Lies of P Demo Offers A Fascinating First Impression

Steampunk meets Bloodborne meets a timeless children’s tale

This past week brought a ton of announcements and updates thanks to the Summer Game Fest and other groups timing their showcases around it. On top of the diverse number of trailers and interviews, gamers have plenty of demos to play as well. One of the more notable demos released shows off gameplay from Lies of P, a steampunk Souls-like action RPG from South Korean developer Neowiz. I got my hands on the Stem demo and, after spending a couple of hours with it, I can say definitively that I am impressed and excited about the full release.

If you’re unfamiliar with Lies of P, then the plot may throw you for a bit of a loop. According to the game’s webpage, you play as a puppet made by Gepetto (yes, that Gepetto… no not the cute, animated film version) who awakens to a city destroyed by many of the puppet master’s other creations. This P-rotagonist must navigate the city of Krat, fighting these creations off around every corner. In his journey, the hero chooses either to stay true to themselves or learn to lie in order to survive. Players will encounter a variety of monstrous robots and creatures in their journey to find Gepetto and stop the affliction plaguing the city.

In my two-hour playthrough, I caught so much of what this game is offering in terms of its unique aesthetic and setting. Many are calling this a game similar to From Software’s Bloodborne based on the layout and feel of the city and enemy types, and that’s not an inaccurate comparison. Krat exudes a strong vibe of steampunk realism, with many of the areas I roamed reminding me of late 19th-century London. Similar to other Soulslike games, Lies of P contains a central hub area in the form of a lavish hotel, with several hallways to roam and locked doors promising future exploration for later in the game. The weapons P wields include traditional swords as well as an overly mechanical left arm with several attachments that I could change up based on play style. I enjoyed exploring every corner of the dark and dirty streets of this city.

I’ve played games of this type dealing with robotic monsters gone awry before. The Surge comes to mind. However, what I really love about Lies of P is how unique the premise and character design is. All the enemies I faced never felt human or organic at all, yet you could almost see a maliciousness in their puppet features. Also, the enemies truly felt like they at one time had a function in society. One of the boss characters I faced came with a lore drop in the environment detailing how it had been a parade master for carnivals, town square events, and more. The character design just seems to make sense from what I played so far.

Speaking of enemies, the combat is challenging enough to match its Soulslike moniker. While dodging is prevalent and necessary at times, the combat seems to steer the player to do more parrying than traditional blocking, as the latter still damages the player. Perfect parrying can eventually break the weapon of the enemy, allowing for quick counterattacks and kills. For many of the tougher enemies, P must block and attack enough to put the enemy in a weakened state, allowing for stunning and devastating offensive attacks. Blocking is surprisingly difficult at times too, due to the erratic, rickety nature of how these enemies move.  The use of healing items, throwables, and player augment items is also prevalent too and can be combined to give a tactical advantage in most situations.

In true Pinocchio fashion, the game’s dialogue includes a truth-or-lie aspect. There are several instances where the dialogue tree branches off and forces the player to choose between the two morality options. If one lies, the game lets the player know that their mechanical body reacted to this. As a result, P’s story and the story of those around him will be affected. While many Soulslike games have based multiple endings on players’ actions and mission completion, Lies of P could bring that same gravity to the dialogue system.

In case it wasn’t clear in everything you’ve read, Lies of P surprised me in a lot of cool ways. The world begs to be explored fully in order to learn all about this dark re-telling of the story of Pinocchio and Gepetto. Enemies offer plenty of challenge and variety, and the combat will keep players sharp and humble. This has now become one of my most anticipated games of the year, especially in the latter half of the year when gamers will be extremely busy with new releases. If you are interested in playing the demo for yourself, be sure to check it out by June 27th on these platforms. Lies of P releases on September 19th for PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as on Steam.

Screenshots were captured using the native Steam features.