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Conceptually, Lies of P is possibly one of the funniest games I can imagine. A Soulsborne-style game based on Pinocchio? Are you yanking my chain? It doesn’t feel like it’s something that should work, nor even necessarily made in the first place (here comes that pesky ‘but’…) But! To be honest with you, it’s surprisingly good. I wouldn’t call it great, or particularly unique, it’s just that there’s something about it that I do keep coming back to. I think it’s the feeling of potential.
I know you’re probably reading this and thinking, “hang on a minute, didn’t VG247 give Lies of P 2/5 stars in its review?” You’d be right, but shock horror, I didn’t write that review – and two people are capable of different opinions. Sherif’s excellent review does convey a number of the problems I have with the game, namely things like the game’s unconvincing level design and messy combat.
For the most part, I think the combat is pretty serviceable; most of the weapons I’ve come across so far feel varied enough that I want to mix up what I’m using, enemies’ attacks are generally clearly signalled (if sometimes unfairly damaging), and honestly that fancy robot arm that has different attachments is much more fun than Bloodborne’s simple guns. But, there’s another but…
Combat isn’t really what I find most interesting about FromSoftware’s work from Demon’s Souls onwards. It’s its incredibly well thought out worlds, from the ways the spaces intersect amongst themselves, to the ambiguous yet intriguing ways lore is delivered through item descriptions. Lies of P is quite clearly trying to copy FromSoftware by doing similar things, but the delivery leaves me wanting.
It does that classic video game thing of lore being delivered through various notes you can find, none of which are all that compelling, some of which are a bit silly. I do think the aesthetic of a number of Lies of P’s locales is quite fun, but the plethora of shortcuts to be found makes the spaces feel less real; like they were designed for the convenience of the player rather than something that could actually exist.
FromSoftware has a critically important thing that Lies of P developer Round8 doesn’t: time. FromSoftware has been iterating on its Soulslike gameplay since 2009, refining and improving with each release, and it’s been around making tough games for a lot longer than that, too. That ability to have the same team consistently releasing the same kinds of projects is underappreciated in the games industry, because you just need to take one look at Elden Ring to see how worth the payoff is creatively.
With all of that in mind, I honestly think that makes Lies of P all the more impressive. I’m not saying we should give it a gold star just for the act of trying to make a video game, but Soulslike as a genre is an incredibly difficult one to pull off. And there’s just enough good in Lies of P to make me want to see what Round8 might do next. After all, FromSoftware’s earlier works )like King’s Field) weren’t exactly universally loved at the time of release.
Admittedly, there is a difference between something like Lies of P and Demon’s Souls. The latter was obviously quite revolutionary, whereas the former is playing it too safe by trying to mimic the greats that came before it, instead of really leaning into the wildness of its setting.
Maybe a game or two down the line Round8 will find its own voice, and make something genuinely special. I hope it manages to do so, because if it actually does get to make a game based on the property it teases in its post-credits scene, we’re in for an even wilder ride.