Lies of P was one of 2023's most pleasant surprises. The dark, soulslike spin on the story of Pinocchio was viewed with intrigue ahead of its release, though many wrote it off as a Bloodborne knock-off due to its quasi-Victorian aesthetic, dark atmosphere, and combat. What no one could have predicted is that Lies of P would turn out to be arguably the best non-FromSoftware soulslike to date.
Neowiz and Round8 achieved great creative success through Lies of P's nuanced and inventive mechanics, like weapon-crafting, Fable Arts, and Legion Arms, which combine to make a combat sandbox that stands on its own two feet. At the same time, the game's parallels with FromSoftware's previous works can't be denied: it would be disingenuous to say, for instance, that Lies of P owes nothing at all to FromSoftware's catalog of seminal action titles. Level design, narrative delivery, and quest design are just a handful of the elements that Lies of P borrows from FromSoftware, and this list is likely to grow as the IP develops—perhaps in ways that will surprise fans.
Lies of P is Starting 2025 with a Bang
Lies of P has become one of the most renowned soulslikes out there, and a recent announcement confirms it's probably going to have a big 2025.
Lies of P's Sequel Might Introduce Multiplayer Components
Lies of P 2's Multiplayer Rumors, Explained
After digging into the Careers section of Neowiz's website, Lies of P fans uncovered job listings for a Content Planner and Balance Planner, and each position has a qualification request that is certainly eyebrow-raising
- Content Planner: "Someone with experience developing multiplayer elements"
- Balance Planner: "Someone with experience designing PvP balance systems"
These job listings are described as being for a project entitled "P's False Next," which is likely a Korean-to-English translation error. The job listings are marked as being in the Lies of P category, however.
At face value, these job listings appear to indicate that the next Lies of P game will have multiplayer of some kind, specifically PvP systems. As is usually the case, audiences should reserve judgment and avoid jumping to conclusions before hearing official confirmation from Neowiz or Round8, but it would be hard to imagine an alternative justification for including these prerequisites in the job descriptions. Assuming, for the sake of analysis, that Lies of P 2 will indeed feature multiplayer, it's possible that such a design choice would only bring the IP closer to its FromSoftware inspirations.
How Lies of P's Multiplayer Could Be Similar to, or Different from, FromSoftware's Approach
The impetus of what would come to be known as FromSoftware's signature approach to multiplayer began with Demon's Souls. The 2009 release introduced two main mechanics: asynchronous multiplayer elements like messages, and summoning/invading, both of which would feature in every subsequent soulslike game, with the exception of Sekiro. Though none of these online features can be described as traditional, the summoning and invading system is the closest thing to it, allowing players to either face off against each other or work together to take down a boss.
Given that the Balance Planner position specifically references PvP, it would be reasonable to intuit that Lies of P 2 is set to feature some variation of the Souls invasion system, or perhaps even something like the Colosseum from Elden Ring. The first Lies of P also includes the Specter, a ghostly ally that can be summoned for boss battles, if the player has the requisite resources. The Specter functions very similarly to FromSoftware's ally summons, and some have even speculated that Lies of P was once planned to adopt the same co-op system, with the Specter being a holdover. All of that is to say that both routes seem likely for Lies of P 2's potential multiplayer features, but only time will tell if either of them actually come to fruition.
Lies of P
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
WHERE TO PLAY
Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era.
You are a puppet created by Geppetto who’s caught in a web of lies with unimaginable monsters and untrustworthy figures standing between you and the events that have befallen the world of Lies of P.
You are awakened by a mysterious voice that guides you through the plagued city of Krat - a once lively place that has been poisoned by madness and bloodlust. In our soulslike, you must adapt yourself and your weapons to face untold horrors, untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city's elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find yourself.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 35 GB (November 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
