Lies of P hands-on preview: A soulslike welcoming veterans and newcomers alike

Lies of P is an upcoming soulslike game from the talented developers at NEOWIZ. It follows the story of Pinnochio in the dark and gruesome streets of Krat in what the game calls the "Belle Epoque era." At its core, it is an action RPG title with a linear world brimming with secrets and tough encounters with enemies. Thanks to NEOWIZ, I got the opportunity to try out the Demo version of Lies of P ahead of its public unveiling and suffice to say, I had an amazing time with it.

In this preview article, we'll be taking a closer look at everything the demo had to offer. This includes graphics, audio, gameplay, a little insight into the story of Lies of P, and more. As we go through this preview, I will be breaking down all of these components and sharing my thoughts to give you, the reader, a glimpse of what to expect from the title at launch.

So without further ado, let's dive straight into my experience of the short time I spent in the Lies of P Demo.

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Lies of P - My first impressions

I usually divide my reviews into sections, starting with my first impressions. This hands-on preview of Lies of P won't be any different, either. However, before I begin, I must make it clear that my last experience with a soulslike came in Bloodborne back in 2017. So although I expected a tough time, I underestimated it by a mile.

It begins with you, Pinnochio or P, waking up in a railway carriage with a mysterious voice that guides you. After becoming lucid, you are to make a choice of the type of weapons you want to pick. At first, the title offers you three options, a build that prioritizes dexterity, one that prioritizes strength, and the final, a balanced build.

Once you have picked your preferred weapon, you walk into the abandoned train station, where rogue puppets try to kill you. This section acts more like a tutorial that teaches the basics, such as light attack, strong attack, run, dodge, and more. After exiting the train station and stepping onto the streets, I instantly got a Bloodborne vibe from the game.

The setting is very similar, but evokes the Belle Epoque era instead of the Gothic Victorian era in Bloodborne. In better words, it felt like I was playing a Steampunk version of Bloodborne, where instead of magic and dark arts, technology runs abound.

As soon as the game loaded with the scene of me waking up in the carriage, I was mesmerized by the graphics, worthy enough to be hailed as a truly next-gen title (I understand PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are current-gen at this point). Then came the fights. As I mentioned before, it's been a while since I played a soulslike and the early tutorial was certainly appreciated.

However, unlike other games, you aren't safe in the tutorial section either, and the puppets will wreak havoc if you spend too much time trying to learn. Thankfully, the tutorial is so well-crafted that you pick up the gameplay mechanics quickly. And thus began my short journey of the Lies of P.

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Unveiling refined gameplay mechanics and a captivating build-up of the story

Gameplay

A soulslike is all about gameplay, and in that section, Lies of P doesn't disappoint. Combat is fluid (and tough). All actions that you can take, such as jumping, running, climbing, dodging, and attacking, work flawlessly. But being a soulslike, you will spend a lot of time in combat, where you cannot just smash your buttons through to win an encounter. All fights must be taken carefully to learn the enemies' move sets.

And in that aspect, Lies of P nails it. You use a combination of light attacks, heavy attacks, Fable attacks, and of course, constant dodging. You also use throwables that can inflict heavy damage. If utilized correctly, you can take down multiple foes at once. Also, since it is an action RPG, you have options to customize your outfit, level up your character as you wish, and have a plethora of consumables that can enhance P.

One of the most interesting aspects of Lies of P is that your weapon will lose its power due to constant fighting. In some instances, I found myself sharpening my weapon in the middle of a fight. It was stressful, to say the least.

In this Demo, I encountered two boss battles and one mini-boss fight. The first boss I fought wasn't that difficult, prompting me to believe this soulslike isn't for the veterans and merely exists to give the illusion of a challenging experience to those wishing to join the genre. Then I went on to beat the mini-boss, the Mad Donkey, quite easily as well.

However, then came the second boss, and I lost it. Never has a game shattered my confidence so emphatically. It took me over 30 tries to finally defeat him, with the help of a specter, that is. Yes, you can use special stones to spawn specters. However, it was only available against the second boss and wasn't present in my clash against the Parade Master, the first boss.

All in all, I have no major complaints about the gameplay. It is almost perfect. However, there's some scope for improvement and fine-tuning of the movement in general. The game could have incorporated more fighting moves because as of now, I could only notice two major variations. Some combinations with light and heavy attacks for a different move set would have been appreciated. Hopefully, these will be refined by the time Lies of P launches.

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Story

As for the story, it is quite simple (so far). In my short session, I was able to play through the first two chapters of Lies of P. You wake up inside a carriage with no idea of what's going on, followed by a mysterious voice guiding you to reach a Hotel. In your way, you fight rogue puppets, who went on a frenzy killing everything living around them and then obviously the first boss, the Parade Master.

Fortunately, people are still alive at the Hotel, leading to a few conversations. There's also a tiny area where you can practice your moves. Here, you meet Sophia, an elegant lady who is indeed the mysterious voice. She then tells you to find your creator, Mr. Geppetto, to gain answers to what has befallen the city of Krat.

On your way, you will find a weeping lady who gives you a small side quest. The objective is to find her baby and bring her back. I won't go in-depth about this side quest. While revealing its details won't be a major spoiler, I implore gamers to play it themselves. Just remember you have dialogue options, and you are a puppet whose legacy is built upon lies. That's all I will reveal at the moment.

And then you are on your way to find him. However, you encounter Mad Donkey here, who is not a puppet, unfortunately, and wants to kill Geppetto and blames him for the situation at Krat. You must take him down.

Geppetto subsequently informs you of a disturbance in the nearby area, where you fight the second boss, Scrapped Watchman. Once defeated, you make your way back to the Hotel. Geppetto gives you a little context of what's going on, and the demo ends there.

Despite being a short demo, it gave me enough to be excited about the narrative. I can't wait to see how this unfolds following the game's launch.

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Audio, Graphics, and Performance - An unparalleled experience

Audio

I will keep this section short. Starting off with the audio and music, it's wonderful, to say the least. The music builds up during fights, with moments of quiet enveloping you while walking the streets. Coupled with that, the characters are adequately voiced. However, the most lovely implementation of audio I found was during boss battles. The music is intense, with the sound of a Perfect Guard producing the most satisfying aspect of the combat.

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Graphics

Scrapper Watchman in Lies of P (Image via NEOWIZ)

When it comes to graphics, Lies of P is breathtaking. In the 'My First Impressions' section, I already mentioned that graphics were one of the first facets to catch my eye. The game's night setting with wet surfaces is a sight to behold. Pinnochio or P is elegantly designed along with all other major characters, including the bosses and other puppet enemies.

Moreover, the fighting effects with electricity, sparks, explosions, and animations are amazing. However, my only gripe is with regard to the dead horses in Chapter 1, which I felt used low-resolution textures. Not to be pedantic, it makes no sense to put high resolution there, but just for the sake of being critical, that's the only fault I could find.

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Performance

Once again, NEOWIZ has nailed the performance on PC. I played Lies of P on a mid-range GPU with an RTX 3060 Ti, Ryzen 5 5600x, and 16 GB RAM. I ran the game at 1080p with all graphics values turned to the max with DLSS off and achieved over 140 FPS almost constantly. There were no crashes or bugs in this short demo for me. I was impressed, as it's rare to see games with this level of polish nowadays.

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Conclusion - Should you be excited about Lies of P?

Just to be abundantly clear: Yes, Lies of P is certainly worth being excited for. It doesn't matter if you are a veteran soulslike behemoth or someone new to the genre, you will love the game. In only two chapters, Lies of P left me wanting more. If you read through the article already, you would realize that I had nothing to complain about except for textures on a dead horse for the sake of being critical. That's how good it is.

The gameplay is smooth, and anyone can learn the basics in no time. The difficulty increases gradually, giving the player time to get accustomed to the mechanics. But that doesn't imply an easy challenge, as it truly tests what you have learned in each step. Characters are interesting, and everyone has a story to tell. Its narrative, audio, graphics, and gameplay all work seamlessly.

I can't wait for the game to launch to see how everything unfolds. If you are interested in playing it, the demo version is currently available on Steam for free.

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Reviewed On: Windows PC

Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Developer(s): NEOWIZ

Publisher(s): NEOWIZ

Release Date: September 19, 2023