This game does such a brilliant job of integrating the sekiro deflect mechanics with traditional souls combat; something promised in Elden Ring but not fully delivered beyond a generic stance break ability.
Out of any souls game, this one allows me to approach fights absolutely however I'm most comfortable with. The entire game is playable with dodge rolling for example, although certain bosses will encourage certain combat styles, making it especially rewarding to master each system and recognise when to apply it.

Better multi enemy fights than other Souls games, with good use of audio cues to help you understand what is going on off screen. Some super derivative bosses and movesets, but the aforementioned combat improvements make this less noticeable.

Lots of world building is delivered in order to flesh out the world; and ensure the endings have impact. Throughout the game it is clear that your choices are going to make a difference at the end, although the ambiguity creates a lot of tension. I ended up not liking my ending very much but that was because my choices had backed me into a corner decision wise.

The game feels very familiar, although progression is somewhat dated in comparison to combat - playing out more like DS2 with linear areas that don't necessarily transition smoothly, although lots of shortcuts and looping back in on yourself to enjoy. This isn't really a problem for me as the souls market is a little starved for linear level design at the moment. Areas are still for the most part memorable and distinct, although I would have liked the boss designs to be more representative of their arenas and the local enemies you fight before them.

19 hours to beat, although I am still missing one boss. Planning to complete the achievements for this as I'm loving the experience.


Now I have collected all the achievements for this game I'd like to slightly append my review.
I got to experience the rise of P ending for one of them, which requires lots of thought surrounding the humanity system. I think this was a great choice and gets the player to interact with things they otherwise might not, like the piano.
My final run took me just short of 5 hours which is a great tell of the quality of a souls game. Once you master all of the mechanics and routes this game can be ran very fast which I think is excellent.

The story of this game is quite deep and am looking forward to it being expanded in the future.

Certainly overall has to be a top 3 souls game for me, really just engaging mechanics used throughout that I will deeply miss when Elden Ring DLC finally releases. The parry, legion arm, fable art meter, health recovery system are all elements that just elevate the gameplay in this game well beyond almost every other game in the genre. It is of course beautiful and very thematic, while also being a solid length with a quality standalone story.

42 hours to complete

[h1]Where ER combat failed to adapt, Lies of P succeeds[/h1] This game does such a brilliant job of integrating the sekiro deflect mechanics with traditional souls combat; something promised in Elden Ring but not fully delivered beyond a generic stance break ability. Out of any souls game, this one allows me to approach fights absolutely however I'm most comfortable with. The entire game is playable with dodge rolling for example, although certain bosses will encourage certain combat styles, making it especially rewarding to master each system and recognise when to apply it. Better multi enemy fights than other Souls games, with good use of audio cues to help you understand what is going on off screen. Some super derivative bosses and movesets, but the aforementioned combat improvements make this less noticeable. Lots of world building is delivered in order to flesh out the world; and ensure the endings have impact. Throughout the game it is clear that your choices are going to make a difference at the end, although the ambiguity creates a lot of tension. I ended up not liking my ending very much but that was because my choices had backed me into a corner decision wise. The game feels very familiar, although progression is somewhat dated in comparison to combat - playing out more like DS2 with linear areas that don't necessarily transition smoothly, although lots of shortcuts and looping back in on yourself to enjoy. This isn't really a problem for me as the souls market is a little starved for linear level design at the moment. Areas are still for the most part memorable and distinct, although I would have liked the boss designs to be more representative of their arenas and the local enemies you fight before them. [b]19 hours to beat[/b], although I am still missing one boss. Planning to complete the achievements for this as I'm loving the experience. [h2]Completion Edit[/h2] Now I have collected all the achievements for this game I'd like to slightly append my review. I got to experience the rise of P ending for one of them, which requires lots of thought surrounding the humanity system. I think this was a great choice and gets the player to interact with things they otherwise might not, like the piano. My final run took me just short of 5 hours which is a great tell of the quality of a souls game. Once you master all of the mechanics and routes this game can be ran very fast which I think is excellent. The story of this game is quite deep and am looking forward to it being expanded in the future. Certainly overall has to be a top 3 souls game for me, really just engaging mechanics used throughout that I will deeply miss when Elden Ring DLC finally releases. The parry, legion arm, fable art meter, health recovery system are all elements that just elevate the gameplay in this game well beyond almost every other game in the genre. It is of course beautiful and very thematic, while also being a solid length with a quality standalone story. [b]42 hours to complete[/b]