It has all the makings of a tough and perilous action-adventure, complete with respawned enemies and having to return to the place of your death to retrieve lost Ergo, but Lies of P also invests you in a sinister storyline as it unfolds. With these small yet significant changes to what we might expect from a Soulslike, Lies of P is shaping up to be a delightfully unexpected entrant amid the litany of new games of 2023. It has the added benefit of allowing the narrative elements to bleed through at appropriate moments, never giving you information overload or distracting you from battle. There's still plenty of exploring, from the labyrinthine station to the Plaza once you clear it, but it makes the task of memorizing locations and attack patterns of various enemies just that much more straightforward to grasp. In the demo, at least, we are led through a specific pathway instead of dropped out in a field with a number of enemies to stumble upon by accident. This shouldn't have been as big of a surprise as it felt, what with the game being based on a piece of literature, but Neowiz deserves praise for its light hand in combining the story, the horror, and the challenging gameplay we expect from a Soulslike in a way that feels integrous to each element rather than ham-fisted. There is clearly a story underpinning Lies of P, one that feels far more detail-oriented and narrative-driven than in any of the best FromSoftware games. I pick up a scrap of paper from behind a desk, written in a hurried hand: "if you find this, please leave immediately." It feels both long-abandoned and recently-vacated, with a voice over the loudspeaker cheerily greeting me upon entering the deserted main hall. When they collapse, dead, into piles of unnaturally-angled elbows and knees, I take a moment to wonder how they can actually bleed before turning my attention back to the eerily quiet and empty Krat Central Station. The weight of the night sky bears down on the cobbled streets, barren of life save for the lumbering shadows cast by enemies as they move silently beneath the lamplight. Splattered in the blood of slain enemies that move with a decidedly unnerving, doll-like gait, this is definitely not a game for kids.ĭedicated to Pinocchio author Carlo Collodi, Lies of P's setting in Belle Époque France has an irrefutable gothic poetry. I'm prone to bulking my attack strength first in any Soulslike, and since Path of the Bastard gives you more speed over power to begin with, I stuck to my guns. Here is where you can use the Ergo you've collected from slain enemies to upgrade your stats, whether it be Vitality, Vigor, Technique, or any of the other three. They will be replenished once completing an area and reaching a Stargazer, which serve as Lies of P's answer to Elden Ring's Sites of Grace. Starting out with three Pulse cells, blocking and parrying enemy attacks is vital to make sure you don't glug each one too soon. The number of times I hit the X button on my controller to attack and instead downed a health-replenishing Pulse cell, despite having a full HP bar, is frustratingly high, and you'll want to make sure to equip any newly-found projectiles to your belt slots as you go. Like, a lot.Īs is true for any Soulslike, the combat mechanics took awhile to feel familiar. Testing out each of the pathways is a must if you're unsure, but all I can say is prepare to die a lot. Once I swapped to Path of the Bastard, I was suddenly having a lot more fun carving up hordes of creepy puppets. I tried Path of the Cricket at first and quickly realized that my chaotic hack n' slash playstyle didn't transfer too well, dying repeatedly over and over to one of the first tough enemies I came across at the end of the first chapter. Xbox Games Showcase 2023 | Ubisoft Forward 2023 | Future Games Show 2023įinally, Path of the Sweeper is the go-to for anyone who likes to make each motion count, opting for immense strength over speed.
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