Lies Of P Shows Off Incredible Gameplay That Will Make Dark Souls Fans Happy
Lies of P is a dark fairy tale Souls-like heavily inspired by Bloodborne.
Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio recently released a new gameplay showcase that serves as an introduction to the upcoming Souls-like game—FromSoftware must be proud of itself after inventing a whole new gaming genre. The video introduces us to the basics of the game, the inspiration behind its story, and its gameplay systems and mechanics.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Lies of P, the game is inspired by the familiar story of Pinocchio but conceptualized as a Souls-like game set in a belle epoque city of Krat, which has become a living nightmare overrun by deadly puppets which run rampant, while the city is consumed by plague. Of course, players get to play as Pinocchio, and though it may sound silly to those who haven’t seen the game or the trailer, we are discussing a Souls-like game, so it’s everything but child’s play.
The premise of Lies of P is very simple; Pinocchio embarks on an unrelenting journey through Krat in search of Geppetto while also questing to become a real boy—with interesting twists adding to the game’s dark setting. Namely, the story offers narrative choices in which Pinocchio gets to tell the truth or lie, but instead of having his nose grow as a consequence, Pinocchio actually becomes more human each time he tells a lie. This not only implies that it’s human to lie, but who can one trust in a world that is filled with lies?
Apart from good-looking graphics and the beautiful costumes the protagonist wears— even the Mischievous Puppet costume and the donkey hat have some style to them—the video also showcased the combat system, weapons assembly, Fable Arts, Legion Arms, and plenty of other stuff. The combat in Lies of P seems a bit clunky at first, but it becomes more digestible as the trailer progresses, especially with the Perfect Guard feature, which allows players to not only block but also deflect damage from otherwise unstoppable attacks.
Weapons assembly in Lies of P is a thing of beauty, but it’s not really a novelty. Nearly all major RPGs have a weapon durability system in which lower durability means less efficiency. The same applies here, but instead of visiting the blacksmith, Pinocchio uses his Legion Arm as a grinder to sharpen his blades and restore their durability. However, what is beautiful about it is how menacing it looks and how well such aesthetics fit inside the setting. The weapons are disassembled into blades and handles, which can be combined for different effects.
Differently assembled weaponry, paired with different Legion Arms—Pinocchio’s mechanical arm—allows you to mix and match different things, resulting in different playstyles. Visually, we’d say that it closely resembles Bloodborne, with plenty of automata instead of typical horrors, and while we can’t claim it with absolute certainty, it seems like the developers of Lies of P drew inspiration from the From Software hit. And we won’t call that a bad thing.
Lies of P is due for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on September 19, 2023.
