Lies of P Review – Master Of Puppets

Neowiz developer Neowiz calls out the Lies that Neowiz tells about its Adventures of PinocchioSoulslike action game inspired by From Software, calling attention directly to the inspiration. This bold move is risky. Even though there are many great action games in the genre, I knew that From Software would create something special. So when I started Lies of P, this was my expectation. Then I played 40 hours of Lies of P within five days. This is something that I don’t do often with games. Then I went back to a previous save in order to obtain a new ending. Then I began New Game Plus, because I was hungry for more. The combat system and world-building of Lies Of P is reminiscent to Soulslike, but with some twists that set it apart. It’s a memorable and ponderous exploration of an old fairytale, all within the context of a rewarding action-game. Lies of P, to put it simply, is fantastic. 

Neowiz is committed to a hard work ethic Pinnochio – while I laughed the first few times Lies of P reminded me I was controlling Pinnochio, the game never joined in on that. After the first 10 hours I also stopped laughing. Not because it wasn’t funny anymore – it was and still is – but because I realized Neowiz looked beyond Pinocchio as shock value for a character. This game tells the story of a class that is overworked and undervalued rising up against its creators. The player must decide how far they will go to maintain their power. This isn’t necessarily new or deep but it does work, even within the constraints of Soulslike. 

Combat in Lies of P will feel familiar to anyone who has played games of the same genre. Every enemy has the potential to kill you with a few missteps, bosses surprise and enrage you, providing essential skill checks during your journey through 19th Century France-inspired Krat, and mechanics won’t make sense… until they do. Soulslikes fans will know what is going on, but Lies of P reveals the various components of this game. 

Pinnochio’s Legion mechanical arm adds fire, acid, easy-blocking, a grasp line and more, which can help you discover the weaknesses of your enemies. Grindstones further this, allowing you to imbue your weapon with an element, and one-time-use Wishstones can completely turn the tide of a battle, whether that be by prolonging the life of your helpful NPC specter against a boss or slowly regenerating your HP when you’re out of Pulse Cells to restore yourself. Every weapon can be split into two parts, a handle or blade. This allows you to customize your weapons and perform Fable Arts special moves. Neowiz was great at introducing these new mechanics at a pace that I found enjoyable. It allowed me to learn more about combat just when I needed it. 

Lies of P, with a few exceptions, is a beautiful and unique game. It’s filled with energy and industry, from the Krat Hotel, the Krat Hotel Hub, the Krat Hotel, the NPCs and shopkeepers in Krat and its surroundings, to the mysterious girl who levels up Pinnochio, among others. It has all the usual highlights, too, including a city once so beautiful, now ravaged and surrounded by horrors. A gothic church is also home to these terrors. Seeing these Soulslike mainstays through the eyes of Pinnochio and Neowiz is invigorating; I was excited to reach the “poison swamp” of Lies of P, a locale present in just about every Souls game and the games inspired by them. Lies of P looks and runs beautifully. This game has a lot of screenshots in my PlayStation 5 captures. 

It took me more than two dozen attempts before I was able to beat some of them. They are all memorable for both their designs and because they called my movements before I pressed the button. The final boss is an excellent skill check of everything learned in the prior 40 hours, and another stands out as a new Souslike favorite, asking me to master Lies of P’s “perfect guard” mechanic to counter swift explosions of five to 10 hits at a time. 

Lies of P, like the best action-packed games, rewards you for each combat encounter and every deviation from the main route. Pinnochio can get game-changing improvements like an extra dodge or stronger pulse cell charges by defeating bosses and optional minibosses. The hordes of enemies that block the special chests containing new costumes and items are also useful. Even simple puppets or monsters will reward you something, whether it’s experience to level up, or an item or consumable you can use against certain bosses. 

The greatest strength of Lies of P is that it empowers and rewards you every step of the way to continue on in this bizarre tale of monstrous humans and puppetry, even with its oppressive environment and powerful enemies. Lies of P was so compelling that I could not leave it, even though the game had me fuming. The game balances the challenges of the Soulslike genre with the enjoyment that a Soulslike brings. It only fails a handful of times. The fact that it keeps this balance while re-telling a Disney classic, and flipping the story to be more like Carlo Collodi’s version. Pinnochio: The Adventures of PinnochioLies of P has achieved another feat. It uses familiar themes, highlights and lessons from authors of Soulslike to produce something new, exciting and unique. Neowiz shot for the sky, just like Pinnochio’s wishes, and hit them with a precision that would impress a machine.