Lies of P Review (Aggie T)
Lies of P is a fun challenge. That last word is important: If you don't enjoy a challenge - and especially if you're not a fan of getting comfortable with some wonky mechanics and overlong levels - you will likely not have the fun the developers intended here.
Lies of P gets a lot right. Art design? Awe striking. Story? Pulls right in (with a lot of obvious and not-so-obvious references to the original Pinocchio story). Sound design? There's an opera house level that was made for headphones.
Lies of P also gets a lot ... OK. Not great, but certainly not bad. Right down the middle. Level design in Lies of P is highly linear, which would be fine except that there are stretches, especially near the end, where you're asked to navigate long paths of extremely finicky terrain with the worst one-shot enemies planted right before the next checkpoint. Basically, the only way through is straight through: there are no rewards or opportunities for figuring another way out of boss-rush hallways.
There's also the issue of mechanics. I LOVE the weapon crafting aspect of Lies of P, which far outstrips the weapon customization of even recent Souls games like Elden Ring. I slapped a wrench head on an electric baton the first chance I got. This game celebrates all that damage you want to inflict. But all that damage coming AT you can only be parried in a mechanic that has the same sluggishness in comparison to a Dark Souls that Super Mario's jump feels after you've played a platformer as tight as Super Meat Boy. There's no reason for defense timing to be this unforgiving.
That said, these are not impossible mechanics to figure out. They're tough. I think in several cases they're unbalanced (which does not mean "are easy for speedrunners" - classic fallacy). But they can be overcome, and more importantly, for all enemies and bosses, there is a way to approach them that has enough challenge and generosity to feel "fair". For example, there's a four-on-one boss fight near the end that will feel like the developers dunking on you, but which I promise has a design that rewards attention and proper targeting.
So like I said. Looking for a fun challenge? You'll get it and more in Lies of P.