I don't understand Souls game. When Neowiz first released the trailer of ‘Lies of P’, my first impression was: “This game looks amazing!” and “Wait what? Pinocchio?”. Two premises, I was sold. After all, I get to play with a badass Pinocchio in a Belle Epoque setting. Almost immediately, I became bummed when I found out that it was meant to be a Souls-like game. A reason I didn’t buy the game on Day 1. I took some time to consider, but I did tell myself, “If I do decide to try this kind of game, it’s going to be Lies of P.” Simply, for the aesthetics.
50 hours, and on my third playthrough, waiting for the DLC. I think Neowiz managed to convince me to try out the FromSoft games too.

As I’ve said in the preface, this is my first Souls-Like game. I am not going to use Souls / Souls-like games as a basis of comparison. Heck, I didn’t even understand what Souls game really is before playing ‘Lies of P’. So my review on the mechanics will be on the basis of my experience with the game.

Combat. It was not surprising that I was going to struggle with this game at first. This game is tough... I didn’t know that even random mobs hit you like a truck! I remembered fighting the first boss of the game and dying multiple times. All I could say to myself was “This game is going to take a while...” But once you get the hang of it, combat feels very satisfying and actually addicting. Combat in this game feels rewarding as both an attacker or defender. Every attack felt that it meant something, maybe because it was hard-earned. The Perfect Guard mechanic makes defence very dopamine-inducing.
The fun combat system implemented makes you pay more attention to the customisation aspect of the game. And this game allows for a lot of customisation. You can essentially craft your own weapon, and each combination achieves a different desired effect. On top of that, there are still customisation mechanics like the P-Organs (essentially a Skill Tree) which makes progressing meaningful because it defines how you play the game.

The linearity of the game is also something I appreciate. The levels are designed extremely well and in a way that I’ve never seen other games done before. (I only find out later that this kind of level design is a key component of Souls games. Lies of P makes me intrigued to play the Souls games). They are linear in the sense that there is only one true start and one true end. But they are designed such that it allows for exploration, unlocking secrets and seeing more of the world. I love to explore. In most of my games, I would spend hours trying to unlock everything I could in certain areas. In ‘Lies of P’, the design of the levels assured me that I’ll never get lost during my exploration even though there are no maps! It’s genius work.

This was the entire reason why I played the game in the first place. This game captures Gothic Horror perfectly and WITH A TWIST! The Victorian Era is good at capturing two themes: Gothic Horror and Steampunk. ‘Lies of P’ blended the two genres with finesse. Krat is built beautifully, up above in its rooftops, down to its sewers. Every level is amazing to look at. There are even different times of day, which shows the game’s ability to display these architecture under different light.

Choice of clothing and the theme of adopting an animal mask for the Stalkers are also something that feels unique. I like the idea that it made a clear reference to the original book. Since Pinocchio interacted with a lot of different animals, they decided to make animal masks an identity to the Stalkers. Didn’t know that animal masks accompanied by an elegant tailcoat could be an amazing combination.

I didn’t expect the story to be so damn good. Unlocking the game’s multiple endings is one of the main reasons why I chose to NG+ this game. There is something about how this game’s story is structured that intrigued me. It’s a fantasy epic packaged in a game. A simple story in a deep and intricate world. This thirst of exploring more of Krat is my driving force of running multiple playthroughs of the game (even though it’s hard and stressful!).

Another amazing thing about this game are the characters. As you progress through the game, you will grow to know more about your peers in the Hotel. Each of them have their own story arc that you can learn through the side-quests and collectibles. All of them felt meaningful. This is not limited only for the characters in the hotel. Even enemies have their own story arc. The entire narrative arc with the Black Rabbit Brotherhood was something I really enjoyed, even though it’s written in a simple way. And who could forget about the Cat and the Fox? Of course, the relationship of the main characters in the game — P and Gepetto — served as the true final act of the game. And it was written masterfully.

Twisting an old fairy tale is also an effective way to convey emotions to the players. If you’ve ever read Carlo Collodi’s work — ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ — you will notice a lot of similarity when it comes to the characters. And if you’ve read Carlo Collodi’s work, you’ll know which characters are ‘good’ and which are ‘bad’. This prior knowledge kind of makes interaction with some of the characters in the game unique because players like me will already have a personal bias towards those characters. For example, there was a part of me that does not trust the Fox and the Cat because I knew what they do to Pinocchio in the original book. Aspects like this may affect a player's decision in the game. The mind-blowing parts are when they actually twist the alignment of some characters. ‘Lies of P’ is an inspired work done right.

All of the collectible records in this game is one of the best game music I’ve ever heard in my life. ‘Feel’ was stuck in my head for weeks. And when I thought that it was the best the game could offer, I was wrong. None of the records are bad. It was one of few collectibles across many games that I truly enjoy collecting. Playing a record in the hotel made it all worth it. I think my favourite was ‘Quixotic’.

The background music used in the game took some time to catch on, but it truly captures the aesthetic of the game. It really feels like you are brought back to the Belle Epoque era. Rosa Isabella Street featured ‘Fascination’ sung as if you’re in an opera house. It was one of the best areas in the entire game when it comes to pure game immersion. During boss battles, the music can get really good. I find myself humming some of the boss's music, especially when it takes me many attempts to beat one.

And another reason why combat felt so good was because of the great sound design. The Perfect Guard sound is addicting. It becomes very obvious when you’re fighting a humanoid boss where the battle becomes a clash of weapons. The sound that the Perfect Guard makes will immerse you in the battle, as if you’re having one of the craziest fencing duels in your life.

I would recommend this game to anyone, even those who have never played any Souls games in their life. Lies of P quickly became one of my favourite games, and I would even say that it should have been a contender for Game of the Year back in 2023. (Sadly, it is also the year where Baldur’s Gate 3 and Spider-Man 2 are released). Even if only from a narrative standpoint, ‘Lies of P’ stood strong with many games that one would consider ‘Story-Rich’. Imagine that, with one of the most fun combat mechanics I’ve ever laid my hands on. I guess it’s really like what those redditors say: “The P in Lies of P stands for ‘Peak’”.