Overall Score - 85%
85%
Official Score
Lies of P is a fantastic gothic Soulslike that is worth playing even during this hectic game season. Pick it up if you want a game that will bite back.
After being announced in early 2021, Lies of P arrives during the busiest time of the year. Is the Soulslike worth checking out, or should you spend your time playing something else? Check out our review here and find out.
Lies Of P Review
Lies Of P starts with a mysterious voice calling out to you, telling you it needs your help. You then awaken as Geppto’s puppet, a mostly human-looking creature with a metal arm. While gaining your bearings, you pick up Gemini and get the objective to head to Hotel Krat. The journey there is dangerous since most puppets in the city have gone mad. The once docile and helpful constructs turned on their human counterparts, slaughtering most of the city’s inhabitants.
Hotel Krat is one of the last human strongholds, the ray of hope in the dark town. After slicing your way through puppets, you arrive at the hotel and are invited in. Here’s the thing: the hotel only lets humans inside, and you are a puppet. After lying to get in, you realize you might need to lie to humans again to avoid being attacked. After meeting the humans in the hotel, you are tasked with finding Geppeto and bringing him back. Most people will finish the game in 25 hours or so.
Since Lies Of P is a Soulslike, it lives or dies by its combat. Summing it up in one word, I’d say aggression. You are often rewarded by being aggressive and overwhelming your opponents. You can stagger enemies and even break their guard if you beat on them hard enough. That’s not to say you won’t be dodging because there is plenty of that. It did take me a while to get used to this game’s dodge, so be ready for that. There is also a parry, but that’s never really been my thing. It is a powerful weapon if you can figure out the timing.
Another factor that plays into the combat is your weapons and equipment. I went full-on strength and health build as usual, but this game actually gave me some quick weapons to use. For most of the game, I ran around with a donkey hood and a billy club, which got the job done. Further down the line, I was using an exploding two-handed pickaxe because I loved its skills. That and it comboed well with my Legion Arm skills.
Your Legion arm is your puppet arm that can be equipped with gear and gadgets. My favorite was the hook shot that pulled enemies to me. You can also get a flame thrower, shield, mine layer, and a few others. Each weapon has two skills; you build up energy for them by killing enemies. On top of that, each of your weapons comes with a hilt you can adjust to switch what skills you want. So if a weapon you aren’t using has a skill you like, you can put it on something else.
Krat itself has an incredible atmosphere and is fun to play in. The dark Victorian style mixed with a little steampunk is the perfect fit for this type of game. Hotel Krat is one of the best safe zones in video games. It has a cozy, relaxing atmosphere and contrasts with the nightmarish hellscape going on in the streets. I’d stop to chat with its inhabitants each time I went back. It’s also the spot where you can play records that you found.
Outside of the hotel, you will be fighting for your life. The streets are flooded with mad puppets ready to attack any humanoids they see. That that remain in the city now hide indoors or underground. While there are diverging paths and shortcuts, the game is mostly linear. Still, there are missable quests, items, and gear if you don’t actively look for them. Keep an ear out for coughs, talking, and other odd sounds to find quests.
While most of the humans have been killed, there is still a group of Hunters out and about, stalking their prey. These humans all wear animal masks and hit like trucks. You get outfits and their masks, almost like trophies if you can beat them. There are also more eccentric survivors out there who sell goods or might even join you back at Hotel Krat. Be wary of which NPCs you trust; not everyone wants to be your friend.
While I enjoyed most of the game, some things didn’t sit well with me. First off, some of the bosses have multiple HP bars, which is always annoying. Some of the weapons ranges felt like they were too short. The difficulty pacing was also a bit off. I destroyed everything for four bosses, then hit a brick wall. I know Soulslikes are meant to be challenging, but the ramp-up in difficulty was intense. As for tech issues, I did have a couple of crashes but no major bugs.
Lies of P is a fantastic gothic Soulslike that is worth playing even during this hectic game season. Pick it up if you want a game that will bite back.
