Lies of P is a new “Souls” inspired action-RPG that echoes by the basic story points of the classic 1883 tale of Pinocchio. A new South Korean developer Round 8 Studios is taking the essential DNA of Bloodborne and even Sekiro and crafting something wholly unique. The story of Pinocchio is most widely known through the Disney incarnation of this tale. Of course, many stories of old have been adapted by the mouse which, in turn, doesn’t really hold true to the source material. Lies of P is turning toward the original darker tone of this story and driving it toward an even more opaque path. This new title has a rather gothic aesthetic, layered with steampunk undertones within a Victorian setting.
A gameplay trailer was released earlier this year and it left a hefty impression. It kind of disappeared for the last several months, leaving many people within the gaming community wondering if it was even real. Well, some new footage was recently dropped and it is looking quite splendid with all its puppet mayhem. It would be easy to dismiss Lies of P as just another Dark Souls knockoff, but there is actually some interesting things working under its hood. It appears to be going for a Metriodvania angle, to where the level design is broken up into blocked segments that must be passed. The combat seems to be fluid, deep and riddled with magical powers. Thus, there is a mechanic that entails ‘lying’ to characters that will change this game’s adventure in sundry ways.
Video:
About a Boy
Lying is the core component to Lies of P. It was play a major factor on how the character will play and interact with the world. Throughout this industrial wasteland, the vast majority of humans have been eliminated, only to be replaced with crudely crafted mechanical humanoids. Therefore, with the remaining few people left, Pinocchio will be interacting with them regularly throughout his journey. This game will have all kinds of quests that will force players to make choices that will not only affect the gameplay, but the story’s conclusion, as well. If a player choose to lie about something, Pinocchio will become more human. This will most likely gradually affect his move set, health status and other features. There are beneficial qualities to either state of Pinocchio, as well as detrimental ones. Players will be constantly trading off of what they want to do with their avatar, perpetually challenging them at every step. The choices of how to lie will increase with weight and will become more intense as players progress through the game.
The story begins with Pinocchio waking up inside a gnarled train station. He finds the world to be a cold, twisted place that is swallowed in darkness. Nearby, he finds a note that simply reads, “Find Mr. Geppetto. He’s here in the city.” Hence, this is the beginning of Pinocchio’s quest. It will take him to all corners of this hellscape, as he pieces together the mystery of who he is and what happened to the world. This is a simple enough premise that will entice players just enough to set out on this venture. The design of this game is reminiscent of classic horror action games of the early 2000s. Namely, Silent Hill, The Suffering and perhaps even Nightmare Creatures. Players that grew up playing those games would most likely get a kick of of Lies of P. Of course, gamers who are also fans of games crafted by FromSoftware will most likely enjoy this game, as well. This title should provide a fresh experience while also giving older gamers a trip down memory lane.
Path of the Puppet
This game will come with multiple endings, solely depending on how Pinocchio lies throughout his quests. This story is interwoven with complex storylines that all eventually will come to a head. Given that the main character in this story starts off as basically a “wooden android,” it is possible to switch out and augment body parts. Of course, this will grant him new abilities and even advantages during combat. There is a breath of this shown in the trailer, teasing the fact that Pinocchio can harpoon and yank enemies toward him like Scorpion in Mortal Kombat. Thus, it is safe to assume that experimenting with appendages will also give new ways to traverse the map. Accordingly to the developers, there will be a multitude of ways to customize the avatar and play around with what it can do.
On top of that, Lies of P will also come with an elaborate weapon crating system. Even though there will all manners of swords, spears, axes and other weaponry, players will be able to combine them and make something wholly unique. This sounds akin to the excellent weapon crafting system implemented in Dead Space 3. Strangely enough, this feature hasn’t been used in too many games in recent years. It is good to see it making a comeback, because it opens up an array of possibilities. Thus, it also increases the replayability of games for a variety of reasons. The combat seems to have a ‘Souls’ flavor to it. Players will be able to dodge, riposte, counter and even use projectiles. The fighting mechanics don’t seem to sway too far from the formula of the games by FromSoftware. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, but it is worth pointing out nonetheless.
Geppetto’s Finest
There is still quite a bit to unveil with Lies of P. Naturally, the developers will show more on what this game is about upon closer to release. Round 8 Studios have been putting together this game for some time. Unfortunately, there is still quite a bit of work to do and there hasn’t been a release date locked in, yet. Even though there is a slew of ‘Dark Souls’ like game in the works, Lies of P seems to be shooting for the highest quality. This title is planned to be released for the PlayStation, Xbox and PC when completed.
Follow Us
