Without a shred of doubt, the best Soulslike FROMSOFTWARE never made, at times even exceeding their quality and heart. Much like the other games in this subgenre, Lies of P demands you approach and play it on its terms, but provides you all the tools and resources you need in order to find success. It can be a challenging game, but it's as difficult and frustrating as the player is stubborn enough to make it for themselves. You don't have to use every single system to succeed, but by the same measure, you will get nowhere if you don't commit to improving your wield over at least one.

The weapon-assembly system means players can mitigate the weaknesses and accentuate the strengths of weapons they enjoy and which suit their fantasy. Greatswords too slow to land a charged heavy for a Stagger? Finding they bounce off walls in tight spaces too much? Love the feel of swinging a massive slab of sharp steel around too much to let it go for something lighter? You don't have to. Attach a heavy blade onto a dagger handle and get the best of both worlds. This game's willingness to grant you solutions to problems you encounter if you have the will to grasp and make use of them spiderwebs out to every system.

Do you have the patience and will to learn how to Perfect Guard, shattering enemy weapons and reducing their damage and range, even into phase two of a boss fight? So be it. You'll be rewarded for that. Prefer dodging attacks and moving your body out of the way of dangerous enemy actions? That works, provided you have your timings down and stay calm. Do you explore the world thoroughly and follow-up on side quests, unlocking expansions for the various Shops back at your Hotel? Good. You'll have access to powerful throwables and buffs that can nuke boss healthbars or shift the tide of an oppressive fight in your favor. Want to lean into the Cube and Specter mechanics, with an understanding of elemental weaknesses and buildcrafting to help you melt a foe while yourself-from-a-future-timeline holds its attention? Fine. There are many paths to victory, what matters is you dip into all of them and in doing so, grow sharp enough to pierce through anything that stands in your way.

While they could have easily used the story of Pinocchio as nothing more than a fun theme and basis for a game to staple on top of it, Lies of P delivers interesting twists on the original book that demonstrate an obvious love and respect for the source material, changing characters, concepts and events to suit its grim, gothic apocalypse brought about by robotics, sinister experiments, and disease run rampant. Depending on how easy it is to touch your heart, you may even find a few moments to be quite emotionally affecting, as you can imagine what kind of themes a story like this can occasionally reach for.

On top of it all, the game is shockingly well-optimized and runs very smoothly considering how enjoyable it is to look at while moving through its oppressive world of dark alleys, starlit trails in the wilderness, cathedrals and industrial spaces.

I strongly recommend Lies of P if you're not afraid to learn how to play a new type of combat system with its own demands.

There's no need to Perfect Guard everything, but you should still try to sometimes. Hold the Block button down when attempting a parry. Feel free to normal-block damage and get your health back with some light attacks. Dodging works fine, just don't try to i-frame red attacks and do try to block as much as you evade. Sprint out of the way of some attacks with slower wind-ups. Don't be too proud to use items, or even Specters if you either need to, or just want to have some fun with them. They exist for a reason and can be enjoyable or helpful in many situations. Heed elemental weaknesses and resistances. Don't forget to level your Capacity. The Shield is insane, try it out and get the upgrade that lets you attack while holding it up, if some enemies start to feel too relentless. Drink water and always think about your next move. Don't run recklessly into unknown spaces without a backup plan.

Grand Covenant's Fourth Law: A Puppet, cannot Lie.