Lies of P Review | No Strings Attached

In a time where AAA games boast marketing budgets just as sizeable as their production costs, it’s hard for indie developers to get eyes on what they’re working on. Getting a slot in a digital showcase, be it the PlayStation State of Play or Nintendo Direct, is nice but it’s also easy to get buried by the headliners. (Often a first-party title or port of an already beloved indie game.) So when a game does manage to get the public’s attention, owing to some small gameplay clip going viral on Twitter, it becomes increasingly important that the game delivers on its promises. Especially with games like The Day Before setting a bad pace in recent memory.

That’s where Lies of P comes in. Developed by South Korean developer Round 8 Studio, the game caught the internet’s attention thanks to a few cool-looking clips and the interesting concept of a Souls-like retelling of Pinocchio. I will admit that I was one of the skeptics who thought the game was just another hat in the ever-crowded Souls-like ring. A game trying to recapture what makes From Software’s games so special but, just like most of the others that came before it, failing to do so. Well, I am happy to report that I was so very wrong.

Lies of P has you playing as a pale-faced petite puppet brought to life by the Blue Fairy. Awaking in a train cart, Pinocchio soon enters Krat, a city in the midst of a puppet frenzy and a disease outbreak that has seen most of the human population dead or in hiding. Puppets of mal-intent wait around nearly every corner like zombies, waiting to kill anything that moves, while mutated humans wait outside the city to do much the same. Right from its opening moments, Lies of P is (often literally) dripping with a tense atmosphere. Everything from the Krat architecture and set decoration to the sound design and lighting are used effectively to set the tone.

One thing to note is that tonally, the game can at times have more in common with a horror game like Resident Evil 4 than any entry in the Dark Souls series. I haven’t played Bloodborne personally (though I have watched a lot of videos) and I do agree that aesthetically the game does mimic it, but when Lies of P takes you outside of the main city, it can almost feel like a genre shift in terms of general atmosphere. That is, until you get to the next boss and get stomped into remembering what you’re playing.

It’s evident when playing the game that Round 8 took the time to adapt the story of Pinocchio into this grimdark world and while creative liberties were certainly taken, the result is a narrative that feels easier to grasp than other Souls-like games. Having characters you can talk to and ask questions goes a long way here and the game attempts to ask some big questions that feel as topical in the scope of real-world AI as they do to the fictional puppets of Krat. I also want to give a special mention to the environmental storytelling. Often as you explore the city of Krat, you will see lit-up windows with people whispering, and sometimes you can even converse with them. Small details like that help flesh out the world more than just scattered documents, of which there are plenty.

Speaking of conversing, a key narrative point in Lies of P is the humanity of Pinocchio. There are a few different ways you can proactively make Pinocchio more human, the first of which is lying. Occasionally as you play, you will come across dialogue options. These are nothing fancy, just two choices, one truth, and one lie. Despite the limited options, they have different outcomes and your answers can even help you avoid certain side bosses. You can also listen to music via the record player in the Krat Hotel lobby and progress to key points in the story to alter your humanity. These are interesting changes that pair well with both the narrative hook and the in-game skill tree and gameplay modifying stats.

Now, that all being said, let’s talk about the most important part of the package: gameplay. At the most basic level, Lies of P is a third-person action game. You can select two weapons to swap between by pressing right on the d-pad and all weapons have both a regular and a heavy attack. Normally, these attacks are bound to RB and RT respectively but I remapped my inputs to X for regular attack and Y for heavy attack. Not all games have the option of changing button controls and I appreciate the feature here as it felt much more intuitive for me to change it. LB is used as a guard button (something I’ll talk more about in just a second) and LT is for Pinocchio’s Legion arm, which can be used a few times every life to deal special damage based on which one you equip. You can also pick a few items like Pulse Cells for healing and throwables for easy access that can be selected with up and down buttons on the d-pad. And if you need the space, you can also access an Extra Bag by holding A on Xbox, which has four more slots that I personally used for gestures. Seeing as there’s no pause in the game, setting up these utilities early on is essential to surviving some of the brutal encounters in the game.

When it comes to combat, there are three different builds you can focus on in Lies of P. Motivity (aka strength), Technique (aka dexterity), and Advance (aka magic). Motivity is recommended for new players as it deals heavy damage and focuses on ending fights fast, but each of the builds has its benefits. And in the second half of the game, if you want to change it up, there is a way to respec your stats at the Gold Coin Fruit tree. As you level up using collected Ergo, you will put points into one of those categories along with Vitality (aka health), Vigor (aka stamina), etc. This will dictate your build and what sort of weapons work best for you. Every weapon you find will have a base damage and a score for Motivity, Technique, and Advance. One of the coolest features in Lies of P actually revolves around weapon crafting. Most of the weapons you get can be separated into two parts, the blade and the handle. The game lets you pick and choose what you like to make the weapon that best suits your playstyle. Have a wrench with a long handle that makes it a two-handed weapon? Attach it to a sword handle to make it one-handed. You sacrifice range but you get speed and the game gives you the freedom to make that decision.

I’ve talked about crafting weapons and Legion arms, but not where to do those things. Yes, you can certainly go to the Krat Hotel, which sort of becomes your base of operations, but it’s more convenient to do so at Stargazers. These are Lies of P‘s equivalent of bonfires from a Souls game and at a fundamental level, it’s where you rest, fill up your Pulse Cells, and revive all regular enemies on the map. However, it’s also where you can assemble new weapons using parts you already have, swap out Legion arms, switch weapon Grinders that not only sharpen your blade but can imbue it with temporary attributes, and more. You can also use these to fast travel to any other Stargazer you’ve previously been to, including the Krat Hotel, which you will have to do every time you want to level up. The game oddly introduces the feature of leveling up at a Stargazer until the first boss, and then changes it so you have to talk to Sofia in the hotel lobby to do so moving forward. One handy feature in the Stargazer fast travel menu, however, is that the game marks places where characters have new dialogue available so you always know where to go.

The last big gameplay factor to discuss is the P-Organ. Ridiculous naming aside, the P-Organ opens up Lies of P‘s skill tree. Using Quartz found around the map, you can improve a range of different stats from how many Pulse Cells you can hold to the amount of Ergo enemies drop. These mechanics are rolled out over the course of a couple of hours and it’ll take you a few bosses before they’re all available for you to play around with. If you’re someone who loves experimenting with gameplay and tweaking stats, you’ll have a good time in Lies of P. Not only do you distribute points for leveling up, but you can also spend Ergo and items dropped by enemies like moonstones to upgrade your weapons and Legion arms.

Some people who look at Lies of P‘s gameplay might think that it’s a good intro to the Souls-like genre. A gateway drug to From Soft’s mainline games. While there are a lot of similarities in the core gameplay loop, there is one thing that’s notably different; guarding. Guarding is a crucial part of Lies of P and will decide how far you make it into the game before you hit a wall. When you guard against an attack, you take reduced damage, but attacking the enemy immediately afterward will let you earn some of that lost health back. That’s where the red attacks come in. These are powerful moves most often used by bosses (and occasionally by regular mobs) that can only be blocked by a Perfect Guard. You can dodge roll and that can be helpful in avoiding getting cornered but I recommend taking the time to get comfortable guarding.

Almost as important as gameplay in a Souls-like is the level design and it’s great here. Stargazers are placed thoughtfully and considerately around the map, ensuring that you rarely have to backtrack. Despite the number of large set pieces, Lies of P is a pretty linear game, meaning you will rarely get lost. Though you can certainly still miss things if you aren’t willing to go off the beaten path including optional bosses, vendors, and items. I find that good game design is often so intuitive that it goes unnoticed so I really want to emphasize how satisfying the interwoven paths of this game are. Not to ignore the presentation of that level design, which is steeped in austere grandeur.

In case you get worried that the game might be too difficult, I will present myself as an example of the contrary. I have not finished a true Souls-like, despite putting a handful of hours into games like Dark Souls III and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Now, I am still playing Lies of P so don’t start clapping just yet, but I am over halfway in and am slowly pushing forward. As is custom in the genre, you will come across bosses that can feel insurmountable (like the Fallen Archbishop), but understanding the game’s various mechanics and systems has helped me defeat ones I didn’t think I could. To help you in these fights, there are Specters, which are AI-controlled NPCs that spawn during a boss fight to help. These are summoned at glowing bird baths before each boss arena and require the use of Star Fragments. These are dropped randomly by enemies and I always had a handful in my bag when it came time to throw down. To add to that, the developers are trying to make the game easier for new players. Their most recent patch notably nerfed a bunch of bosses while buffing specters. And should you ever be confused about a game mechanic while playing, there is a guide in the settings menu to help.

I played Lies of P primarily on an Xbox Series S and I am happy to say that the performance is solid. Performance mode is the preferred (and recommended) way to play in a game where timing matters and I experienced little to no frame drops. The only drawback that I noticed for playing on the less powerful Xbox console is that some of the far-away textures become noticeably blurred. In the cramped city streets, it’s not noticeable but when the game wants you to take in the scenery at a dramatic vantage point, it can be a brief distraction. Also, for as detailed and ornate as the levels often are, the characters are a bit disappointing. Talking with NPCs will have you staring at their generic speech animation on a loop and in a game about a puppet coming to life, it’s a bit funny that the humans often move so robotic. And don’t even get me started on Gepetto’s beard.

If I haven’t driven the point home yet, I want to state it explicitly here. I didn’t expect to enjoy Lies of P as much as I did. As I’ve reiterated multiple times, I’m not the target demographic for games in this genre. There were plenty of times when I got a bit overwhelmed and had to boot up The Crew Motorfest to unwind. Yet I kept coming back. The intriguing setup and great soundtrack were enough to get me invested in the game’s numerous systems and before long the gameplay started to click too. The hook of running out of Pulse Cells and having to weigh the risk/reward of pushing through to the next inevitable Stargazer or turning back to the last one is both terrifying and exhilarating. For new players, it’s worth mentioning that the game encourages more of an offensive playstyle. Once you use up all your Pulse Cells to heal, for example, you can refill them by landing successful hits on enemies. I committed to a Motivity build early on and that really helped define how I approached the game.

This is one of the few times where I am reviewing a game without rolling credits, but nearly 30 hours in, I am set in what I have to say. Lies of P certainly takes a lot of inspiration from acclaimed From Soft games, but it still manages to retain its own identity. While it may not be the “baby’s first Souls-like” that people might have been expecting, I still do recommend it to newcomers. The story is intriguing, the world is well realized, and, despite its frustrating quirks, it’s got me hooked as few games in the genre have before. Lies of P is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If you have an Xbox Game Pass membership, you have no excuse not to try it out because, just like me, you might find out that you actually really like it. If you have other questions about the game, check out my quickhelp guide here, and let me know what you think of Lies of P down in the comments if you’ve played it.