We have absolutely no risk of being wrong after two days spent entirely in this Igamer 2022: Lies of P is definitely this year’s game. In a not-so-rich year, with a small showroom and few booths, look out for the incredible queue surrounding the booth NEOVIZ and even the only rare station on the Xbox booth gave us this important confirmation. Thanks to the certainly unsettling announcement trailer and then the first gameplay reveal, with Opening Night Live on Tuesday night being the undisputed protagonist.
Obviously, in these pages, we did not miss the opportunity to analyze this last video inside and out, trying to focus on the mechanics of a game that undoubtedly belongs to the Soulslike genre, but thanks to an experience and a vision torn from the archetypes and standardization of the collective genre Round 8 Studiowhat is being brought to the screen seems to offer a minimum of originality compared to the clichés we now depend on.
It’s not just a matter of setting, artwork, or protagonist charm: in Lies of P, the combat system seems to retain a number of mechanics that we’ve already found in other games in the past, and while the inspiration in FromSoftware’s title comparison is very strong, it seems that there are a few other more or less classic action here and there (did someone say Devil May Cry?) and perhaps even a storytelling system more faithful to the tradition of western adventure.
Now we’ll try to go into the details of what we’ve experienced since Gamescom this year allowed us to get our hands on a tablet connected to the computer station where Lies of P was running in all its glory so we could face two different chapters. games two and three in the demo are obviously unlocked in terms of scenario depth, but limited for reasons of timing and to avoid the series being able to reach disproportionate sizes.
Therefore, everything that follows is the result of the thoughts of the author and the author. lie proof P what we managed to do in order to capture every element of the combat system and avatar movement. We may have missed something, or we may not have focused some dynamics perfectly, but you will certainly be there to point it out in the comments. And above all, don’t risk reading the rest of this article without first reading this special issue on the setting, protagonist, and dynamics of Lie P.
Bloodborne or Sekiro or maybe Devil May Cry?
Factories capable of producing automata are the order of the day in Lies of P.
None of the 3: Lies of P is really an original experiment, although all of the aforementioned games that Dark Souls clearly needs to be added to act as inspiration for the combat system of the game.
The demo started by choosing a sort of preset build with the ability to choose between 3 options: a balance-based setup, one for agility, and one for hard hitting. Mainly the equipment of the main armament has changed, but we are convinced that some differences were also inherent in the characteristics of the P. Characteristics, which, unfortunately, could not be visualized during the demonstration. In terms of movement, we can expect all the most classic repertoire: dodges including somersaults, a heavy attack, a light attack, the ability to ring some combos, as well as jumping by holding the run button and pressing the left analog if necessary.
The first, correct, variation on the theme is presented mechanical arm avatar. In the demo, you could choose one of four prosthetic limbs, modifiable only in combination with the Stargazer, Round 8’s personal interpretation of the bonfire. Through a special menu, you could switch between an electrified appendage that could charge a shot at close range to make opponents more vulnerable to subsequent attacks ; a grappling hook capable of drawing the most distant enemies towards us; a portable cannon capable of firing projectiles capable of exploding a few seconds after impact; arm wrestling is useful for striking at close range with great force. Each arm defines a different activation behavior with electrified, for example, which allows you to move slowly while we charge it, and cannon, which instead involves looking closer without any ability to move, to focus on control instead. vision. However, keep in mind that it is very likely that we will master many other mechanized arts as we play. All prosthetics insist on a certain energy bar, a battery that does not recharge over time, but only when resting at the Astrologer or when using a certain consumable.
The upgraded campfire was also able to upgrade weapons on the fly, and this makes us particularly curious in terms of any NPCs involved in selling and upgrading our gear.
Victorian imagery is strong in Lies of P
Obviously, there is also a parade that can be done with weapons equipped, which becomes perfect if used at the right time. With this, the opponent’s attacks are immediately blocked, even if they are in the middle of the sequence, and the latter will be stunned at the mercy of our best shots. It is also possible to equip 2 weapons, which can be changed on the fly by pressing the digital cross, but it is not possible to use them simultaneously or hold them with two hands. One gets the impression, so to speak, that a mechanical limb cannot be used to handle “ordinary” weapons.
Then there is 2 more mechanics which come into play when the fight gets more intense. First of all, there is a kind of stun that can only happen in combination with mid and main bosses, with an energy bar located at the bottom of the screen, so to speak. After a series of hits delivered in quick succession, the bar starts flashing white, at which point, by holding the trigger of a strong hit, we can stun the enemy, causing him to fall to the ground or to his knees. Then a very short attack window will open in which we can deliver a special attack using the right spine, that is, a light attack, but only positioned on the side or behind the opponent.
Who knows if we’ll find out what happened to the world of Lies of P
Another “original” idea of Lie P is presented Fable Art, a kind of sequence of shots that we can land with our main weapon or mechanical arm if we have filled the blue bar directly below the energy and stamina bars. This bar fills up with landing attacks and is divided into 3 parts with hit strength based on the number of slots fully filled before the combo is unloaded.
On the other hand, it is not possible to attack opponents from behind to kill them with one well-aimed shot, with medicines determined by some vials that can be filled while resting like a regular Stargazer, but there is an interesting variation. on the topic: one day everything vials, you can only recover one by successfully fighting opponents. The indicator will fill up as the shots hit, and once the maximum is reached, we will switch back to accessing one vial, and then re-activate this mechanism when we use it up again.
Peculiar art style
The charm of the protagonist of Lies of P is undeniable.
Also on artistic front the numerous similarities to Bloodborne that we’ve heard and read about don’t really justify Lies of P. It’s clear that the Victorian setting is the common ground between FromSoftware’s game and Round 8 Studio’s new work, but P seemed to us much brighter, completely far from the Lovecraftian demonic spirit that animates and inhabits Yharnam. Here we are much closer to steampunk outfits made of automata, robots, mechanisms, factories and uncontrolled puppets. The very characterization of the protagonist, with his mechanical prosthesis, clothing, and attitude, seems to reflect belonging to a world that, while escaping human control, retains its “livability”.
Among other things, as also suggested in a previous article published here on Multiplayer.it, it is possible that Lies of P can offer storytelling is far from FromSoftware style and much more adherent to Western canons, or, in any case, much more obvious and clear. It even seems possible that there are real traditional secondary missions if what we happen to see is a clue to what we will find in the final game: in fact, at some point in the exploration, we stumbled upon a pay phone that forced us to interact with him. sort of a riddle, ready to present a riddle. The right decision allowed us to get a useful key to open God knows what door.
The setting of Lies of P is only obscure on the surface.
But to find out, we’ll have to wait for the release of the final game, scheduled for general 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S, including Game Pass, where the title will already appear at launch, and Google Stage.
Being able to play Lies of P allowed us to explore a combat system that feels promising and appears to have been inspired by several Soullikes and action games to offer a personal interpretation of the genre. If the result is indeed valid and satisfying, we will only be able to find out with a deeper test, but for the moment we can be quite satisfied, except for some shortcomings typical of a title still in development, which should find a container for being it’s about frame rate smoothness and hitbox accuracy. But the guys from Round 8 Studio should have little time, and the potential for a great title seems to be there.
Conclusion
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