Lies of P

Lies of P is a staggering achievement for Neowiz, and one of the very best "non-FromSoft" Soulslikes I've ever played.

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"Lies of P" is a single-player, horror open-world game set in the dark, elegant, and cruel city of Krat during the Belle Epoque era. As a puppet created by Geppetto, players must adapt themselves and their weapons to face monstrous enemies and untrustworthy figures, uncovering secrets and making moral choices with a truth or lies system. The game boasts perfect mechanics, good visuals, a phenomenal soundtrack, and high replayability, promising a unique and emotional experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 15,679 reviews

story1,842 positive mentions

grinding129 negative mentions

story
3,800 mentions
48 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story of "Lies of P" offers a captivating and dark reimagining of the classic Pinocchio tale, set in a steampunk world filled with intriguing characters and moral dilemmas. Players appreciate the more straightforward narrative compared to typical souls-like games, allowing for a deeper emotional connection to the characters and their quests. The game's storytelling is enhanced by its engaging dialogue, environmental lore, and a unique mechanic that allows players to choose between truth and lies, impacting the story's outcome and adding replay value.
- “The story is engaging, offering a darker twist on Pinocchio, and your decisions—whether to lie or tell the truth—shape the ending, adding replay value.”
- “There's a lot of heart in the story, and you really feel for every NPC and enemy you meet, even the final boss.”
- “Within the souls-like genre, Lies of P has easily my favorite world and story so far.”
- “I honestly feel betrayed after playing the game for 35 hours for you to tell me I did a quest wrong with no way to fix it other than restarting the whole story.”
- “The story is a dark twist on the tale of Pinocchio, during an evil puppet uprising.”
- “The story is completely nonsensical but the aesthetic is cool and the first few bosses were great.”
gameplay
2,998 mentions
38 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Lies of P" has been widely praised for its challenging yet rewarding mechanics, drawing inspiration from titles like "Bloodborne" and "Sekiro." Players appreciate the tight combat system, which emphasizes parrying and weapon customization, alongside unique features like the "legion arm" mechanic and the ability to mix weapon parts for varied playstyles. However, some critiques highlight issues with the parry timing, enemy design, and a perceived lack of polish in certain mechanics, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel both rewarding and frustrating. Overall, it stands out as a solid entry in the souls-like genre, offering a blend of familiar and innovative gameplay elements.
- “As a gamer, it feels like a love letter to Bloodborne and Dark Souls, with tough-as-nails boss fights, precise combat mechanics, and an oppressive, beautifully designed world.”
- “The combat is tight and responsive, with a lot of variety in weapons, but the upgrade mechanic makes it difficult to compare without googling or playing through multiple times.”
- “The gameplay is a satisfying blend of Bloodborne and Sekiro, with innovative mechanics that enhance the experience, such as the weapon assembly system and the ability to regain health through aggressive play.”
- “However, the narrative pacing can slow down, and while the setting is gorgeous, the game doesn’t stray far from the standard soulslike formula in terms of gameplay mechanics.”
- “The stamina system is a bit rough, but more than anything the input buffering is probably the worst offender in gameplay.”
- “The parrying mechanics feel a bit clunky compared to the tight, responsive system in Sekiro.”
music
1,356 mentions
63 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in "Lies of P" has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its haunting beauty and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere. The soundtrack, particularly the collectible records that players can listen to in the hub area, is highlighted as a standout feature, adding depth to the storytelling and emotional experience. Overall, the music is described as one of the game's strongest elements, contributing significantly to its immersive world and engaging gameplay.
- “The music composition and incorporation into the story made it all the more great.”
- “A tight experience that demands you play it on its terms, you are rewarded with an amazing story and one of the best soundtracks ever.”
- “The music feels tied to the characters' stories, as many records you can play back at Hotel Krat are received from quest completions.”
- “The only music in the game outside of the gramophone is against bosses, and they all sound pretty similar.”
- “The soundtrack overall is nothing special and the music is awful and I cannot get any sort of respectable surround sound happening.”
- “I particularly love the emphasis on music; not just the soundtrack, but your ability to find and listen to music in the game and even perform music in certain circumstances, kind of like how the player character in another souls style game, Mortal Shell, can play the lute.”
graphics
1,206 mentions
61 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Lies of P" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and impressive art direction, often compared favorably to titles like "Bloodborne" and "Sekiro." Players appreciate the game's gothic, steampunk aesthetic, which is beautifully rendered and well-optimized, allowing for smooth performance even on lower-end systems. Overall, the game's graphics are described as a highlight, contributing significantly to the immersive experience and atmosphere.
- “The graphics are stunning, the difficulty is punishing but fair, and the world is ripe for exploration.”
- “The graphics are absolutely incredible.”
- “The visuals and soundtrack are stunning, with some truly beautiful tracks and boss themes, especially the tracks on the collectible records you can find throughout the game.”
- “It is a rather unpolished game that only operates smoothly on high-end PCs, and if you are a casual gamer playing on a laptop or lower-end computer, the game is half of the time laggy with the visuals and audio bugging out every 10-50 minutes for a notable duration during which the game is entirely unplayable.”
- “The story of the game is somewhat interesting with a grim fantasy take on the story of Pinocchio, but is not the focus of the game as there are plenty of immersion-breaking costumes and assets that do not belong in the 20th-century sci-fi robot aesthetic.”
- “The graphics are not as detailed as Bloodborne or Elden Ring, but still look great.”
atmosphere
664 mentions
61 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Lies of P" is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, drawing strong comparisons to the gothic aesthetics of "Bloodborne" while incorporating unique steampunk elements. Players appreciate the game's rich world-building, atmospheric soundtrack, and detailed environments that evoke a sense of dread and intrigue, enhancing the overall storytelling experience. Despite some critiques regarding linearity and character interactions, the game's atmospheric design is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to its appeal within the souls-like genre.
- “The atmosphere and vibe are amazing and the story is phenomenal.”
- “The world of Krat feels eerie and mysterious, with its dark streets, twisted machinery, and haunting atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is crafted through lots of details that, altogether, make Lies of P's world come alive.”
- “The atmosphere is severely lacking and I was not immersed whatsoever in the world, had little care for many of the characters.”
- “The atmosphere, setting, and story of this game got me hooked.”
- “The dialogue does an amazing job at doing everything it can to remove you from this world and clash heavily with the atmosphere they're trying to create.”
optimization
493 mentions
57 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The optimization of "Lies of P" has received widespread acclaim, with players reporting exceptional performance across a range of hardware, including lower-end systems. Many users noted that the game runs smoothly at high frame rates without significant stuttering or crashes, even on maximum settings, making it one of the best-optimized titles of 2023. Overall, the game's technical execution stands out as a benchmark for future releases, showcasing impressive graphics and fluid gameplay.
- “The game is super well optimized, and the 3060 can run with full special effects without any pressure, and even the graphics card fan doesn't turn.”
- “Lies of P is polished and extremely well made and optimized on a technical level; it looks absolutely amazing and it runs extremely smoothly and well, with minimal drops in frame rate even during things like large explosions that would cause most games to drop frames.”
- “The optimization of this game is in its own league, one of the best of this generation.”
- “The optimization is pretty terrible, but that's just kind of how things are in the 'ray tracing' era.”
- “Horrible optimization, tried to play for the first hour, never got past 10 fps, it was completely unplayable and I have a 3090.”
- “This game is very poorly optimized and doesn't live up to the hype it is getting.”
grinding
156 mentions
3 % positive mentions
15 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating due to long boss run-backs, excessive enemy health pools, and the weapon durability system that adds unnecessary busywork. While some appreciate the challenge and the potential for skill improvement through grinding, others feel that the repetitive nature of certain encounters and the need for constant farming detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a blend of rewarding and tedious grinding experiences, often depending on individual player preferences and skill levels.
- “This game is also a trophy hunter's wet dream since 100% isn't as tedious as most of the games out there.”
- “Not too grindy to level up.”
- “Neat weapon system and quality of life choices that make a lot of things simply not tedious at all.”
- “The progression feels more grindy than rewarding, with certain parts of the game dragging on longer than necessary without meaningful progression in the story or combat systems.”
- “The entire weapon durability system serves no purpose at all except to be an annoyance; you get an infinite grindstone and repairing your weapon between fights is just tedious.”
- “The game design is impressive, but like the old Dark Souls games, every time you die you will have to run a couple of kilometers to reach that boss or side boss, dodging all the little enemies again and again, which makes the game very repetitive and tedious.”
emotional
131 mentions
98 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Lies of P" is widely praised for its heart-wrenching narrative and deeply engaging characters, often leaving players in tears due to its poignant storytelling and atmospheric music. While some reviews note a lack of emotional investment in certain battles and characters, many highlight the game's ability to evoke strong feelings through its unique adaptation of the Pinocchio tale, immersive world-building, and impactful side quests. Overall, players find the emotional journey to be a standout feature, making it a memorable experience in the souls-like genre.
- “This game seems to pull inspiration from environmental, NPC, and item-driven storytelling and combines it wonderfully with an emotionally cascading linear story that feels so raw and thought-provoking.”
- “The story totally wrecked me - it's amazing but heartbreaking at the same time.”
- “Lies of P is the only souls-like game I finished because of the touching story.”
- “I had the feeling of slamming my head against a wall while playing through this painful game with a boring story, horrible pacing, nonsensical and lackluster rewards, and poor balancing.”
- “The story is boring and delivered in mostly terrible voice acting.”
- “It's a cool, fantastic take on an otherwise boring story for me (sorry, Pinocchio).”
replayability
112 mentions
33 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game offers a solid level of replayability, primarily due to its engaging story, multiple endings, and a unique weapon modification system that encourages experimentation with different builds. While some players feel it lacks the depth of replayability found in titles like Dark Souls or Elden Ring, many appreciate the incentive to replay for different choices and character customization. Overall, the replay value is considered high, especially with the inclusion of New Game Plus and various gameplay styles.
- “The story is engaging, offering a darker twist on Pinocchio, and your decisions—whether to lie or tell the truth—shape the ending, adding replay value.”
- “The RPG elements, including weapon upgrades and character customization, add depth and replayability, allowing players to tailor their experience.”
- “With multiple endings and lying/telling the truth paths, the replayability is very high, but even without those, it still would be.”
- “Critique: despite these options, Lies of P doesn’t have the same replayability appeal as Soulsborne games.”
- “In short, this game suffers from a sharp drop off in replayability.”
- “Having no alternate paths to take through the world generally kills its replay value.”
stability
80 mentions
46 % positive mentions
6 % neutral mentions
48 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is highly praised, with many players reporting a smooth experience free of major bugs, glitches, or crashes. It runs well on various platforms, including lower-end machines and the Steam Deck, and is noted for its excellent optimization and performance. However, some users did encounter minor issues, particularly related to specific gameplay mechanics and late-game scaling, but these did not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “The game is very polished and runs great.”
- “Great visual aesthetic, runs great, one of the most solid soulslike games to come out.”
- “It runs great, looks great, plays great, and has been a breath of fresh air in comparison to all of the games releasing as of late, plagued with bugs and performance issues.”
- “The game consistently stutters and freezes whenever any enemy is on screen, it's crashed multiple times and my reason for finally writing this review is because it randomly blacked out my screen while playing???”
- “But the amount of bugs and glitches I experienced are just ruining it.”
- “I made it through most of the game before giving up due to buggy bosses.”
humor
75 mentions
95 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as dark and quirky, with players finding amusement in its absurdities, such as the ridiculous equip weight system and the juxtaposition of a puppet-themed narrative in a gothic setting. Many reviews highlight the comedic elements of character interactions and gameplay mechanics, while also noting that the humor can sometimes clash with the game's darker themes. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm to the experience, making it both entertaining and engaging for players.
- “The art style and world are inspired, and the sequel bait cutscene has hilarious implications upon the broader lore of the Lies of P universe.”
- “Enemies also have such jacked up attack tracking I'd just burst out laughing after seeing bosses constantly pull off 180-degree turns and lightning-fast gap closers from way too far away while they were halfway through their attack animation.”
- “The premise of Pinocchio in a Bioshock-esque futuristic steampunk world leads to both really funny bits of tying the sci-fi horror to the material it's referencing and also genuinely laudable worldbuilding and character moments.”
- “0/10 too many dead horses, seriously, way too many, it's not funny.”
- “It's not funny or anything, just annoying for the sake of being annoying.”
- “Funny, but not funny haha.”
character development
68 mentions
50 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising the depth and intricacy of the characters and their designs. The reimagining of the Pinocchio story adds a unique twist, enhancing the narrative and keeping players engaged with unexpected plot developments. Overall, the character designs are noted for their beauty and detail, contributing significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere and storytelling.
- “The story and character development are top-notch, the re-imagining of Pinocchio, the twisted story that takes it from a 'be good or else,' to 'lies may prove more useful in the end.' The story twists keep you guessing until the very end.”
- “The character development is top-notch and the way the narrative unfolds keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
- “The steampunk trappings and excellent character designs make for a memorable cast, and the story itself is also really well done for a game of this type.”
- “No character development, no attachment to characters, no feeling that this is a Pinocchio story at all.”
- “It has a lot of cool mechanics, and the combat is indeed very enjoyable, but other than that, the world/level design is okay, plot is interesting but lacks some depth, character designs are okay but not very memorable (hell, Ayre from AC6 is more memorable than the firekeeper in this game).”
- “The story isn't extremely deep but is fleshed out enough, and so far I get what I expect out of combat and character development.”
monetization
11 mentions
18 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
45 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a strong preference for games that avoid microtransactions, emphasizing the value of a dedicated single-player experience without predatory monetization. Players appreciate developers who focus on delivering rich content and innovative gameplay rather than relying on in-game purchases, which enhances their overall enjoyment and trust in the developer.
- “All in all, this developer has skyrocketed to the top of my radar, and the love and amount of content they poured into a single-player game with no microtransactions has made it so that their next game will be a day one for me.”
- “A relatively unknown developer releases a dedicated single-player RPG, with deep combat mechanics, a solid narrative, no microtransactions, and despite being inspired by a popular franchise, manages to have its own identity and innovation on an established genre.”
- “Not sure why a single player game with no microtransactions or leaderboard needs anti-cheat software... seems suspect...”
- “Keep it up and thanks for no predatory monetization or using players as your personal bug testers.”
- “All in all, this developer has skyrocketed to the top of my radar, and the love and amount of content they poured into a single player game with no microtransactions has made it so that their next game will be a day one for me.”