FromSoftware has struck gold with the Soulsborne formulation, and its video games have continued to get pleasure from mainstream important and business reception for many years at this level. However amongst the various video games that the developer has produced to this point, 2015’s Bloodborne stands out as probably the most distinctive and memorable experiences by FromSoftware. And loads of that reward may be chalked as much as the spectacular gameplay and an entire host of different components that come collectively to make Bloodborne a merely unforgettable expertise.
Between the absence of any direct sequels and the ever-growing fan curiosity for a similar, many builders have tried to create video games that intention to fill this void. Current examples embrace the likes of Thymesia, however many of those video games have repeatedly didn’t hit the mark in a method or one other. That being mentioned, a robust contender is looming simply over the horizon, one which exhibits all the trimmings of an excellent recreation and has the potential to be a worthy successor to Bloodborne.
I’m, after all, speaking about Lies of P – an upcoming Soulslike from developer NEOWIZ. Primarily based out of South Korea, Neowiz is a small improvement studio that excels at creating cell video games for an off-the-cuff viewers with the likes of Guitar Lady and Baseball Conflict amongst others. Lies of P is the studio’s largest and most formidable venture to this point. It seems to be just like the group has introduced its A-game to the sphere in relation to this venture, and the outcomes are actually shocking.
Beginning off with the narrative, Lies of P has a fairly fascinating idea. NEOWIZ has primarily taken the well-known kids’s story of Pinocchio and turned it on its head with some darkish twists that make it applicable for a Soulslike recreation. You tackle the position of a puppet managed by a person named Geppetto, and your activity is to trudge by a monster-infested metropolis of Krat whereas navigating an internet of lies and conspiracies in hopes of regaining your misplaced humanity. The idea sounds fairly intriguing, to say the least, and NEOWIZ has completed a beautiful job of taking a well-recognized narrative and making one thing recent out of it.
However like most different Soulslikes, the gameplay is king in relation to Lies of P – and suffice it to say, it seems to be completely wonderful. The manufacturing values are excessive throughout the board, which is the one space the place most Soulslikes are inclined to falter in execution. The fight seems to be brutal with hard-hitting assaults that cease the participant and the enemy of their tracks, nevertheless it’s additionally very methodical with animation-based gameplay that requires placing consideration to each transfer and performing assaults with intent.
Very like Bloodborne, Lies of P is all about taking part in aggressively, which implies that gamers don’t have entry to shields to cover behind and await a chance to assault the opposition. You may attempt to parry the enemy’s assaults by urgent the suitable button on the final second, however that’s extra of a last-ditch effort to attenuate injury than an efficient technique to defeat enemies. For probably the most half, you’ll need to time your dodges completely to keep away from getting hit and use the restricted window of alternative to punish the enemy accordingly. It takes some time to get used to this fight system, nevertheless it makes for some enjoyable adrenaline-fueled encounters the place you primarily carry out a meticulous ballet of swift dodges and fast strikes to down your enemies.
One other side the place Lies of P’s gameplay completely mimics the fight of Bloodborne is the encounter design. These conversant in FromSoftware’s works would possibly know the way enemies in that recreation have a tendency to cover in unlikely spots and ambush the participant at each flip, and Lies of P does an excellent job of crafting related encounters. Simply observe the gameplay footage and you may see many situations of the participant getting attacked from behind, and you can even see encounter designs that require you to think twice and isolate enemies from packs so as to stand an opportunity at victory.
And this neatly brings us to stage design the place we get to see NEOWIZ’s wonderful understanding of what makes Bloodborne and by extension, all Souls video games an absolute deal with. As you’ll be able to already see from the trailers, the maps of Lies of P are labyrinthian environments that characteristic a ton of verticality alongside fascinating traversal challenges that ought to maintain exploration a consistently participating expertise. Simply watch how the participant character makes his method by a beam all whereas an enemy on one other rooftop tries to disbalance you with a flurry of gunshots, and the gameplay trailer has loads of related situations which might be paying homage to FromSoftware’s works.
One of many areas the place Lies of P expands upon the concepts of Bloodborne is the weapons system. You see, gamers can have the choice to create their very own customized weapons by mixing and matching elements of various weapons to create one thing that’s fully distinctive. For example, you might take the hilt of a greatsword and fix the blade of a spear for a singular weapon or you might take a hammer and fix it to the identical greatsword hilt for an additional heavy weapon of types. NEOWIZ states that gamers will be capable of create over 100 completely different combos by combining 30 primary weapons – and we’re actually excited to see the various inventive builds which might be potential with this technique within the last launch.
Lies of P additionally borrows a design aspect from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice with its prosthetic arm attachments. Gamers will be capable of swap out their left arm in favour of attachments like flamethrowers, blast arms, and electrocuters so as to add extra utility to their weapon loadout. The gameplay trailer showcases the participant character utilizing a form of stun arm to electrocute a boss and open up extra alternatives for attacking the enemy, and one other occasion exhibits a spring attachment getting used to deliver a distant enemy up shut for some lethal injury.
Let’s additionally briefly contact upon the visuals, as a result of it’s a vital a part of what makes Lies of P such a promising launch. The sport makes use of Unreal Engine 4 to energy its visuals, nevertheless it makes good use of the engine’s characteristic set to ship a world that’s brimming with persona. It not solely excels at making a world that has a excessive stage of graphical constancy but additionally boasts nice artwork path that brings the world and the developer’s imaginative and prescient to life.
In conclusion, Lies of P is trying to be a worthy successor to Bloodborne. It exhibits loads of promise in lots of elements starting from the recent story to the aggressive gameplay and the looping stage design that all of us love. It additionally doesn’t stick too near the rulebook and expands upon FromSoftware’s works with a extremely customizable weapon system and Sekiro-esque prosthetic arm attachments. As such, the sport seems to be like a main candidate to be one of many largest hits of the close to future – however for that to occur, NEOWIZ must take these promising parts and create a cohesive expertise that’s pleasant from one finish to the opposite.
Lies of P is slated to launch on 19 September 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Collection X/S. We might be checking it out when it releases – and we genuinely hope that the sport finally ends up surpassing expectations and carving out a legacy for itself.
Notice: The views expressed on this article are these of the creator and don’t essentially characterize the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a corporation.
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