Lies of P review – first-class Soulslike is a master of puppets
Developer Round8 Studio’s darkly gothic Pinocchio adaptation is a challenging action RPG more than deserving of its comparisons to Bloodborne.
“I should have known, that survival would be a hell of its own” is the phrase I heard no less than 12 times after repeatedly getting my arse handed to me by one of Krat’s rare human inhabitants. It always cut deep and not once became annoying, however, because failing the optional mini-boss encounter was always due to my own impatience (of course) and also served to highlight the pain and suffering those left behind in this city overran by blood-hungry marionettes are routinely forced to experience. As a puppet myself, the iconic Pinocchio no less, I saw it as a courtesy to put the survivor out of their misery before moving on. You’re welcome!
Such small stories and nuggets of context are everywhere to be found within this fictional European city, being one of many key inspirations Lies of P takes away from – you guessed it – Bloodborne, and to a lesser degree other games made in the Dark Souls mould. Yet while it’s true that developer Round8 Studio’s action RPG would probably not exist were it not for FromSoftware laying the groundwork beforehand, the game offers just enough iteration on the pre-established Soulslike formula to help it stand apart on its own.
Chief amongst them is the source material it’s based on. Because yes, much more than a cheap gimmick, this is indeed a rather warped and twisted adaptation of Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel about the boy who was told he should never lie for fear of facing the consequences. It’s an irony Lies of P constantly toys with by placing you in scenarios where you have no other choice but to lie; otherwise, you run the risk of being cut off from certain paths, optional item-laden rooms or, as in at least one instance early on, not being able to progress the story. Discovering what these ramifications are proves a constant source of intrigue.
The cricket-like AI, Gemini, acts as your conscious guide, Sophia is the Blue Fairy who you see to level up your attributes back at your hotel base, while your father Geppetto is an inventor and framed as the person responsible for Krat’s depressing current state. The setup is brief, sure, but wider events unravel at a solid pace as you enter each new location, and it was never not fun to see how Lies of P chose to translate other familiar elements into either characters, mechanics or gameplay. Pinocchio himself never had a mechanical left arm or a penchant for dodge rolling in the original stories, from what I remember, but now I kind of wish he did.
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No strings on me
Your quest to become a real boy in Lies of P involves lots of fraught and punishing encounters with the local puppet populace, as expected. There is one area where it surpasses Bloodborne, though, by nature of being a modern release – and that’s in how running at 60 fps on PS5 and Xbox Series X expertly compliments its more fluid style of combat. Thank heavens, too, seeing as most of your enemies are animatronic in nature and often prone to approach and attack in an appropriately jerky fashion. Not depleting all your power cells still means watching your timing and stamina, alongside using your inherently spry movement to your advantage.
Combat is made up of the usual combination of blocks, dodges, light and heavy attacks. That said, Lies of P allows you to tweak the effectiveness of each by implementing a system called Weapon Assembly, whereby every new weapon you discover or purchase is comprised of not one, but two components (a handle and a blade) that can be interchanged with one another to become more effective to your playstyle. A baton, for example, doesn’t quite have the same range as your starting sword, but with the sword’s handle and baton’s blunt end combined, you could soon benefit from the best of both items.
The interchangeable weapon system combines with the various Legion arm abilities to really shake up the naturally fluid combat in a manner I haven’t seen in a game of this style before. It’s yet another way that Lies of P uses the basis of Pinocchio to its advantage on a deeper level, as opposed to making almost every foe a puppet and calling it a day. Because while your starting Legion arm simply lets you pull off a strong punch, it isn’t long before you’re gifted options capable of zapping tight-knit enemy groups or grappling someone over to you “Get over here!” style so as to let you follow up with a brutal attack.
Creative choices in combat are further backed up by slight Soulslike twists such as how any ergo (this game’s version of souls) lost during a boss battle is placed outside of the door instead of in the arena, and the ability to gain a life-healing power cell back once the supply is depleted providing you can land enough enemy attacks. For all these reasons and more, I always felt like I had a fighting chance against whatever adversary stood before me in Lies of P; it’s fluid, fair and firm.
Speaking of boss fights, this wouldn’t be an action RPG worthy of Bloodborne comparisons without them. And in addition to the human-scale mini-bosses that gift you with new outfits and masks upon defeat, there’s a litany of giants prone to challenge and tower over you. Whether pitched as a hulking mechanical watchman primed to electrify you or a multi-armed theatre king spinning and whirling as the stage and curtains burn around you, there’s no shortage of set piece encounters designed to put your timing and patience to the test. In that regard, I’m man enough to admit there were a couple I wouldn’t have defeated were it not for the ability to summon a Specter ally using star fragments.
Lies of P isn’t a grand revolution of the Soulslike formula. What it is, however, is a confident and refined addition to the genre’s canon that makes excellent (though very liberal) use of its source material to create a punishing yet infinitely rewarding dark journey worth embarking on. The generous approach to weapons and combat alone would be enough for me to recommend it to any Dark Souls, Elden Ring or Bloodborne fan, yet layered on top of this is a genuinely intriguing world that contains countless secrets to uncover and satisfying enemy encounters to fight through. The result is a more brutal take on the Pinocchio fairy tale you won’t soon forget.
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