Lies of P developer Neoviz proudly calls it that The Adventures of Pinocchio-inspired action game Soulslike, drawing attention directly from its software inspiration. The announcement was a bold and risky move. While there are good contenders in this action subgenre, some of the scores generated by the software are outstanding, and I went into Lies of P with that expectation. But then I put 40 hours into Lies of P in just five days, something I rarely do with any game. And then I doubled down on saving to get a different ending. And then I started New Game Plus because I wanted more. Lies of P handles familiar Souls-like combat and world-building masterfully, and infuses it with a few twists to set it apart from its various inspirations. The result is a thoughtful and memorable exploration of a familiar fairy tale built into a deeply rewarding action game. Simply put, Lies of P is absolutely fantastic.
Neowicz struggles Pinocchio – While I was laughing the first few times Lies of P reminded me that I was controlling Pinocchio, the game just wasn’t into it. And after the first 10 hours, I stopped laughing. Not because it wasn’t funny anymore – it was and still is – but because I realized that Neowicz sees the character of Pinocchio as shock value. It uses puppetry as we know it to tell the story of an overworked, undervalued class against its creators, how far those creators stay in power, and, as you might expect, what it means to be human (and a confusing but interesting mechanic to go along with that I won’t spoil here). It’s not necessarily new ground, nor is it necessarily all that deep, but Pinnochio spinning the story of Lies of P is admirable for everything involved, and it works especially within a Soulslike confine.
For those familiar with the Lies of P genre, War is familiar, as it declares itself to be a part. Providing essential skill checks during your journey through the 19th-century France-inspired Krat, bosses have the ability to kill you with a few missteps, and the mechanics don’t make sense…until they do. Anyone familiar with Soulslikes knows what’s going on here, but once Lies of P introduces its various parts, the whole is realized.
Pinochio’s mechanical legion arm can add fire, electricity, acid, easy blocking, grapple line and more to your arsenal, opening up the ability to find enemy weaknesses. This is further enhanced by Grindstones, which allow you to imbue your weapon with an element, and one-time-use Wishstones that can completely turn the tide of battle against a boss by increasing the life of your helpful NPC Spetter or slowly regenerating your HP to restore you when you’re out of pulse cells. Weapons can also be split to mix and match in handle and blade, and each weapon moves to a special Fable Arts flashing effect. I loved the speed with which Neoviz introduced this mechanic, because it deepened what I could do in combat at the right moments when I thought I was done learning.
Save for a few areas, Lies of P is gorgeous and unique, filled with the power of industry in the puppet-infested Krat, its surroundings, and the Krat hotel hub that serves as the base of operations filled with NPCs, shophouses, and more. A mysterious girl is responsible for leveling Pinocchio, and more. There are also the expected highlights: a once-beautiful city ravaged by plague, a gothic cathedral of horrors, a World Fair-esque display, and more, all connected by revealing shortcuts. It’s exciting to see the main characters like these souls through the eyes of Pinocchio and Neowicz; I was excited to reach the “Poison Swamp” of Lies of P, which is present in every Souls game and the games inspired by them. Lies of P helps to perform exceptionally well and looks stunning while doing it. My PlayStation 5 Captures folder is full of screenshots from this game.
While Soulslike excels at creating an exciting world and feel-good combat, the bosses often show layers, but Lies of P. Bosses are good fun and not so in a relatively easy game, but some of the hardest ones out there took me two dozen tries to take down. More in design and how they were in my head, calling out my moves before I hit the button was more memorable in both. The final boss is an excellent skill check of everything learned in the previous 40 hours, and another stands out as a new Souslike favorite, asking me to master Lies of P’s “Perfect Guard” mechanic to counter rapid bursts of five to 10 hits. time
Like the best action games, Lies of P rewards you every time you stray from the main path and for subsequent combat encounters. Defeating bosses, more optional minibosses, rewards quartz, Pinnocchio’s game-changing upgrades are used to give extra dodge and stronger pulse cell charges. Groups of enemies block special chests with new costumes and special items, and even the most basic of puppets and monsters give you something useful, whether it’s good experience for leveling up or something that can be consumed or thrown against a certain one. Superiors.
Lies P’s greatest strength is how it rewards and empowers you at every turn to move forward through this twisted tale of puppetry and monstrous humanity, despite an oppressive world and formidable enemies. I struggled to move away from the Lies of P, even though it was fuming to me. It delicately balances the fun of Soulslike with the genre’s demands and only falters a few times. Because Disney maintains a balance within the confines of a fairy tale, Carlo Collodi turns it on its head to say something more in line with the original. The Adventures of Pinocchio, Lies of P is another achievement. But most of all, Lies of Pu uses the familiar, staples, and lessons learned from authors of the Soulslike subgenre to create something unique, fascinating, and exhilarating. Neoviz aims for the stars its Pinocchio wants and hits them with machine-like precision.
