My body was craving a souls-like, and the visuals, reminiscent of Sekiro, did the rest. Surely, I was not expecting a masterpiece, but the game indeed comes out rather bland and half-baked in most of its aspects. It’s enjoyable for the first few hours, mostly thanks to the combat system. Similar scenarios and the exact same enemies get rehashed with little difference for the whole game. My rating could have been slightly higher if the game had been half as long.

While initially engaging with its parry-based mechanics, the combat system loses its edge as the game unfolds. The first bosses pose a satisfying challenge, but the later stages become noticeably easier, especially for those who went through the additional subquests. It's a system that offers a decent level of challenge, but that could have been more consistently rewarding throughout the game's duration.

While the game presents players with the option to utilize spells and customize equipment with special effects, these elements, regrettably, turned out to be disappointingly irrelevant. Opting for the highest-powered gear and mastering the parrying mechanics should be enough to let you win most encounters. Even money and loot end up having little purpose, as you will get disgustingly rich and full of gear without even noticing.

Despite an intriguing art direction in key visuals, the in-game graphics lacked the polish expected, and the level design succumbed to unexpected repetitiveness. The cutscenes are also some of the most uninteresting things I’ve ever seen in a videogame. Poorly directed and atrociously written.

In summary, the game is a decent yet highly forgettable experience.

Let’s start by just saying that the Final Fantasy series has been struggling to keep up with the times for at least the last twenty years, and that Square Enix’s approach for this “remake” trilogy stands out as their most successful attempt yet. Despite drawing on familiar material, they’ve managed to capture the same sense of scale and diversity of the classic games, delivering not only the most refined ATB-led combat experience to date, but also a plethora of minigames, side quests, areas to explore, and even temporary changes and additions in the gameplay dynamics to go along the story or the character you are focusing on. While some elements may feel obsolete and reminiscent of Ubisoft's open-world titles (like activating towers and mechanically uncovering points of interest), they're counterbalanced by the remarkable variety of engaging activities. Some players might even find themselves overwhelmed by the abundance of content this time around. Additionally, the length of individual sections, which occasionally dragged in "Remake," has been significantly tightened.

The pacing really depends on how much of a completionist you are. f you aim to simply explore the main environments and complete side quests, it won't demand an excessive amount of time compared to the average open-world action RPG. However, pursuing all achievements presents a different challenge altogether. This choice alone can transform the experience into a real nightmare. Completing all side quests, uncovering all points of interest, and, particularly, mastering all minigames will require not only considerable patience but also a minimum of 130 hours. Following that, you'll have an additional 20 hours to tackle a hard mode replay (manageable) and possibly a dozen more hours to conquer the combat simulator's "brutal" and "legendary" challenges (impossible). I found myself throwing in the towel halfway through the brutal challenges, as they proved nearly insurmountable regardless of my build, including cheese tactics. I wish I had known this before “wasting” 160 hours on all other objectives…

Unless you are planning to spend 200 hours perfecting your combat style and leveling up all materia, I highly recommend you only enjoy the main campaign and freely explore the open maps without worrying too much about the degree of completion. Otherwise, the things you initially liked about the game will all turn into extreme turn-offs.

The narrative largely stays true to the original, with a few additions enriching the main plot or establishing intriguing connections between events. For instance, the roles of the Gi tribe and Wutai have been reimagined to integrate into the overarching storyline. However, much like in "Remake," I still think the multiverse was the last thing we needed, especially at a time when all entertainment is seemingly obsessed by it. While it introduces a handful of new ideas to complement the familiar FF7 narrative, potential complications could arise in future installments. We will see.

The overarching narrative and occasional dramatic moments generally hit the mark, but the comedic relief felt a little off. While I am aware that the original was just as goofy… experiencing it in fully acted cutscenes with actual voice actors somehow makes it feel remarkably cringeworthy and redundant, comparing the experience to a not particularly well-directed anime. However, I have to say that the English localization has much better dialogue writing than its Japanese counterpart, despite the inevitable liberties taken in translation. It’s an issue common to most Japanese videogames, but the writing and direction are really the biggest issues making them decades behind international AAA titles like “Baldur’s Gate 3” or “The Last of Us”.

“Lies of P” surely wears its inspiration on its sleeves, drawing heavily from the FromSoftware playbook in its steampunk revisitation of the "Pinocchio" novel in a mood reminiscent of “Bloodborne”. For fans of the soulslike genre, this game serves as a commendable love letter, showcasing a deep understanding of its mechanics and atmosphere.

However, the game is surely not without its flaws. Its derivative nature, combined with a somewhat linear and monotonous story progression with the same environment being repeated all over, may quickly lead to player fatigue. The incorporation of soulslike tropes also seems to border on the malicious on many occasions, as if frustration is a prerequisite for authenticity. The parry window is ridiculously tight, with the payoff not even being worth the risk most of the time. Adding to the challenge is the unintuitive timing of enemy attacks, making the learning curve remarkably uneven. Some puppets also tend to have infinite stamina and absurd attack ranges, to the point that regular enemies combined with silly traps and narrow hallways end up being more frustrating than actual bosses. The infamous fireball and fat clown sequence is the epitome of the team's questionable taste for level design.

Despite these issues, the game somehow retains an irresistible quality, compelling players to persist. Whether it's the atmospheric allure, the satisfying combat experience, or the unmistakable soulslike essence, there's an undeniable charm that keeps players engaged.

I have completed two runs and got all trophies in approximately 50 hours, with about 10 hours only spent on overcoming Fuoco and the Nameless Puppet. Those were the only two times the game demanded a deeper understanding of its mechanics. While the initial struggle may feel daunting, encountering the Nameless Puppet earlier in the game could have provided a more balanced difficulty curve, as it really helped me master dynamics like a perfect guard, guard regain, and prosthetic arm tricks, allowing me to go through NG+ almost effortlessly.