Lies of P: Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a standout port of an already beautifully-designed game. From its graphical options to its full collection of DLC, it’s a worthy contender. This is especially true if you’ve never played a soulslike before – this is one you shouldn’t skip.
“It’s just like Silksong…”
“Think of Lies of P like Hollow Knight…”
“Focus on retrieving your remains and then retrace whatever steps you need…”
“It’s just like Silksong, Will, focus on that…”
These are but a handful of mantras I spoke to myself as I played through Lies of P on the Nintendo Switch 2. I said them often, be it during my first attempt at the Scrapped Watchman, my sixth time facing the Survivor, to my seemingly countless (it was around seven) attempts at climbing the chapel of St. Frangelico Cathedral. You’ll know what I mean about that last bit if you’ve played the game on another platform prior to now.
If you’ve read any of my reviews before, you’re probably familiar with my distaste of Soulslikes. You know, the super hard games that are hard for the sake of being hard. With the exception of 2D Soulslike platformers (being Hollow Knight, Silksong, Blasphemous and its sequel, Aeterna Noctis, The Last Faith, and Nine Sols), 3D souls-like games were a territory I refused to tread. I felt little reason to play the critically acclaimed FromSoftware classics despite being compelled to do so by nearly every other gamer I know. Why bother attempting to memorize dodging for hours on end when there are many other games to be played? You can read some of the reviews I’ve linked in this paragraph and make the argument that I have warmed up to the subgenre of difficult games. Instead, I’ll argue that I love a good challenge, but perhaps I’m not the fan of games that hate the player in a 3D space where there’s a greater window of error when it comes to movement.
As such, I did not care to play Lies of P when it was originally announced in 2021 and subsequently released in 2023. I talked with fellow Chump Ben Sheene about developers Neowiz and Round8’s Pinocchio-themed soulslike post-launch in the days leading up to 2023’s The Game Awards, debating whether its nomination of Best RPG was correct as opposed to being nominated for GOTY. The notion of it being loosely inspired by Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio was somewhat of a draw for me. It wasn’t until the opportunity to review Lies of P presented itself when I seriously considered doing it. Well, head honcho Nathan encouraged me, so I gave it a chance.
Fellow Chump Steven covered Lies of P during its original launch. If you haven’t yet played Lies of P and want to know more about its mechanical intricacies, I would implore you to read his review prior to continuing further. Where Steven focused more on describing the game’s mechanics and lore in extensive detail, I’ve opted to taking a holistic approach for evaluating Lies of P. As someone who has intentionally avoided 3D soulslikes, today’s review will answer: How might one who is unfamiliar with the 3D soulslike genre approach Lies of P? Secondarily, how does it run on the Switch 2?
Spoiler: It’s a mighty fine contender for a “baby’s first soulslike.” I say this lovingly, as souls-likes have earned their notoriety for being difficult for difficulty’s sake. If someone is to take their tentative first steps into this genre, they should perhaps start with Lies of P.
Part of that approachability stems from Lies of P’s linearity. It adopts an all roads lead to Rome approach to linearity in that branching paths are illusory in nature. There’s one main path that will occasionally split. One direction will continue forward, whereas the other branch (or branches) will offer shortcuts, side quests, and a smattering of minor distractions. The shortcuts help make retracing steps an easier affair, especially since dying involves returning to a checkpoint and tasking the player with getting back to where they were to retrieve their Ergo (currency used for upgrades, purchasing weapons, and more). This is where the Silksong and Hollow Knight comparisons come into play. The (potentially missable) hidden bosses and sidequests are worth completing, but Lies of P is as straightforward as they come.
As for the question of difficulty, I won’t mince words. Lies of P has some artificially difficult and seemingly-player-hating segments that will make you want to uninstall the game and move onto something else. During the cathedral level that I mentioned at the top of this review, I nearly stopped reviewing the game. One of its checkpoints was placed in one of the most grueling, perilous, and player-unfriendly segments I’ve encountered thus far. Ranged enemies pelted me with corruption damage (damage over time) as I carefully navigated narrow rafters. The Joy-Con controllers are already not the most precise, so being threatened with a never-ending onslaught of projectiles that could knock me off the rafters to plummet to my death was like rubbing salt in the wound. Some minibosses were even more frustrating to fight, especially because of their unpredictability paired with the Switch’s hazy controls.
While patience was one solution, the difficulty is navigable by way of P’s weapon, armor, and Legion Arms (read: his sick-looking arm) crafting. Beyond the traditional elemental bonuses applied to weapons, P’s Legion Arms presented me with offensive and defensive maneuvers that I could use to my advantage. That cathedral segment from hell turned into a light breeze when I equipped the Puppet String. Using its active ability pulled me towards a character like an inverse Scorpion from Mortal Kombat; I could skip the anxious tightrope walk with ease so long as I was aiming correctly.
Lies of P (Complete Edition) on the Nintendo Switch comes with the post-launch Overture DLC, offering players an additional 20 hours of content. This makes the $70 pricetag slightly more palatable, but let’s face it: Lies of P and its Overture DLC have been on deep discount (for nearly 50% off!) during Steam sales. A few days ago, the PlayStation Store had it for $29.99, too. It’s tough to reconcile the reality of Lies of P being sold at full price in August 2023 when it’s coming up on three years old and being discounted left and right.
Perhaps the premium pricetag stems from the game’s quality on the Nintendo Switch 2. I’m impressed by its seamlessness in most areas. Puppets and carcasses, when rendered in the distance, seemed to skip frames as they puttered around in their loops as they waited for me to approach. This made their animations more jarring yet sinister. Once I approached, their animations became more fluid. With the exception of a few environments (like elevators), gameplay was buttery smooth. Lies of P exists as another standout Switch 2 port next to the current gold standard that is Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. I’m aware of a Day One patch that may iron out the issues of Quality Mode, but if you’re a handheld player playing on Performance Mode you’ll be surprised by the game’s fluidity and consistent 60 fps.
Lies of P: Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a standout port of an already beautifully-designed game. From its graphical options to its full collection of DLC, it’s a worthy contender. This is especially true if you’ve never played a soulslike before – this is one you shouldn’t skip.
