Lies of P isn't my favorite soulslike, however Overture is among the finest DLCs in the entire style
I just lately lastly mounted my suspenders, donned a tophat, and went again to Lies of P to truly decide to a correct, honest-to-Asimov playthrough. I had a good time with Spherical 8 Studio and Neowiz’s “puppet bloodborne”—not distinctive, however nice.
Lies of P did quite a lot of issues I preferred, however confirmed its smaller scope occasionally, which is not any crime. General, I discovered it to be a extremely stable entry into the style: A few wobbles, a few nice concepts, and principally congruent with our 74% evaluate rating. Then I performed Overture, and buddy? I’ve been blown away: Flying backwards, ass-over teakettle, socks and sneakers flung off my toes into the subsequent block.
I broadly agree with our reviewer Lincoln Carpenter’s evaluation of P’s base sport—spotty localisation, occasionally-wonky steadiness, and random issue spikes jostled with my appreciation of some in any other case killer boss and surroundings design. Overture does not have most of those issues.
It is laborious, like a very good souls DLC should be, testing the basics constructed up over two years of nose-growing and working you thru the grinder. However in any other case? I felt like I used to be seeing Spherical 8 hit its stride. Lies of P’s base sport was a studio displaying it may run with the FromSoftware pack—in the meantime, Overture flies.
Ornstein & who?
First-up, the souls of all of it: Overture’s stage design is simply as stable as its base sport sometimes is, however with the additional advantage of Spherical 8 Studio attending to have some actual enjoyable with the place it locations you.
Gone are the Bloodborne-esque streets, changed with, in no specific order: A ruined zoo filled with contaminated kangaroos, bears, and one very indignant crocodile; a beautiful greenhouse teeming with angelic sci-fi puppets; a horrific asylum haunted by horrible experiments; and Shipwrecks amidst ice floats ripped straight from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Overture is each extra artistic with its set-dressing, and altogether prettier.
After which there’s the bosses. It is uncommon for me to get by way of a DLC for certainly one of these video games—whether or not it is FromSoftware or a distinct studio—and assume to myself ‘man, I loved all of that’. However Overture principally nails it.
It is good that I can keep away from deep spoilers, right here, as a result of the perfect instance of that is the primary boss you encounter: Markiona, Puppeteer of Loss of life. Ornstein and Smough have formally been shoved right into a locker, crushed up, and had their joint lunch cash taken by Markiona and her puppet. Markiona is a duo struggle in a soulslike sport that does not suck. They stated it could not be finished? It could actually.
The trick is enjoying into the puppeteering theme. Markiona and her Queen’s Arche Puppet are joined by a thread of string. Whereas her puppet is harmful and agile, it may’t act until it has been managed by her—and when she points instructions, the thread turns from blue to pink.
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It is such a easy, intelligent trick which means you are nearly by no means killed by an assault you did not see coming. You’ll be able to deal with Markiona till the thread modifications color, then swap your lock-on to her puppet, drifting between your two foes in a chic dance.
You are additionally in a position to make attention-grabbing decisions—the struggle ends when Markiona dies, however you’ll be able to disable her puppet for a time by knocking it out. This forces Markiona to spend a few seconds casting a regenerative spell on her aide, which is free harm, earlier than permitting you a blessed minute of 1v1ing.
And but, as a result of the puppet regenerates again to full well being ultimately, you are by no means inspired to completely deal with it over Markiona—this shifting set of priorities retains the struggle feeling fluid in a means that is laborious to encapsulate with out getting your arms on a controller your self (which I’m writing this complete article to encourage you to do).
The remainder of the DLC’s bosses are equally ingenious. Even the “duel” fights with different Stalkers, which I discovered overwhelming within the base sport, are memorable and well-executed. And all of it culminates in a remaining boss that rivals Sekiro’s Isshin, Sword Saint in each spectacle and issue.
Talking of spectacle, it is the place Overture differs from its inspiration that basically units it aside.
Simply too late
The essential jist of Overture is that you just’re despatched again in time earlier than the bottom sport’s puppet frenzy actually bought uncontrolled—the soulsian tragedy of all of it is that you just’re nearly at all times simply too late.
The individuals you need to save have already breezed by way of. The primary dominoes that led to Krat’s collapse have already been knocked over. You are simply right here to see for those who can shift the needle even barely in the direction of the facet of fine.
This killer elevator pitch is married with a shedding of the standard FromSoftware tendency to obscure most of its storytelling—not that it is a problem, thoughts, however I am all for builders discovering their very own identities, and Spherical 8 Studio actually has finished so right here.
Whereas the bottom sport’s English localisation generally wobbled, these translation points have been largely tidied up right here, then married with some completely stellar performances from Neil Newbon, Joseph Balderrama, and Blake Ritson. The stand out, by far, is Alix Wilton Regan (Lea, the Legendary Stalker) who in a single struggle provides such a robust efficiency it’d give Shadow of the Erdtree’s #1 Bayle hater, Igon, a run for his cash.
Spherical 8 Studio has lastly gone from puppet imitation to an actual boy with its personal id and panache.”
This renewed confidence is married with some wonderful cutscenes to actually hammer dwelling emotional moments you’d in any other case want a video essay for—they’re sparing, however deeply efficient. Throw in Lies of P’s tendency to offer you a report with a tear-jerking track on the finish of those story beats, which you’ll be able to play in your house base, and you’ve got the right accompaniment to stew in your emotions with.
All of this culminates in a remaining battle I shan’t spoil—however I am going to merely say that Lies of P feels far, much more snug in its personal pores and skin now it is traded Bloodborne-imitating, pondering worldbuilding for character-driven battle and hype moments. The ultimate boss hits such a stage of spectacle, it feels prefer it belongs extra in Clair: Obscur Expedition 33 than a standard soulslike.
By itself, Lies of P is nice, however does not make my private favourites listing—and but, Overture may be the most effective souls DLCs I’ve ever performed. Each when it comes to its standalone high quality, but additionally in the way it builds upon, and improves upon, Spherical 8 Studio’s preliminary work.
One factor’s for certain: Spherical 8 Studio has lastly gone from puppet imitation to an actual boy with its personal id and panache. Whereas I used to be excited for its subsequent sport earlier than, I’m now borderline rabid for it. If Overture is an indication of what is to come back, then the subsequent entrant into the “Lies of” sequence (doubtless a go to to The Wizard of Oz, as 2023’s post-credits scene suggests) may very well be an all-timer. I can’t wait.