven't played that one yet. It's very satisfying and well designed but also more 'game-y', boss fights leaned slightly more towards pattern memorisation and rhythmic inputs instead of rewarding a slow and cautious playstyle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in fact FromSoft has also been moving in the same direction of fast action combat for the past few years. I'd actually go as far to say Lies of P does a better job for the most part, the rally mechanic is so well implemented to reward aggression and the boss fights are difficult but very fun and engaging. The linear nature of the game also helps a lot with the difficulty balancing and consistency, I felt considerably less frustration playing this game compared to Elden Ring for example.
As for my main problems with the game, the camera was not great in some situations, better than Elden Ring but still not ideal. As I said before, I really don't like the NPC fights, especially gank ones but thankfully they aren't too difficult and there is some cheese potential. I also don't know why attacking costs stamina in this game (outside of realism), I think it would flow better without that. The final area of the game was somewhat half baked but that seems to be a tradition with these games.
Overall then, I like this game a lot and I think it's a great addition to the genre. The visuals, sounds and performance is fantastic and the combat is satisfying and well designed. A+ from me.
AleF2050
6 months ago