After an excellent debut for a new Soulslike franchise, Lies of P is moving on to its Overture DLC sometime in the back half of 2025. Keeping with genre traditions, this expansion looks to be a massive addition, both in terms of adding almost a full game's worth of content, and making the overall package even more valuable. Previews for Lies of P: Overture have already made that clear, with various new bosses, story elements, weapons, and mechanics promising to make the next leg of P’s journey the most exciting one yet.
In addition to Overture’s campaign set in Krat's recent past, other new elements are coming to Lies of P itself, and they could elevate the game to a whole new level. On the one hand, boss refights and custom boss gauntlets will be added as Battle Memories and Death March, features that many Souls games need mods to emulate. On the other hand, there are also new difficulties, with the boss refights introducing two higher tiers, and the entirety of Lies of P supporting two lower tiers. Packaged in a free update, these lower difficulties are a huge change, but one that the Soulslike genre needs to examine closely.
Why Now is The Perfect Time to Start Playing Lies of P
A dark retelling of the Pinocchio story, Lies of P is widely regarded as one of the best Soulslikes around, and it's the perfect time to start it up.
Lies of P: Overture Is Placing Difficulty Control In The Player’s Hands
Debates between the intended difficulty in Soulslikes and accessibility settings for those who want to experience them but can't have been raging for years, and aren't likely to stop soon. Only a few Soulslikes cater to the latter camp include Another Crab’s Treasure, which opted for an instant-kill weapon granted through a humorous accessibility option, and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, which included a couple of easy modes that aren't supported by its postgame and DLC. Lies of P may actually be the first Soulslike with difficulty settings that affect all of its content, and these consist of:
- Butterfly’s Guidance
- Awakened Puppet
- Legendary Stalker
Lies of P’s default difficulty will remain Legendary Stalker, which represents Lies of P as it always was, while Butterfly’s Guidance and Awakened Puppet are present to make things easier. Having them patched in two years after the game’s launch dulls their impact somewhat, but anyone who owns a copy of the game after Overture is out will be able to use these modes at their discretion. Theoretically, this means that people who bounced off of Lies of P’s unforgiving difficulty before will now be able to make it to the game’s end with minimal difficulties, which is where the question at the heart of Soulslike difficulty debates lies.
Are Soulslikes Better With An Easy Mode?
It won't be conclusive enough to put the argument to rest, but Lies of P: Overture will give players and developers alike a good look at what a full Souls game looks like with an easy and, seemingly, normal mode applied to all content. Lies of P’s director, Jiwon Choi, made a statement about the new difficulties which implied that feedback from the game’s customers and developers alike both contributed to this feature’s arrival, so it appears that internal and external demand for it was strong enough to merit its insertion. However, the way easier elements manifest could make or break their value.
Lies of P’s New Difficulties Have A Lot To Prove
People desire easier difficulties in Souls games because they want to enjoy their often-striking aesthetics and storytelling without demanding and punishing gameplay getting in the way. Lies of P’s gorgeous fictional city of Krat and twisted fairytale plot are no exception, but the appearance of dramatically fighting through overwhelming odds is still an important element that its gameplay reinforces. Diminishing or even mishandling that could bring down the overall experience. Lies of P: Overture is treading through unexplored territory with the addition of easier difficulties, and its success or failure in that area may affect Souls games for years to come.
