Almost 8 Months Into Release, Lies Of P Is The Most Authentic Soulslike In Town

The Sousllike genre of modern-day video games, first brought to life by the iconic Japanese developer FromSoftware, has spawned more iterations than I can count, and that’s a good thing. This genre is my thing, and I’m sure it’s the same for millions of other gamers, but hold up for a second: Are all Soulslikes worth a gamer’s time, effort, attention, and patience? The answer is no.

From Lords of the Fallen and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty to Salt and Sanctuary, Blasphemous, and Remnant 2 — the third-person shooter Soulslike — this genre has been all but left without saturation, so a ranking order is duly warranted.

That said, before we start singling out the ones on the bottom tier, let’s talk about a specific Soulslike title, launched in 2023 while coming from a Chinese developer; not even Japanese. Little did we know what this game is going to turn out like, boasting what, in my opinion, is the most authentic Soulsborne experience I’ve ever had to date. 

So, what is it exactly that makes Lies of P stand out from the rest of the competition? Follow along with me as I put forth some of this game’s greatest strengths and talk about its stature in the Soulslike genre. 

FromSoftware Quality Galore

To begin with, one of the prime ways Lies of P immediately sets a solid impression is by being reminiscent of FromSoftware’s quality, coming as close as possible to the real deal, the great maker of Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls franchise, among other praiseworthy works. Of course, there are nuances that let you figure it out at the end of the day, but as far as quality is concerned, Lies of P hits the nail on the head with it.   

Is it safe to say Lies of P is the greatest souls like of all time?
byu/SippinEstus inLiesOfP

Relentlessly Unique Combat

One of the most distinct parts of Lies of P’s combat gameplay is P’s utterly badass Legion Arm. One can say that Sekiro’s Wolf would’ve benefitted more from this feature, but I’m glad the title in question hits the nail on the head with the implementation of the mechanic at hand, empowering P to employ the feature to a great extent, rather than just keeping it as an optional tool to help you get the better of your enemies. 

Then There’s The Bloodborne Essence Of Course

Nothing beats the atmosphere that Bloodborne has mastered to its name, offering an extremely intricate world for players to explore, while instilling a sense of dystopia in gameplay. Lies of P comes quite close to delivering an experience that’s on par with the legendary FromSoftware title, boasting a terrific environment all around. eXputer reviewed Lies of P, rating it 3.5/5.0, with my colleague Hanzala Iftikhar remarking, 

In a sea of weak non-FromSoftware attempts at the Souls formula, Lies of P lands with a bang and raises the bar for all future entries.”

No Identity Crisis In Here 

But it’s not like you can play Lies of P and call it a Bloodborne clone or anything of the sort—the game takes pride in its decipherable NPC quests, amazing combat with the parry mechanic that encourages you to take your fights head-on instead of following the same old strike once, fall back right away strategy. 

Lies of P is certainly on par if not better than many fromsoft games (obviously not including Elden Ring)
byu/West-Yesterday-6419 inLiesOfP

A Note For The Future

Having sold more than 7 million copies to date, Lies of P is both a commercial and critical success. The game’s eminence has prompted the suits up high to look toward a new rendition in the franchise, thankfully so, but before that, there’s another good news for fans of the series.

Neowiz and Round8 Studio have DLC underway, and as per speculation, it could also feature Dorothy — the popular character from the Wizard of Oz IP — to a certain extent.

Even after the launch, our commitment remains unwavering in providing players with a compelling and unforgettable story. To do so, we are fully dedicating ourselves to the development of the DLC. I love seeing players speculating and discussing various aspects as they wait for the DLC. Every time we encounter remarkably inventive and creative hypotheses. My heart is pounding and I feel warmth. The anticipation is truly exhilarating,” said game director Jiwon Choi. 

I’m way too much excited about all that, and also for the Lies of P sequel, which is to be built in Unreal Engine 5 though, that will feature God knows who as the protagonist. It could be Pinnochio again, but given the developer’s knack for turning children’s fairy tales into brutal art forms such as this, another fictional character might swoop in instead of our little friend P here. 

Let me know down in the comments ahead what you think of Lies of P and how it fares against other Soulslikes.