As an avid lover of the soulsborne series by From Software, I have always been highly critical of any games that were trying to put their own spin on the experience. Despite this, Lies of P caught my eye very early on. Like most of the internet, I believed that this game looked like the Bloodborne 2 that we've never gotten. I loved the way the game was looking, and I couldn't wait to see more about it. Though to be honest, I fully suspected that this game would be a 6/10 at best, like most other souls-like games not made by From Soft. But to my surprise, I loved Lies of P. Its a souls-like that is able to stand on its own as a great game, even if there are a few pitfalls the game falls into.
First off let me say this: Lies of P is NOT Bloodborne 2. The game can be best described as a mixture of Bloodborne (the game aesthetics and setting), Sekiro (with a focus on parrying and breaking an enemy's stance), and The Surge (mainly robotic enemies/bosses, focus on different makeshift weapons) while also adding plenty of fresh ideas of its own. The main gameplay here, that being the combat, is superb. I don't think it reaches the heights of most of the From Soft games, but it really stands out as unique. The game wears its influences on its sleeve yes, but that doesn't mean that it isn't still fun. It also adds enough variety with the legion arms, makeshift weapons, and unique items to make the game feel different enough from other souls-like experiences.
I found the story and take on the Pinocchio storyline to be incredibly interesting. I found myself more invested in this story than most other games I've played in this genre. This is helped by a genuinely interesting world, characters, and lore. The story is presented in a more straightforward way when compared to other games in this genre, which I thought was a nice refreshing change.
The game's visual design is superb. There are some great looking enemies and areas. The bosses can sometimes feel like a mix of a bunch of robots, but as the game goes on, there is enough boss variety to save you from this robot fatigue.
The level design is probably my favorite part of the game. I thought that the areas were absolutely perfect. Even better than some From Soft levels at times, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself. I would also say that I overall enjoyed the levels more than the boss fights, which is not how I usually feel about these types of games.
All the little details also come together well in this game. The lying mechanic seems like a dumb little inclusion, but is actually integral to getting different endings in the game. Hotel Krat and its refugees are all extremely well voice acted and realized. Its simply wonderful.
But the game isn't perfect. I believe that Lies of P suffers from an issue that all these games face: difficulty spikes. Bosses towards the end do MASSIVE damage, to the point where if you haven't invested in health, you're pretty much screwed and are forced to respec. This was something I even got upset with Elden Ring about, and its no different here. I also felt that some of the boss designs were just visually...meh? Outside of a few fights that come to mind, I don't think that a lot of the bosses are particularly memorable from a visual standpoint. I also found the music to be on the weaker side as well.
Ultimately though, Lies of P is the best souls-like game that isn't made by From Soft in my opinion. It honestly surprised me with how excellent it is. Its on Gamepass, so if you have that you really have no excuse to not play this game. It COULD convince you to get into this genre, though I would recommend checking out the Souls games before tackling this one.
First off let me say this: Lies of P is NOT Bloodborne 2. The game can be best described as a mixture of Bloodborne (the game aesthetics and setting), Sekiro (with a focus on parrying and breaking an enemy's stance), and The Surge (mainly robotic enemies/bosses, focus on different makeshift weapons) while also adding plenty of fresh ideas of its own. The main gameplay here, that being the combat, is superb. I don't think it reaches the heights of most of the From Soft games, but it really stands out as unique. The game wears its influences on its sleeve yes, but that doesn't mean that it isn't still fun. It also adds enough variety with the legion arms, makeshift weapons, and unique items to make the game feel different enough from other souls-like experiences.
I found the story and take on the Pinocchio storyline to be incredibly interesting. I found myself more invested in this story than most other games I've played in this genre. This is helped by a genuinely interesting world, characters, and lore. The story is presented in a more straightforward way when compared to other games in this genre, which I thought was a nice refreshing change.
The game's visual design is superb. There are some great looking enemies and areas. The bosses can sometimes feel like a mix of a bunch of robots, but as the game goes on, there is enough boss variety to save you from this robot fatigue.
The level design is probably my favorite part of the game. I thought that the areas were absolutely perfect. Even better than some From Soft levels at times, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself. I would also say that I overall enjoyed the levels more than the boss fights, which is not how I usually feel about these types of games.
All the little details also come together well in this game. The lying mechanic seems like a dumb little inclusion, but is actually integral to getting different endings in the game. Hotel Krat and its refugees are all extremely well voice acted and realized. Its simply wonderful.
But the game isn't perfect. I believe that Lies of P suffers from an issue that all these games face: difficulty spikes. Bosses towards the end do MASSIVE damage, to the point where if you haven't invested in health, you're pretty much screwed and are forced to respec. This was something I even got upset with Elden Ring about, and its no different here. I also felt that some of the boss designs were just visually...meh? Outside of a few fights that come to mind, I don't think that a lot of the bosses are particularly memorable from a visual standpoint. I also found the music to be on the weaker side as well.
Ultimately though, Lies of P is the best souls-like game that isn't made by From Soft in my opinion. It honestly surprised me with how excellent it is. Its on Gamepass, so if you have that you really have no excuse to not play this game. It COULD convince you to get into this genre, though I would recommend checking out the Souls games before tackling this one.