What we’ve been playingA few of the things that have us hooked this week.20th October, 2023
Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we’ve found ourselves playing over the last few days. This time: past masters, lies, and writers.
If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We’ve Been Playing, here’s our archive.
Lies of P – PS5
The problem with creating a Soulslike is how do you compete with FromSoft? That’s not to say the studio is untouchable and can’t be beaten. I would love another developer to come along, iterate on the formula, and make it afresh. FromSoft itself managed that in the shift from Dark Souls to Bloodborne, and then to Elden Ring. But until another studio manages it, Soulslikes will always be compared unfavourably to the originals.
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Neowiz, the developer of Lies of P, has certainly tried. When I spoke to game director Jiwon Choi at Gamescom, he was adamant the studio could rise to the challenge. And to a degree, it’s been successful. This puppet adventure adheres closely to the Souls formula, cherry-picking from FromSoft’s work – having the health regain from Bloodborne, for instance, and the emphasis on perfect timing from Sekiro. Yet every facet of the genre has been twisted into the puppet theme, including its giggle-worthy P-organ.