Lies of P Devs Explain Why They Added Difficulty Options Nearly Two Years After Launch

Lies of P eventually added difficulty settings because even members of its own development team struggled to finish the punishing Soulslike.

Internal Testing Changed The Developers’ Perspective

The detail comes from a new NOUGH Studio documentary exploring the game’s development. The studio runs internal sessions called “Game Days,” where every developer, regardless of role, plays through the game like a real player would.

“Originally, we had everyone do a full playthrough on a fixed difficulty,” combat director Lee Jeonghyeon explains. “For the combat designers and our more skilled players, getting through the game wasn’t much of a challenge. But for those who weren’t as mechanically skilled, most couldn’t even get halfway before time ran out.”

That result convinced the team to introduce a lower difficulty internally first, just so every developer could finish the game they built.

Difficulty Options Were Introduced To Reach A Bigger Audience

Once easier options were available in-house, the response was strong enough to change strategy for players too. “We received a lot more positive feedback,” Jeonghyeon says, which convinced the team that difficulty options “would really benefit players,” not just struggling internal testers.

Director Jiwon Choi, who leads the studio’s next project, previously echoed that reasoning publicly, telling IGN the team wanted to “make sure a wider audience could play the game.”

The settings launched alongside Lies of P: Overture in June 2025, letting players choose between Butterfly’s Guidance, Awakened Puppet, and Legendary Stalker – all easier than the original single difficulty. The decision drew some backlash from hardcore Soulslike fans, but the toughest mode remains untouched for anyone who wants the original challenge.

For a studio that built its identity on relentless difficulty, the clearest case for accessibility ended up coming from its own team failing to beat the game they made.