Lies of P (2023)

Just played half an hour or so on game pass. I'm grabbed by the setting, intrigued by the premise and the visuals are great! While the game feels a bit better than other Soulslikes I've played it still doesn't feel as good as a FromSoft joint, Bloodborne onwards. The speed and fluidity isn't quite there. It really is just something you can feel. Going to keep at it. I also haven't really been challenged yet.

Obviously its very early but I'm going to stick with it. I could vibe with a chill Soulslike if the charm shines through

So I just played Lies of P demo and here are my thoughts...

I'm a Veteran of Soulslike games, I completed every From Software game and I have 100% in half of them. I've also played other Soulslike games, like Lords of the Fallen, Code Vein, or even Salt and Sanctuary.

Lies of P has potential. It looks amazing, it has its atmosphere, it has cool character design, and the story with the whole lying gimmick seems very interesting. The game fails where every wannabe Soulslike fails, in the gameplay department. It's usually what kills every single game from Soulslike genre, that isn't directly developed by From Software. Lies of P movement is just atrocious. You can't cancel attacks, it has the worst dodge out of every single Soulslike game I've ever played, and everything feels so slow. The game is just incredibly clunky, you have to finish the attack animation in order to guard and dodge, and it wouldn't be that much of a problem, but unfortunately parrying and dodging is as insensitive as it can possibly get. It really is a pity, because I was interested in the game for a long time, but to be honest, it wasn't a surprise, they always get the movement wrong... Lies of P looks great, it has a cool world and a niche story to discover, but unfortunately, it is a hard pass for me.

Based on the demo alone, Lies of P isn't bad at all... but it also baffles me that so many people are so easily calling this game "good enough" or a spiritual successor to Bloodborne. I just don't see it. Apart from the easily discernible European/Victorian style setting, this game is no different from countless other Souls-likes out there and does very little to distinguish itself from them as well. The combat is slow and stiff, far more similar to Dark Souls 2 than anything even closely resembling Bloodborne's combat, yet people are claiming that this will scratch the Bloodborne itch? Am I crazy or missing something here?

That aside, the game seems fun enough but I'm not really a fan of how the current systems are implemented. Dodging feels underpowered and nearly useless. It's clear they want you to guard as they even implemented a perfect guard but at the same time doesn't feel particularly rewarding but rather mandatory to do. It's an incredibly tight window, far too tight for a tool the game expects you to constantly use as it's the best way to prevent durability loss and create openings that don't just involve you poking and backing away. Then, of course, there's durability, again another system that feels a bit pointless in my opinion. You can repair your weapon at any time with no penalty so it doesn't make sense to me why it's there in the first place. After enough encounters you can just repair your weapon and move on, though it's a nuisance to do it in the middle of a boss fight but also quick enough that it doesn't really affect anything. So... why is it there? The game's systems don't really feel like they play off each other in any meaningful way so they just come across as afterthoughts the developers decided to just put in for the sake of having something.

Anyway, it's an okay game, but I hope they make combat a bit more interesting in the full release.