Lies of P: Overture Review (PC): More Lies of P in a Tougher Package

A brutal experience in the past awaits those who are foolish enough to travel back in time. That’s exactly what I did in my return to Lies of P with its Overture expansion, and I am all the better for it, and so is the game. While the DLC for this amazing indie Soulslike is far more brutal than I imagined, it is also exactly what Lies of P needed, which is more of the same, but amped up to 11. Lies of P: Overture doesn’t reinvent the game or the genre, but it gives everyone exactly what they wanted.

Tough, but that’s the point

True to the form of any Soulslike title, Lies of P: Overture doesn’t hold any punches and immediately thrusts you into an environment that will end you just as quickly as you get there, but that is the point. You are supposed to have the experience needed to enter these areas and beat them, and Round8 followed the exact protocol necessary. After entering the DLC, I got my butt handed to me consistently, but it set the tone for a journey that I was prepared to fight through after an hour of practice. Still, the solace of a Stargazer felt very few and far between compared to the base game, and the one thing that I would ultimately change.

The Overture has a stricter learning curve than the base Lies of P game, throwing you into the meat grinder from the get-go, but it offered more of that same-old combat that I was already used to from the base game. Everything flowed well, and the bosses were over-the-top masterpieces – more so than in the base game. My personal favorite was Markiona: Puppeteer of Death, as her battle was unique, mixing fast-paced attacks with hits from a tethered puppet. Suffice it to say, each of the bosses featured their own unique quirks that made them stand out from each other in a spectacular way.

Of course, any great Soulslike game has its weapons, and the Overture DLC does not skimp out on giving you access to some fun toys to mess around with. I was immediately drawn to the bow and was happy to receive it early on. The fast-paced shots mixed with a triple burst were a bit odd to me at first, but it later became my go-to weapon when fighting many of the bosses since I could easily perform hit-and-run tactics while also using throwable items, like how my build is centered around. I tried out the various other weapons, and while none of them intrigued me as much as the bow, each of them felt good and excited me for options I would want to use in a future playthrough.

Visual storytelling at its peak

The base game of Lies of P stood out to me at the time because of its dark fantasy setting and the odd choice to retell the story of Pinocchio. Overall, I loved the original game, and the DLC has capitalized on the game’s already amazing visual storytelling.

I began my journey in the Krat Zoo, much more lively, but overrun by some sinister foes. These new enemies were the very creatures that many came to the zoo to see. I ended my short jaunt through the zoo by facing a menacing crocodile, overcome by the Petrification Disease, and driven mad. At first, the site of the zoo was a marvel to behold, but it quickly turned sour as I witnessed the destruction held within.

Later, I scurried through the greenhouse and made a quick stop at the carnival, where I was met with a familiar face, the very puppet I had fought at the beginning of the base game, very much alive, and very much ready to pummel me. The joke was on him as I beat him senseless, collecting a coin in the process. This opened up much of the carnival, giving me access to fun games that earned me additional prizes if I stuck around and completed them.

The story of Overture focuses on the city of Krat, teetering on the edge of collapse and on the verge of becoming what we know it as in the base game – a city soaked in blood and horror from the puppet frenzy. Puppets shake and wander the streets of the zoo and hide amongst the tents of the circus, in a newer state, yet to be corrupted.

Hidden mysteries and tragic NPC stories excellently fold into the overarching campaign whether it is finding a ciphers that tell of a haunted puppet, tapping the walls of a cave in a desperate attempt to break free or the puppet of a little girl who wants nothing more than to be free to walk, run, and dance, these deceptively sad stories perfectly showcase the world of Lies of P. The latter of these characters will also give special dialogue should you perform specific emotes that can only be found in the DLC, showing that she still clings to some small portions of hope and happiness in the nearly doomed city.

The Verdict

Lies of P: Overture does not pretend to be something it’s not. Instead, Round8 created exactly what I and many fans of Lies of P wanted, which is more of what we already had, but in a tougher package that doesn’t hold any punches when diving at the crocodile’s mouth. It is unapologetically good and exactly what everyone should expect from a Soulslike DLC.

Lies of P: Overture was reviewed on PC with a code provided by Round 8 Studio. It is also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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