“Lies of P,” released on Sept.18 by Neowiz Games and Round 8 Studio, is a soulslike video game following a dark and twisted spin-off of the story of Pinocchio.

 Set in the late 19th century, “Lies of P” takes place after many puppets, brought alive by a special substance called ergo, retaliate for unknown reasons and start killing humans. In the game, the player plays as P, a special puppet created by puppet maker Gepetto to end the massacre. Throughout the game, the player gets to uncover the reason as to why the puppets retaliated in the grand attempt of becoming human.

“Lies of P’s” gameplay is very similar to other souls-likes, featuring challenging melee combat and parry and dodge defense mechanisms. Although these gameplay mechanics work well together and feel familiar to similar-styled games, they sometimes feel too slow and clunky.  

“It was very hard at first, but after like an hour it got pretty easy, but it was still annoying to play,” said Nolan Herkomer, a sophomore at Sage Creek and avid gamer.

As the player progresses through the game and finds new enemies or bosses, they can interact with checkpoints called Stargazers. Stargazers serve as fast-travel locations and allow the player to convert the ergo, “Lies of P’s” in game currency, gained from killing enemies, into character power. These mechanics are nothing new and appear in numerous other role-playing games (RPG). This leveling-up design is perfect for new players and rewards them for working hard and taking risks in their actions.

In a GAMERANT interview with Jiwon Choi, the “Lies of P” director,  they claimed they “wanted to give players enough idea of how the progression system works while showing them a hint of their future experience in ‘Lies of P’.”

 The level design, however, is immaculate. Each area seems new with little to no repetition. The environment and graphics are also on point and match the mood of the story perfectly, emulating the 19th-century European that uses a dark environment and old, ruined cities. There is also a large variety of enemy types, featuring at least one new unique puppet in each area. The bosses are well-made, offering different challenges to work around for each fight.

“I thought the new areas were pretty cool, and they were all different from each other,” said sophomore Douglas Turner.

Overall, “Lies of P” offers a mediocre experience, incorporating a unique story that is unfortunately weighed down by clunky and difficult gameplay.