Lies of P: Overture is a continuation of the already great and bloody good souls-like.
When Lies of P first hit the gaming world in 2023, it left a massive mark within the souls-like realm, for it was pretty unseen at the time that a non-FromSoftware team would be capable of producing a game of such caliber. A beautiful blend of challenging souls-like combat with a grimly inspired tale of Pinocchio. It wasn’t surprising that it stood out from the moment it came out for its beautiful stylistic take on horror.
This leaves us with Lies of P: Overture, developed and published by NEOWIZ and Round8 Studio; it serves as a prequel to Lies of P, pulling you back into the city of Krat, with its richly detailed environment and dramatic storytelling this title aims to reach the height of Lies of P and expand upon its universe.
Lies of P: Overture isn’t your average expansion; it’s more of a time-traveling side story that adds a completely different layer to the adventure where Pinocchio gets sent back into the past with his companion, Gemini. You’ll be able to access all the new content starting from chapter 9 of the base game, but reaching that part of the story is no easy feat, especially for new players — it’s still souls-like, after all.
Initially, the game places you in a snowy forest near Krat, where you’re forced to fight a polar bear; Lies of P: Overture wastes no time by throwing stuff at you, a friendly reminder to always be on your toes. The primary story, Lies of P: Overture, lies with Pinocchio as he tracks down someone known as the Legendary Stalker, a character who walks you through Krat’s final days as the city falls apart.
The DLC is around 15 hours long, and from my experience, I found it to be pretty pacey compared to the original game. There is a sense of urgency with how the game is based and the storytelling throughout, as done mostly through notes that you’ll find.
However, that doesn’t necessarily detract much from the storytelling, as I still found it to be meaningful. The various letters and journal entries you’ll find paint a haunting picture of the world’s decline — a horrific, grim depiction of it with a hint of twisted beauty.
As it’s a DLC, the gameplay, as one would expect, takes the traditional Dark Souls format where enemies, health restorations respond to specific checkpoints, and enemies give you EXP when they’re killed, allowing you to buff your stats and add various elements to your repertoire.
One of which is your signature Legion Arm ability that can feature attachments that range from a puppet string, which helps you yank enemies from a further distance. This is a DLC that features a plethora of new enemies, especially around the Zoo area, where they’re all depicted to be gruesome, villainous versions of animals that you have to kill.
From dead fish jumping at you to psychotic humanoids, the horror culminates as you progress. It’s where you are also introduced to a handful of new weapons as well, one of them more notable being a bow, which happens to be the first ranged weapon in the game and has no limit on how often you can shoot.
It features a quick fire but also has a heavy attack where you have to time and charge your shots. It’s pretty notable, but it isn’t something I necessarily find myself using, especially against bosses, as I feel like the hands-on melee works so much better and faster on bosses with fast counters.
Another new weapon that I had the pleasure of using was the Wolverine-style claws, which deal quick, short-fire damage in closer range, and a gunblade that looks heavily inspired by JRPGs. These weapons won’t necessarily change how you play the game, but the fun variety is something I could never see myself complaining about.
To no one’s surprise, Lies of P: Overture‘s main highlight is its boss fights. One of my most memorable fights being Mariona the Puppeteer of Death. She happens to fight alongside a puppet, and they make a fallen clever duel sort of reminiscent of Ornstein and Smough from Dark Souls 1, where it doesn’t seem unfair or unnecessarily challenging. The bosses do a good job of working off each other, keeping it intense but fair, and, most importantly, satisfying.
The level design in Lies of P: Overture is just as intricate as the base game; areas are sophisticated with multiple pads, various hidden areas and crevices, and unpredictable but smart enemy placement. The design features are not just pleasing to the eye. They also hold stories and nuance.
You get to cross bridges above various enclosures and wander through a haunted fairground with a Ferris wheel and a carousel. These elements, which most people have had experience with, and the tragedy and horror that are applied to these areas, make the game so grimly beautiful.
The DLC does a great job of making most areas feel special; however, it isn’t all perfect. There’s this specific location in the game, an underground prison, and a lab that is run by Alchemists. The prison features plain tile walls, empty hospital beds, and tanks filled with glowing liquid and bodies.
Even though the area is fairly decent to play through, the area was pretty lackluster and generic compared to other regions in the game. One of the more notable changes in Lies of P: Overture is the new difficulty options. We’re aware that with the souls-like tag comes the souls-like difficulty.
And Lies of P was no slouch when it comes to being punishing, but with this DLC, there are even more difficulty options, but also features and accessibility modes to make it less punishing for newer players. I wouldn’t get carried away with the easier modes, though; even on the game’s “Butterfly Guidance” setting, the game is still a challenge.
Visually, the Lies of P: Overture looks just as great as Lies of P, and I have no complaints there. From the stunning snowy woods to the horrifying haunted zoo and carnival rides, all of the locations are etched with detail and possess beauty and grimness. It’s a beautiful, darkly curated world where every crevice puts you in awe because of the story they tell.
Lies of P: Overture is a great expansion that doesn’t necessarily change the narrative of an already beautiful story. It has great fundamentals, and it emphasizes them, adding details to the already great game. If you’ve already finished the original game, it might feel the same to you with just the added lore, but if you’re coming back from a hiatus, then you have zero reasons to be disappointed if you already love the game on your first playthrough.
Lies of P: Overture is as beautiful as sophisticated, and the brand-new bosses are great fun. It’s an adventure that feels familiar and new at the same time, a continuation of the already great and bloody good souls-like.
