Lies of P Demo Impressions/Preview
Soulslikes are my go-to genre, which means I’m never without a new game to try. Games following the template set by FromSoftware appear with ridiculous frequency, but let’s be real, only a few are good enough to stand out. FromSoft’s secret sauce of gameplay mechanics — the perfect blend of challenge and accessibility, impactful combat, and character progression — eludes easy imitation. Lies of P is on the near horizon. As the recent demo reveals, it might be on track to satisfy us fans of action RPGs with a Soulslike flavor.
Puppet Master
As many gamers will know, Lies of P is loosely — I mean, really loosely — based on the story of Pinocchio, that famous puppet with a hankering to be a real boy. Forget the gosh-darn cute version spawned by Disney. Lies of P sets the narrative in an 18th-century Italian city called Krat. It’s moody, dark, and gothic, overrun by monstrous gear-punk puppets, now animated and mad. You play as Pinocchio, half machine and half living being, tasked with making your way through Krat to discover what the hell happened and find Geppetto.
At first — and maybe throughout the demo — Lies of P’s setting and atmosphere suggest the rain-soaked streets of Bloodborne and the animated machines of Steel Rising. Those influences are nothing to be ashamed of. Lies of P doesn’t always play like Bloodborne, however. Sometimes, it echoes Sekiro’s reliance on blocks and parries. And there are considerably fewer expository cutscenes than in Steel Rising.
At least in the first couple of chapters, enemies are mostly automatons. As in most Soulslikes, they come in a few basic forms. The starter enemies, like in any self-respecting Souls game, have slow windups that are easily read. Once you get to the first boss, you realize that your slow dodge isn’t the solution to the puzzle. The demo’s three bosses are uniformly excellent, much better than most Soulslike wannabes.
Machinery
There are always two ways of looking at Soulslikes that closely adhere to the template. The positive approach is that experienced Souls players can jump right in, muscle memory intact, only pausing to figure out what’s new or different. A less charitable opinion would focus on a lack of originality. After playing dozens of Soulslikes, I’ve noticed that those games that try to innovate often make the experience worse.
Lies of P is sort of like a FromSoftware cover band. It knows how to play the tunes. So you have a prosthetic arm, dodge, and parry from Sekiro. There’s a health regain system like that of Bloodborne. Level design is similar to Demon’s Souls, with lots of shortcuts leading back to the starting “Stargazer” (i.e. bonfire). The hub area has a maiden for leveling up. There are weapon arts a little like those in Dark Souls 3.
There are only three starting classes — a strength build, a dexterity build, and a balanced build — but of course, your character can be leveled in any direction. One clear innovation is that weapon components can be mixed and matched. This is certainly not a new idea for action RPGs, but not often explored in Soulslikes.
Lie or Die
The Lies of P demo was just a taste — though a tantalizing one — of the game’s narrative, gameplay, and combat. I’ve been following this game since it was announced, and I am pretty excited by what we’ve seen so far. Yes, it’s a tried-and-true Soulslike. But it’s also clear that developer Neowiz knows how to hit the important notes, and where it can improvise on the fan favorite tune. I’m incredibly excited to see where Lies of P takes us.
