Lies of P: Overture is exactly what you'd want from more of the game - hands-on

In simpler terms, it’s no secret that among games similar to “Soulslike,” Lies of P developed by Round8 and Neowiz stands out remarkably compared to many other titles not produced by From Software released recently. As Josh #2 pointed out in his review back in 2023, our anticipation for the upcoming Overture expansion has been high. Last week in LA, Neowiz granted media and influencers a sneak peek at the DLC before its imminent release, and it’s clear that players are going to enjoy an exceptional experience when it launches this Summer.

The preview session was divided into two parts: one segment allowed us to spend an hour testing out the game’s fresh Boss Memories mode, where players can replay boss battles they’ve already conquered in the story, and we got a chance to engage in combat with three of the new bosses from Overture’s campaign. The remaining half placed us at the beginning of the expansion, as we navigated through the Krat Zoo, including a battle against a boss not included in our Boss Memories session. Throughout both sections, we got a glimpse of some of the DLC’s new weapons; one that particularly caught my interest was a flamethrower lance that efficiently takes down both bosses and common enemies. Similar to the main game, the new weapons offer a combination of “boss soul” weapons, which are single-piece, and standard weapons that can be separated into handle and blade.

Among the bosses we encountered, the one that truly shone was the initial Boss Memory from our unrehearsed gameplay. This particular adversary had a distinctive quality – she controlled a puppet to assault together with her. When the puppet was operational, the strings linking them would light up red, alerting players to prepare for attacks potentially originating from unseen areas. Audio signals were also provided to signal when to dodge or shield, ensuring that even if an attack emerged from off-screen, I always felt like I had enough time to respond appropriately.

Regarding the zoo, it stands out positively compared to the base game. The introduction of fresh enemies like gorillas, kangaroos, and the chimerical abomination align well with the game’s existing visual style, providing a refreshing change from the original campaign’s adversaries. Since we’ve only explored the first act of the DLC extensively, it remains to be seen what other enemies we might encounter once we leave the zoo. For now, the initial stages are quite promising, boasting some of the finest level design in the game. As we move from the museum at the beginning of the zoo and journey through different ecosystems, there’s a clear sense of progression even early on, with lots of diversity in the environments.

In our discussions today, we also mentioned the exciting extra feature that will debut together with the DLC – the game’s brand-new difficulty modes. Though our time with the DLC was constrained, we did manage to catch a glimpse of how such a system operates in Boss Memories. At first glance, these rematches offer 3 difficulty levels ranging from 1 to 3, which likely correlate with the game’s 3 primary difficulty settings upon Overture’s release. However, as you progress, you can unlock even more challenging difficulties beyond that. We didn’t receive any specific details about how each fight is adjusted in these new difficulty modes, and interestingly enough, the development team has been secretive about what changes the tougher options bring; they aim to share only what won’t deter players from selecting the difficulty level that suits them best.

In a few months, the game “Lies of P: Overture” will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Mac/PC (Steam) platforms, priced at $29.99. However, an exact release date has not been disclosed yet. I personally can’t wait to dive into it!

2025-05-21 18:26

Lies of P: Overture is exactly what you’d want from more of the game – hands-on

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