The Soulslike has become one of the most overabundant genres in all of gaming over the last decade. You could even argue the focus on integrating “Soulslike” elements into games has sometimes become a detriment. For a long time, I’ve felt like no one else has been able to really grasp the core ideals of a Soulslike the way FromSoftware can. But that all changed with Lies of P — especially now that I have now played the recently-released Overture DLC. I’d even go as far to say that Lies of P is the most important Soulslike we’ve seen since the original Bloodborne. That’s largely because of the flawless way the game seems to just get what makes the genre tick — but more importantly, truly innovates on the way a Soulslike can weave a narrative, and create a defined hero.
Lies of P initially drew a lot of attention as the Pinocchio game, and that’s genuinely a large part of the game’s mystique. It draws heavily from the original 1883 novel by Carlo Collodi — so much so that if you know the novel, the excruciating detail and references put into the game are astounding.
Krat is a setting bristling with personality and horror, an effective playground for a twisted fairytale.
But more than that, Lies of P uses the concept of Pinocchio as a structure for the game itself, crafting a deliciously dark world where man-made mech puppets have grown murderous and run rampant. There’s also the mysterious “lying” system that becomes integral to the game's branching story and endings, where you’re given options throughout the game to lie or tell the truth — and there are so many brilliant ways the game incorporates this. From subtly changing the main character’s look and posture to be more human, to actually giving you the reward of a powerful weapon for lying enough.
Yes, Lies of P has some fantastic gameplay ideas that genuinely innovate on the genre. Its weapon combination system is surprisingly brilliant for making a wide array of diverse builds, and the Fable Arts system helps make combat feel even more robust. So many elements add up to make Lies of P more than the sum of its parts. Mechanically, Lies of P is one of the most satisfying and best-playing Soulslikes ever seen, but that’s not even its best feature.
What I really want to focus on is Lies of P’s two greatest achievements: a nearly perfect tone and forwarding a more direct narrative. The crux of what makes Lies of P such a masterpiece is how subtly it weaves the emergent gameplay mechanics with a phenomenal tone and aesthetic, a deeply fascinating story that both embraces and breaks the tropes of Soulslikes.
Lies of P’s story can be intuited through simple context, but there’s tremendous depth packed in for those who want it.
To that end, one thing I often find Soulikes simply don’t get is the idea of cryptic storytelling. Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring all have phenomenal stories told in the most atypical way imaginable. These are games steeped in lore, where the sheer act of exploration enhances your understanding of the narrative and world.
Everything is tinged with a bit of storytelling — weapons, rings, environments, items, and more. But in crafting From’s trademark storytelling style, the Soulslike genre has largely decided these games need to be cryptic — simply because that’s how it is. There’s a lack of understanding on why that style works or how to really lean into it. Lies of P doesn’t have that problem, but rather takes the cryptic styling of Souls and transforms it into something new.
Lies of P succeeds on two fronts of storytelling. It’s a game you can simply play through and vibe with, getting enough context through the actual world design and snippets of dialogue. The city of Krat is wonderful, gritty, and horrifying all at once — and the various environments you move through beautifully tell the story of the city itself. But there’s an extra layer added on top of all that through bits of collectible lore scattered throughout the game, and a deliberate focus on building relationships.
Lies of P brilliantly subverts the Soulslike trope of a nameless, wretched soul of a hero.
Dark Souls has some fantastic character arcs, but the key difference here is that your protagonist, Carlo, is deliberately building relationships with a core cast of characters. Your home base of Hotel Krat becomes a kind of resistance HQ to help you save the city, and the core supporting cast gives fantastic depth to the overall narrative the more you talk to them. Every person has their own arc that spreads through the entire game, from your smith Eugenie learning about her long-lost brother, to Vegnini’s horrific past that molded who he is, and in turn influenced the apocalyptic state Krat finds itself in. But these personal stories are further expanded upon by collectible music records that set the tone of each character’s story, and items and weapons that relate to the lives they’ve lived in Krat.
But something else remarkable happens the more you learn about the characters and lore as well — the nameless puppet you’re inhabiting slowly starts to become its own person. Lies of P drip feeds you details on the person you used to be, and the relationships you form with characters like Gepetto inform your understanding of the puppet and how they fit into this world. Souls games, more often than not, cast you as a blank slate through which to experience the world — but Lies of P deliberately uses that idea of a blank slate to its advantage, a vessel to subvert your expectations of how a “Soulslike” story is supposed to play out. There are also some major existential questions raised by the game on the very nature of existence. Yes, you’re the nameless puppet, but you only exist because of a very specific person — and what does that mean for your very identity?
Through this subversion, Lies of P deliberately builds a deeper emotional connection with the player. By the end of the game, you don’t just care what happens to bit NPCs, you are about the history that Krat has lost, the culture that’s crumbled, and if there’s any hope of restoring a semblance of hope to this world. The Overture DLC embraces these ides wholesale, building an ever deeper connection with your character and the city itself — by showing you gorgeous heights Krat reached before its fall.
Lies of P: Overture improves on nearly everything from the base game, heightening the story, emotion, and tense gameplay.
There are so many layers to Lies of P’s story, but the cryptic nature of everything is used as a storytelling device. It’s not just there because it’s a requirement for a Soulslike. And that’s really what makes this game so special.
It feels like Lies of P is truly the first non-From game that feels like it understands how you use this genre to build a world, and how to tie gameplay, artistic design, and narrative into a completely cohesive package. That’s not to say other Soulslikes haven’t provided merit, there are plenty out there, but Lies of P is the first game from another developer that really takes a hard look at what it means to be a Souls experience — and how the game’s very identity can be used in its craft.
Lies of P feels like it’s raised the bar for the genre on so many levels, and how even wearing your inspirations on your sleeve can still lead to innovation. Any one element of the game can stand on its own, but the interweaving of every facet propels the game to jaw-dropping heights. And I can unequivocally say, whatever developer Round8 does next, I’ll be there day one.
