Well, if you're looking for your next Souls-like experience, here ya go. And this one's seemingly pretty good. I played just past the first boss you fight and every inspiration for this game is worn unabashedly on its sleeve. To me, its more like Bloodborne but with some Dark Souls. You pick one of three starting weapons, much like Bloodborne, and each one has Fable Arts which are reminiscent of the weapon arts in DS. Though the Fable Arts are tied to a bar under your HP and stamina and the bar has multiple sections which dictate what arts you can use. So one move might cost 1 bar and another costs all 3. You gain more energy for the bar as you attack. You also can refill your health charges by attacking as well. There is also a Bloodborne like rally system where you have a window to regain some health. It appears to be a thing with some enemies which is sorta cool.

Combat wise, it plays like you would expect, but with a heavier incentive to use perfect blocks that open up larger attacks. I found it much more difficult when not utilizing them on the first boss. I think the dodge roll needs some tweaking though as I and other folks I've heard from all agree its a little awkward in the animation and doesn't really go far enough when you're locked on. Still not quite sure if there are I frames. Your weapon will also degrade as you use it so you must employ the grinder that the game starts you with to keep it from breaking. You upgrade stats just like a Souls game, as expected.

The world is quite pretty and I can't help but think of that game Steel Rising that came out last year, where you also play as a puppet like character. I'm really loving the vibe. As much as I want a Bloodborne remaster, its a game I've played numerous times so it nice to have something new that invokes a similar feel. The lore is kinda cool and the whole pinnochio spin is rather neat. Some of the voice acting is a little amateur.

I can see myself diving into the full game if it manages to hold up through the entire experience. I would absolutely recommend checking out the demo if you're even mildly interested.

If you've already given it a shot, share your thoughts!

I don't like how Pinocchio looks like a normal guy with a puppet arm. The guards are all puppets. Get in on that, throw some strings in, etc.

It looks really polished but I'm not quite feeling it yet. It's not straying far enough from the influence so I'm always going to compare it closely (perhaps unfairly) with Bloodborne.

@shindig: Every time I see the puppet's face and hair I immediately think Timothee Chalamet. Like whoever designed this has a little crush on him.

Ya, it definitely needs more time in the oven. Its good that the devs put out the demo early so they can get that feedback. Every Souls-like is (perhaps unfairly lol) gonna be compared. I think they should be, personally. If you're gonna ape a formula almost to a tee, you might as well get it right.

I also think the weapon durability is a bit on the harsh side. It was just right for the run to the first stargazer but the more open courtyards seem to throw plenty more enemies at you. I could just be missing an obvious shortcut, though.

I also just beat the first boss. Feel pretty much the same way. It's a good looking game. Clearly taking from Bloodborne. The mechanics aren't all the way there, but none of these Souls-likes ever are and this one at least gets close enough to keep me playing. Seems like a slightly friendlier game, aside from the weapon durability, which just seems like an excuse to force you to go back to a bonfire to rest. I have no issue with the main characters design, but maybe it helps that I have no idea who Timothee Chalamet is. I'm curious to see more of what the lying mechanic stuff is. If it has any effect on the game. I hope it just makes your nose longer and you end up running around with a four-foot-long nose by the end of the game.

@brian_: @shindig: Did you guys possibly miss the tutorial that mentions the grinder? It is on the d pad and fixes your weapon so you don't have to go the stargazer.

@brian_ I don't have an issue with the character design. Its just the first thing that popped into my head when I saw him and I can't unsee it now. I figure the lying mechanic won't be too deep. Its just the thing your puppet is capable of and will be your ticket forward. Hope I'm wrong.

@spacemanspiff00: Yeah. I missed the grinder. I didn't catch it until I started over on a second playthrough. I think I just assumed is was a consumable the first time and ignored it. I also tried to pick the truth option on that first choice the game gives you and it turns out it does absolutely nothing. You're forced to pick the lie. Which I was a bit bummed out about, until the game gave me a sick grappling hook to zip enemies towards me, which I'm always a sucker for.

I'm glad they put out this demo, because I now know this is a game I'm going to SKIP. It's sad that any developer making a game above Indie status can't be creative and innovate and instead have to copy off of a current trend to make sales. Lies of P is yet another Dark Souls clone and in a lot of ways worse. As this game adds more headaches to deal with instead of what you deal with in a modern From Software game. Yes, it seems to be a well made version overall, but I'm personally getting tied of almost every new action game being some kind of Souls clone, its really getting pathetic. And the Bioshock/Dishonored world is also not that appealing, not because I don't like those games, but because I do.

Edit: I played up until what I believe is the final demo boss, a gorilla puppet with electric attacks. I still stand by my earlier post, but for those really wanting Bloodborne at 60fps, this game will likely be the closest you'll get. It's not bad, it just makes me wish From Software would get off their behinds and drop that PC/PS5 Bloodborne update already. And keep in mind that the demo is locked on performace, so a 30fps 4K mode will likely be available at launch. The dodging and perfect block need some work, but otherwise, another run of the mill solid Souls clone.

@spacemanspiff00: I had the grinder but forgot I picked it up. I still don't think an infinite grindstone is a good way around it. Dark Souls makes degradation a gradual process that the player could be caught short by. There is now way you miss your weapon being depleted in Lies of P. It's regular busywork instead of the once-in-a-while catastrophe it is in other games.

I do like how you recharge your health flask by attacking, though. Anything that keeps the player moving forward is always welcome.

I also wish this game was a little bit brighter just to show off the enemy designs. I really like how they move and the dogs are all clanging metalwork. I know they're taking Bloodborne as an obvious inspiration but it feels toned down. Yharnam is a wet, dank, extravagant place. This might as well be a market town at 3am on a Sunday.

Maybe there's some surprises in store but they're not dropping many hints in this demo.

EDIT: Oh, your weapons durability becomes an issue during the boss fight? Awesome. I'm guessing they really do want you to master parry timing. Blocking seems to take durability out of your weapon so you can't quite turtle up whilst learning attacks.

Ya the weapon durability itself is a bit arbitrary but not invasive enough to where I found it annoying. No enemies in your way? Pull the grinder out.

The emphasis on parry is heavy. Getting into the second half of the demo I died a few times to a bigger enemy with a club because I just couldn't parry the combo's consistently. The bigger baddies also have quite the health pool if your failing to get the bigger hits in as a result of parrying and doing constant damage.

I mostly avoid other Souls likes since they aren't usually up to snuff. The Surge 2 was pretty good. The esthetic of this is doing a lot for me and the combat, depending on tweaks, is good enough. Kinda reminds me of Wo Long a bit but with a little less polish. I like the enemy designs as well.

Either my timing just sucks or the perfect block timing needs work. Probably the former but maybe a bit of the latter. I opted to use the summon on the final demo boss cuz holy hell I couldn't get any consistency from blocking and just kept dying. I watched some videos and it seems others aren't struggling near as much so maybe I just suck at these games now. I summoned a lot in Elden Ring and still haven't beaten it. Ya, I think most of my reactionary skills have gone down the toilet at this point.

The blocking confuses me. Is the perfectly timed block the parry? Cause it doesn't really seem to me like I'm parrying attacks with it. At least visually. The only way I can really tell if I did it right is by checking if I took any damage. The enemy animations don't really read as parried to me.

@brian_: Perfect block is really what I meant. I think years of Soulsborne has just engrained the word parry into my head lol. I fixed that in my post.

@spacemanspiff00: Oh okay. I wasn't sure of I was missing a parry or something.

I've never been much of a block and parry guy in Souls games. My success rate with that stuff in any game is never very high, but I seem to be having about as much success with it here as I do anywhere else. But I'm probably not the person to ask here. I'm a dodge and roll guy. We'll see how far that gets me in this one.

@brian_:

I'm mostly the same dodge and roll player as well in these games, though Sekiro is my fav From game, ironically. I think the deflect is a little more generous in Sekiro for sure. Here its more like Dark Souls, where the timing is very tight, but it still feels way more inconsistent than From's games. There is already a no hit boss video on Youtube for Lies of P so clearly it aint that bad. However a lot of redditors seem to be struggling pretty hard as well. Over an hour to beat the 3rd boss is a bit much for me, hence I used the summon. I find myself often torn between "is this boss hard but well designed? Or is skill and a whole lot of luck really the factor here?" Like, if you spent 2 hours beating a boss, could you reliably do it again in a run or 2?

Edit: I also often wonder about input lag with these games. I'm playing on an older OLED and they have more input lag than a monitor does, even on game mode.

I did like how chunky this demo was finished it up just under 4 hours nad it left me wanting to continue so that's a good sign. Also an in hub record player with records you can get is pretty cool.

Finished the Demo and my overall opinion of the game based on it is positive. If I wasn't burned out on Soul-likes these days, I could see myself getting into it. The atmosphere is nice and pleasant, in a taking a walk at night sort of way. The presentation is definitely the game's strongest thing going for it. The combat is a mixed bag, mainly because of the inconsistent perfect block gameplay mechanic. On the flip side, the two main bosses and the one mini boss have attack patterns that you can master enough to do better during repeat fights. I'd imagine the RNG would get a lot worse as you get deeper into the game, but hopefully by then you're given enough tools to even the playing field. I think this game is going to review well and do good among the Soul-like fans who can't get enough of these type of games, especially those creaming for another Bloodborne. Based on what I hear after its release, I might get it at a later date, but even then it will be a while before I really attempt a serious run with it.

I'll definitely try to get to the end of this demo, especially if it's as substantial as I'm hearing. I wouldn't have ever known I was a total sucker for this atmosphere prior to Bloodborne, but looking back on The Order, being so fond of my time with Vampyr and already finding this a front runner for vibe of the year makes it clear I'm hooked on the look.

That said, I watched Brad get to the Puppet Master boss on Nextlander and I think my main fear is this game is going to both feel "off" in ways that might not even be its fault (the only games in this style I've played are Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Demon's Souls PS5 and I suppose Jedi Fallen Order) because I don't think other teams should only aim to emulate 1:1 FromSoft's feel but also that the enemies might actually be tricky more because they're kind of sneakily simple than actual clever design.

I've only messed with the demo once, and I got wrecked by that first big puppet in the event space, but I was using a greatsword and just wanted to bash on it despite the game clearly communicating I couldn't get more than two hits in before retaliation. Again, only watching Brad, it seemed like the Puppet Master (at least in its first phase) was the same basic concept. It also seemed like I'd made a poor choice for my play style, as I'd assumed the greatsword was a Hunter's Axe analog but it really doesn't play that way, and the generic sword Brad chose looked like way more fun.

Obviously a tutorial level isn't, hopefully, indicative of the entire game but in making the obvious comparison to Bloodborne neither the fodder enemies nor the bosses seem to have any tricks up their sleeves other than preying on the impulse to press that the first third of Bloodborne demands. I'm about to dive back in and test this out but it seems like the basic strategy is two hits, back out, repeat with little complication. Execution obviously complicates what appears simple, but compared to Central Yharnam and the Cleric Beast/Gascoigne combo, Lies of P seems singularly focused on punishing impatience in a way that could quickly feel rote.

That all being said, again, I've gotta actually get through the demo, I might be dumb enough for that to take several tries, and a lot of other aspects about this sample suggest Lies of P might be aping several aesthetic and mechanical choices from Blloodborne and other FromSoft games while also delivering a more focused, transparent narrative and progression. So I could see the entire point of these opening areas being hamfistedly married to this idea of patience in a way the rest of the game moves past.

I decided not to finish the demo both because after seeing more of what the game had to offer after the first boss I was still having a pretty good time and I wasn't interested in making progress that didn't ultimately matter. In other words, I was starting to think about the game like something I had another 20 or 30 (or...however many) hours with and it quickly became less and less satisfying to progress knowing that wasn't true.

From what I did see following that first boss, I don't think my worries were, y'know, parried at all, but I also think I might be very into the idea of a game that often reminds me of Bloodborne visually but is far more straightforward both in encounter design and narrative. I'll be very curious to see if there's any last minute preview coverage and/or how reviews pan out, but I remain moderately excited for this, especially if it finds a way to embrace the silliness of its premise without diluting the atmosphere of its setting like a Resident Evil 4 or, I don't know, Judgement, Control or NieR Automata?

Fingers crossed I s'pose.

I was gonna make another thread but I'm not even sure I'm gonna keep playing. It seems like the devs addressed none of the feedback from the demo. Apparently there is a better dodge skill you can unlock and put a skill point into but I find that a bit annoying. The perfect block just feels wonky and all over the place sometimes, as do the hitboxes and I frames. I still really dig the vibe so I'll probably end up pushing a little further since I only played up to about where the demo ended. Maybe Neowiz will update it in the future now that its likely getting a lot more eyes on it with Game Pass. Here's hoping. There's absolutely a better game there somewhere.

I understand the perfect block and its timing, but it still never feels *good* to pull off. I think for whatever reason it just feels off enough consistently enough to not feel rewarding and instead a crapshoot.

Played it yesterday for a couple more hours up to that flame boss. I've started to actually play it like I did Bloodborne and rely on the extra dodge more often than not. Its working better but not as ideal as I'd prefer. Still working on those perfect blocks and its not going great. Sometimes I think I figure out the timing and can never keep it consistent, especially when fighting bosses which smash through your health if you miss them. Putting a lot of points into extra health has mitigated the problem a bit. I think the P-organ skill tree kinda sucks but maybe I'll feel differently once I open it up more. I'm having a good enough time with everything else that I want to keep plugging at it. I hear some of the later game bosses get pretty tricky. The vibes and levels themselves so far have been fun to explore.

I don't remember the last time I outright skipped a mini boss in a game but that Mad Clown motherfucker is a real motherfucker. Ho-ly shit. The difficulty spikes in this game have been a little obnoxious.

@spacemanspiff00: Beat that Mfer yesterday after MANY attempts. That clown is harder then the Archbishop and the the boss after it... the difficulty spikes are truly ridiculous.