Lies of P

Lies of P is a soulslike action game that reimagines the classic story of Pinocchio as a dark, steampunk version of turn-of-the-century Belgian Paris, overrun by mad, aggressive puppets after a mysterious catastrophe. The player takes on the role of the puppet Pinocchio, who must become a real human by the end of the journey, and must face deadly enemies using swords that can be modularly assembled from various blades and hilts, plus a mechanical arm loaded with special abilities such as a flamethrower, a chain trap, or an electric discharge, freely switchable as needed.

The combat system emphasizes precise parry timing, called Guard Regain, which lets you return deflected damage back to the enemy, giving the game its own identity compared to other soulslike titles built more around dodging. Weapons are also subject to wear, and Pinocchio's mechanical arm offers optional modules that let the player tailor their combat style to their own preferences. On PlayStation 5 the game runs stably with elaborate graphics, a gothic atmosphere, and a gloomy industrial soundtrack that heightens the sense of decay in the explored city of Krat, full of rusted mechanisms. The visual style combines Victorian elegance with mechanical horrors and grotesque bosses, creating a distinctive atmosphere different from the Japanese templates of the genre that the game otherwise openly builds on.

Critics particularly praised how the Korean development studio managed to meet the high expectations of demanding genre fans without losing its own artistic signature and literary inspiration. Lies of P is today considered one of the best soulslike titles outside FromSoftware's output, and proof that the genre still has room for new, original interpretations of classic literary motifs and stories, even from a previously lesser-known development studio.

Why play it: For soulslike fans looking for new interpretations of classic literary motifs, Lies of P proves that even a lesser-known studio can meet the high expectations of demanding players without losing its own signature.