Back in 2023, Lies of P became a surprise hit thanks to its Pinocchio-inspired story and brutally fast combat. Though I enjoyed it at the time, that quick action was always my sticking point. It felt like bosses were so aggressive that slower weapons simply weren’t viable. Players really had to commit to every attack to keep up with enemies that lashed out in a flurry of violence. Developer Round8 has since put out patches to make a few bosses easier, such as reducing health and increasing chances of breaking their stances.
Now Round8 has a second chance to get things right. This summer, Lies of P will receive a prequel DLC dubbed Overture. The new chapter will take players back to the beginning of the mysterious Puppet Frenzy, and take them to some snowier locales along the way. It’s not just bringing a new time and setting to the table, though. Overture stands to make a tough base game even more approachable than ever based on what we played in a recent two hour demo that showed what the DLC has to offer.
Environmental variety
Right when I start my demo, I’m immediately struck by Overture‘s setting. While the base Lies of P game was filled with dark and rusty overtones, Overture is knee deep in snow. The bright white landscapes are a dramatic shift that makes Overture feel more inviting compared to the base game. There’s still clever environmental storytelling underneath those sheets of white. Boxes and structures are broken, scattered everywhere. Bright red blood is splattered all around. Something clearly horrific went down during the city of Krat’s final days.
I got to try out several new weapons during my demo, including a bow and arrow as well as a gunblade. The bow and arrow is precise, useful for picking off incredibly aggressive enemies at a range. In particular, there’s a frozen zombie enemy wearing a crown that would always charge at me as soon as I was spotted. I quickly learned that I needed to approach them very carefully so that I could get the jump on them first.
When that failed, the gunblade came in handy. The weapon has a satisfying heaviness that matches its explosive firepower. Its heavy combos carried me throughout my entire session. Essentially, the gunblade can unleash a medium range blast that propels Pinocchio backwards. In a follow-up combo, the second hit propels him forward for an additional sweeping strike on enemies. This particular attack is perfect for putting distance between me and my enemies before I can swoop in for the kill. Sure, I used that attack over and over again, but in a challenging Soulslike game, I wanted to take advantage of every tactic I had at my disposal.
As I perused through a zoo, a mansion, and a carnival-like area, I eventually came across the boss of my session: a gigantic alligator called the Tyrannical Predator. I wasn’t able to defeat it in time due to its hulking size and powerful bites that took out sizable chunks of my HP with each hit, but it was a healthy challenge to end a session I otherwise coasted through with one move.
Revisiting the past
For the second half of my session, I tested out a new feature coming to the Lies of P base game that will be extended to Overture: boss replay. In the main hub area, Hotel Krat, players will be able to have rematches with bosses they’ve previously fought against. Additionally, there are now multiple difficulty levels for the bosses. Each boss rematch has five levels, and upon beating them at Difficulty Level 5, players earn a commemorative item. As far as I can tell, there weren’t any differences in behavior between the lowest and highest difficulty levels. The boss’ damage output and HP are simply higher.
The Level 5 matches are quite difficult, as the bosses hit like trucks. Even a single strike from the game’s very first boss at the highest difficulty took out half of my health. On the flipside, the Level 1 matches are helpful for relearning boss fights and patterns that I’ve long since forgotten since the game’s release.
The main draw of the boss replay demo was that I was able to fight against three new bosses. Despite Overture’s overall snowy setting, it seems like there will be some different environments to explore. For example, Markonis, Puppeteer of Death resides in a lush greenhouse area. This is a dual boss fight where Markonis uses her mechanized puppet like a wrecking ball.
The second boss I faced was the Two-Face Overseer, which utilizes a giant hammer to fight. He reminds me of Batman villain Mr. Freeze, as the boss’s head is encased in a tank. The setting of this one looked like a hospital or medical institution. The third and last boss I faced off against was in some sort of excavation site. The creature is named the Anguished Guardian of the Ruins, and it’s enormous. It stands on four legs and has a bearded face. This was the only fight I tried with two phases, and was the most challenging of the new bosses due to its wide-sweeping attacks that required me to time my parries perfectly.
Based on what I played, Lies of P: Overture looks to be a substantial addition to the base game. I’ve only played an hour of the new area while spending another in its new boss replay feature, but I have the feeling that there’s so much left to explore. That’s great news for an already standout Soulslike game that’s only improved over time as it addressed its difficulty balancing. Overture feels like it will be a culmination of that process, letting more players than ever get in on the puppet slaying action.
Lies of P: Overture is scheduled to launch this summer.