Lies of P has taken the industry by storm since its release on September 19, 2023. However, while its success is irrefutable, what does it mean for the future of Soulsborne?
Lies of P isn’t perfect – in fact, it’s far from it. Still, the game does wear its inspiration on its sleeve, and it is apparent that developers Neowiz Games and Round 8 Studios wanted to pen a carefully written love letter to the sub-genre FromSoftware Inc. pioneered. Moreover, Lies of P also stands as a testament to the wonders developers who care about their games can do, even if they don’t have prior experience in that category.
As the title suggests, Lies of P is a dark and twisted take on Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio. Based on the Belle Époque era and taking place in the fictional city of Krat and its surrounding areas, the game has us play as the protagonist P in a universe that has been ravaged by the puppet uprising. Well, let’s delve deeper into what Lies of P has to offer, and find out what it means for the future of Soulsborne, shall we?
Lies of P has set a new bar in the Soulsborne genre
In Lies of P, all puppets are bound to the Grand Covenant, a set of rules that keep them from lying or turning against the human race. However, the puppets seemingly defied this Covenant during the uprising and ended up murdering most of Krat’s human populace. Nevertheless, the last few survivors end up taking refuge in Hotel Krat, and Sophia, who resembles the Blue Fairy in Collodi’s original work, begs P to come to their rescue. It is at such a moment that players take control of the protagonist, and like the original novel, P has the ability to lie, which allows players to make their own decisions as they fight to save Krat.
From a gameplay perspective, Lies of P dumbs down the various mechanics of the Soulsborne genre to make it more accessible for players. We only get an option to choose between three starting classes – namely Balanced, Motivity (Strength), and Technique (Dexterity), while the game completely does away with ranged or magic builds of any kind. However, it does retain the genre-defining classics of stamina-based movement, checkpoints (Stargazers) that double as a fast travel and respawn point, as well as the mechanic of losing all unused experience (Ergo) upon death.
Since Lies of P is made with a set protagonist in mind, it does not offer dynamic character customization, although P’s appearance changes based on the number of lies one tells during a playthrough. At the same time, leveling up is arguably simple as most builds depend on one’s Motivity, Technique, or Advance points, the latter of which increases elemental damage. Additionally, players can also increase Vitality (hitpoints), Vigour (stamina), and Capacity (maximum weight), as they see fit.
Staying true to its inspirations, Lies of P serves up a storytelling masterpiece, with several dark twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the final boss. The strong narrative is further supported by a haunting soundtrack, with each boss having their own unique music. On top of it, a lot of the lore is revealed through collectibles, which include books, visitor’s guides, lost letters, and music vinyls that can be replayed in the hub area. Arguably, this is where Lies of P shines its brightest, and the game even does things differently by offering a way to track quests and optional dialogue lines whenever one accesses a Stargazer.
However, not everything is perfect with the game, and Lies of P has a few mechanical defects that can leave a player frustrated. For starters, the game does away with the concept of I-frames or Invincibility Frames, and that compared with the short dodging distance makes it impossible to dodge certain fury attacks. Furthermore, while it takes an immense amount of time to make an enemy Groggy, and a subsequent heavy attack to break its stance, a decent staggerable period is locked behind a skill tree, making fatal attacks far less rewarding. At the same time, if P is staggered or knocked down, it takes a lot of time for him to recover, and enemies often get in two or three cheap hits before he gets back on his feet.
Naturally, such issues, along with overtly difficult bosses have made some accuse the devs of abusing artificial difficulty. Yet, one can hardly argue that Lies of P has been received as a major success for the entire Soulsborne genre.
Will Lies of P affect the future of Soulsborne?
In an industry where publishers are hell-bent on pushing the Games as a Service argument, Lies of P’s tremendous success and the positive feedback it received will surely encourage developers to explore the Soulsborne genre, knowing that there is still a massive market for such games. Moreover, it is astounding how devs with no prior experience in the genre came up with such a thrilling experience, and future game makers can surely take reference from everything Lies of P has done right if they want their offerings to resonate with the community. The game has also shown how players are still willing to shell out cash for a proper single-player experience, and hopefully, this will push devs towards creating unique story-driven titles in the future.
As Soulsborne fans might already be aware, the genre will receive another marquee entry in the coming days once Lords of the Fallen releases on October 13, 2023. This game is a prime example of how a publisher can improve on their previous offerings, and from what we have seen, LoTF will be a grand affair with a massive world to explore and thrilling lore to get involved in. Although one can hardly compare Lies of P with LoTF since the latter is set to deliver a more fleshed-out experience, we can already see how such games are turning the industry towards proper single-player experiences that are sure to leave a lasting effect long after the credits have rolled.
