Lies of P is an amazing game, let's start here. A project that came out of nowhere, created by a fundamentally unknown development team, which on the one hand was inspired by The Adventures of Pinocchio, transforming Collodi's novel into a dark Belle Epoque-style fairy tale with Asimovian implications; On the other hand, it pays homage to FromSoftware titles, replicating numerous elements with obsessive care and attention.
The end result is a traditional but "soft" soullike, bad but not to the bone, endowed with phenomenal gameplay despite its almost complete lack of original ideas, in addition to a truly fascinating and well-told plot, an absolutely incredible story and of a technical sector that much more famous studios would dream of, including a majestic soundtrack.
We have already said a lot, but we can assure you that so far we have not told any lies. Or maybe yes? Keep reading ours review of Lies of P to find out the truth.
History: Is fantasy just a lie?
A turquoise butterfly wakes up the protagonist of Lies of P: A puppet indistinguishable from a human being., if it weren't for the left arm that reveals its artificial nature. After leaving the abandoned cart in which he lay, he realizes that the city of Krat is under siege by his own kind; Certainly decidedly less sophisticated models, puppets in name and deed, but driven by homicidal fury.
Among the streets full of blood and corpses, information posters still persist that warn the population of the terrible petrifying disease, as if that were not enough. the sudden and violent rebellion of the automatons, created by the brilliant Geppetto and the result of the discovery of the Ergo: a mysterious essence capable of activating any mechanism, but whose origin is shrouded in a terrible secret.
Guided by Gemini, a "talking cricket", our character makes his way through hordes of increasingly stronger and more dangerous enemies until he reaches the Hotel Krat, a castle transformed some time ago into a hotel and nerve center of the city: a kind of center luxurious and fascinating where both the paths of the landscape and the destinations of the figures that form the backdrop of the fascinating history narrated by Round8.
"Pinocchio", after finding his creator, discovers that the puppets have suddenly stopped obeying the Great Pact, that is, a variant of the three laws of robotics to which is added a fourth: puppets cannot lie. The protagonist of the game is the only automaton that possesses this ability and this distinguishes him from all the others, as we will discover in the context of a very well-told journey of growth and transformation.
I characters of Collodi's novel revive in Lies of P, clearly in an alternative version adapted to the context, full of references to the book: from the cat and the fox to the automaton Polendina, from the brilliant businessman Lorenzini Venigni to the tree of golden sequins, naturally passing through the one who will be our point of reference during the adventure: Sophia, the beautiful lady with the magical touch and the turquoise dress.
It is she who woke up Pinocchio because he saves the city from total destruction, facing not only the crazy puppets and their powerful king, but also the other human factions that compete for the tormented territory of Krat, each hoping to eradicate the plagues that afflict him. to one. which until not long before stood as a futuristic metropolis, so bright that it pierced the darkness of a future that had never been so uncertain.
Structure: the rules of souls.
The eleven chapters that make up the Lies of P campaign, whose duration It also varies greatly depending on the number of deaths and the number of setbacks that we will have to face, but which we imagine will hardly be less than thirty hours, they bring to the screen a structure that is reminiscent of those that have always been the pillars. of the soullike subgenre.
The levels are linear and have a great abundance of more or less invisible barriersTherefore, from this point of view we are faced with an "older generation" interpretation of the trend created by FromSoftware, although the design of the maps immediately produces interesting vertical developments that will often see us walking on the roofs of the city, with also the presence of optional missions that involve finding and delivering objects.
The exploration is marked by the Stargazers, devices that can be activated to restore health, the edge of the sword and healing capsules, as well as to teleport at will to the Krat Hotel (the only place during almost the entire campaign where we can access the can). ups, as well as various item suppliers), but that Once activated, they naturally cause all enemies to respawn. that we have defeated, except for bosses and mini-bosses.
According to lore, if you possess an adequate amount of Ergo (which acts as an in-game currency and is obtained by killing opponents or collecting crystals), it is certainly worth taking advantage of the Stargazers to return to the hotel and purchase some. strengthening, buy consumables that we think we can use and use specific materials to improve the weapons that are part of the arsenal, as well as acquire accessories that influence the resistance statistics and offensive capacity of the character.
Touring the rooms of the luxurious hotel from time to time is undoubtedly a somewhat rigid and repetitive solution, but the developers have also tried to exploit this mechanic to carry out the game's narrative, through interaction with the people who took refuge. in that hotel and to which they will take us in several cases make hard decisions, which will lead to the three different endings available.
Always with a view to exploration, there could be no shortage of stairs, bridges and doors that can be opened and that connect one section of the map with the others, thus allowing you to take comfort. shortcuts which will lead us towards the final phase of each chapter, which we will inevitably see culminate with a fight against a spectacular and insidious boss.
It is no coincidence that we speak at the beginning of "sweet souls": unlike other titles, even from FromSoftware, which seem to have a structure specifically designed to make us name as many saints and divinities as possible, in Mentiras de P i control They are placed in such a way that the annoying trip to the boss's room is minimized, but not only that.
In fact, we will be able to take advantage of a specter that will help us during these challenging battles, often attracting the enemy's attention to allow us to catch our breath or, better yet, sink the largest sword we have in his back without it hurting us too much, no matter how distracted we are. that we are Furthermore, in case of defeat, We will find our comfortable Ergo savings at the door., without risk of losing it forever.
Gameplay: combat system, weapons and accessories.
At the beginning of the Lies of P campaign you have the possibility to choose between three profiles: Via del Grillo, Via del Bastardo and Via dello Spazzino, which respectively emphasize balance, dexterity and strength. However, these are just different weapons and scenarios for the initial character stats, not an actual ranking: whichever path you choose, you can correct or distort it through upgrades and equipment.
Il combat system It is presented in a very direct way, with very little jokes, but soul enthusiasts will have no problem getting familiar with the system created by Round8 Studio, which in its main functions places the normal attack on the right spine, the charged attack on the right trigger, dodging on the Circle button, using objects on the Square button, parrying on the left back and using the Legion Arm on the left trigger.
Il Arm of the Legion is one of the new features of Lies of P, although the references to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are also quite evident here. As we have said, the protagonist's left arm is visibly "mechanical" and it is possible to replace it with different models, all of them upgradeable, which can be useful for their elemental value against sensitive opponents, as well as naturally during boss battles, although of course more limited form due to often non-instantaneous activation.
Il steel arm At the beginning it launches a powerful blow, then we have the Puppet String that launches a grappling hook to grab and/or hurt enemies, Fulminis that emits a charged electric attack, Flamberga that functions as a flamethrower, Deus Ex Machina that plants proximity mines in the ground. , Pandemonium that spreads corrosive acid, Aegis that presents itself as an explosive shield on impact and Hawkeyes that allows you to fire rockets.
But let's get back to the heart of the fights, which use Mechanisms seen in the various souls. to give depth to the experience: we lose vital energy by blocking the blows but we can recover it if we return them quickly, for example, while the perfect parry does not have this problem and contributes to the enemy's imbalance (but without completely determining it). , be careful): by checking it, we can inflict a powerful special assault on it.
Then there's the cop-out that caused so much discussion: the developers they made it a little wider Compared to the demo and with some specific improvements, it is possible to transform it into a long lateral movement, very useful, but here also vulnerable to "red attacks": every opponent has one, even the most unscrupulous, and the only way to neutralize it It's stopping.
During the confrontations we will have to pay attention to several things: our equipment in terms of consumables, for example, from the capsules to restore health to the state of the sword (which has its own resistance and must be restored with the grindstone mounted on the left elbow), passing through the different potions with which to treat the alterations. in state or increase resistance in this sense, the throwable objects and of course the accessories that can make "Pinocchio" more or less resistant, more or less fast, and that have a weight to consider.
In fact, according to tradition, if a certain load threshold is exceeded the protagonist will become deathly slow, you won't be able to run at full speed or dodge that doesn't look like clumsy somersaults: the perfect recipe for dying badly, especially during boss battles, so it will necessarily be necessary to make concessions and find the right middle ground. depending on the case.
Obviously, the factors also influence weapons, which in Lies of P have the peculiarity of being modular: this is probably the most significant innovation of the title produced by Neowiz. During the campaign we will have the opportunity to collect or acquire a large number of different tools, from swords to maces, from hammers to spears, from swords to axes, all characterized by a central part, usually the blade, and the handle.
Well, at the Krat Hotel we can combine the different blades and handles to obtain surprising and spectacular hybrids, such as the gigantic bone saw blade that we used during our tests by connecting it to the handle of a police baton, with the result of finding a weapon that is handled like a baton but has a powerful reach, a beastly power and unsuspected speed.
From this point of view the possibilities seem truly limitless, and by using certain materials we will be able to not only strengthen the top of our instrument, but also alter the values of the handle so that it better suits our fighting style. In addition, by using special grinders we can give each blade an extra temporary effect: from fire to acid, from electricity to a critical hit, etc.
Finally there are the updates, these also rendered in a very multifaceted way: in addition to being able to improve the character's statistics using an increasing amount of Ergo, as well as making our weapons more effective using specific materials, we will be able to use a Geppetto tool called P-Organ and Use the collected quartz to unlock important additional abilities, each characterized by slots that in turn constitute upgrades.
Enemies, bosses and mini-bosses
Another constant of soullike is obviously the characterization of enemies, with special attention to bosses and minibosses. From this point of view, Lies of P is literally armored, given that it can boast a huge and well-differentiated bestiary, which changes depending on the scenario and which in the final phases also gives life to monstrous hybrids.
You notice one great stylistic coherence in the location of the opponents and their design, starting with the butler or waitress puppets that populate the streets of Krat in the first chapter, moving like wind-up dolls, with inevitably limited intelligence, to the more or less automaton police officers. smaller size, with a sword or cane, the terrifying clowns and soldiers with armor.
Then, as mentioned, there's the equally wide variety of mutants, sometimes looking like clickers and running furiously to hit us, sometimes advancing slowly as repulsive, poisonous liquids pour out of their monstrous bodies. To these pathetic figures is added a generous supply of mini boss, some of which are really difficult (note this name: Passante delle Illusioni), generally belong to human factions.
Finally the real bosses: The encounter with these powerful adversaries, almost always gigantic, is quickly anticipated by a particularly evocative sequence, and here too the references to the works of Hidetaka Miyazaki are quite evident. The attack patterns are insidious, varied, and absolutely necessary to memorize to have any chance of victory, especially from a certain point in the campaign onwards.
An unmissable deal
We said that Lies of P is an extraordinary game and it is also extraordinary because of the way in which it is presented in stores and digital stores. Despite its excellent quality and great content, in fact, the title produced by Neowiz is sold for only €59,99 on PS5 and PS4, while as you know on Xbox Series you have a Game Pass subscription. Incredible indeed.
Technical realization
Is magnificent artistic direction to make Lies of P the gem that it is, to give it a personality that is not obvious when we consider that it is so insistently derivative. Thanks to the initial inspirations, a really beautiful and well-told story, at the right time and a decidedly Japanese attention to characterizations, including aesthetics.
The guys at Round8 Studio used Unreal Engine 4 almost perfectly, mixing screen space reflection and cube mapping to add a thousand reflections on the marble floors and shiny surfaces of the wonderful interiors of XNUMXth century buildings or in the disturbing darkness of the Lorenzini Gallery. . Of course, the quality goes up and down throughout the chapters and peripheral environments or the usual swamp do not compare to urban settings, but the variability of weather and time of day depending on the case is interesting.
Much work has been done on animations, it is enough to consider the numerous movements available for the offensive maneuvers of the protagonist, who, depending on the combinations, can brandish the weapon in different ways. And then obviously there are the enemies, equipped with gestures and movements that reflect their nature, to finally reach the bosses with all their patterns and that disturbing aesthetic, which also seems to reference Miura's Berserk.
Lies of P is equipped with three different graphic modes on PS5: one at reconstructed 4K (real 1440p) and 30 fps which, however, seem to give in from time to time to the weight of what is happening on the screen, without being able to give us a feeling of fluidity or reactivity necessary for this type of experiences; one at 1440p reconstructed (real 1080p) and 60 fps with excellent performance, absolutely preferable and very pleasant also in terms of sharpness; and finally one with high bezels that however only works on compatible screens.
The sound section is really evocative and has a great atmosphere., perfect for the type of story the developers wanted to tell and adorned with well-acted English dialogue (subtitled in Spanish). Among the collectibles there are also vinyls that we can later listen to at the Krat Hotel by activating a player that will accompany us with the selected songs for as long as we want.
Finally, a few words for PS4 version of the game, which we had the opportunity to try even briefly. Well, despite being equipped with a single graphics mode at 1080p and 30fps, with some assets lazy loading during cutscenes, the experience seems surprisingly solid and consistent in terms of frame rate.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store Price 59,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (84) 8.5 your voteLies of P is the surprise that you did not expect, an artistic genius that comes out of nowhere and overwhelms you, without stopping being trapped in a golden prison made up of dogmas that are apparently essential for a subgenre, that of soulslike, which Round8 Studio's work is represented in the most traditional way possible, without any structural innovation. There is no doubt that the game revisits the FromSoftware classics, but it does so with incredible competence and it is really only the lack of concrete original ideas, together with a level design stuck in the past and of variable quality, that prevents than Cho Ji-Won's direct title to take home an even higher rating.
PRO
- Extraordinary artistic sector
- A perfect soullike in terms of gameplay.
- Full-bodied, exciting, challenging but without being cruel.
AGAINST
- The mechanics are almost all seen.
- Some scenarios are amazing, others are simply discreet
- Exploration limited by many barriers
