Switch 2 Just Got One of the Decade’s Best Soulslikes
Overview & Key Takeaways
Lies of P and its Overture expansion just hit the Nintendo Switch 2. Together, they're one of the best non-FromSoftware Soulslikes of the 2020s.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is just over a year old, and it already has an impressive lineup of third-party, non-Nintendo games. From Cyberpunk 2077 being a surprisingly great launch title to Capcom's continued support of the platform with recent hits like Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, Switch 2 owners have no shortage of games to play.
An increasing number of Soulslikes are heading the Switch 2's way for players who want to parry on the go. Hell Is Us lands on Switch 2 this October, while Elden Ring is just a few weeks away. If you can't wait for those, however, one of the best Soulslikes of the decade was actually just released on Switch 2 earlier this month: Lies of P. Better yet, its Switch 2 version includes its excellent DLC expansion too.
Lies of P might be the best non-FromSoftware Soulslike
FromSoftware is the progenitor of the Soulslike genre, thanks to iconic games like Demon's Souls, the Dark Souls trilogy*, Bloodborne*, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. Other studios have come for its throne with their own Soulslikes, but none hit the same highs quite like Lies of P does. With its focus on storytelling, great boss fights, and invigorating parry-filled combat, Nough (formerly Round8 Studio) and Neowiz's Lies of P can hang with FromSoftware's best.
You play as a Timothée Chalamet-lookin' Pinocchio (called just P), who wakes up after the city of Krat has been overtaken by murderous puppets. These aren't tiny toy puppets you might be thinking of; instead, they're more akin to people-sized (or bigger) robots, and they've turned on their human masters. Special puppet P isn't afflicted by the Puppet Frenzy going around town and can act freely, even lying his way through the end of different quests, making him more human. Puppet or human, P absolutely slays: Lies of P's combat is as good as any FromSoftware title. P acquires a variety of customizable and interchangeable weapons, and his prosthetic arm can be adapted into various weapons as well, like a flamethrower or shotgun.
Image: Round 8 Studio/Neowize
Image: Neowiz
Image: Neowiz
Image: Neowiz/Round8/Nough
Image: Neowiz/Round8/Nough
Image: Neowiz
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Image: Round 8 Studio/Neowize
Image: Neowiz
Image: Neowiz
Image: Neowiz/Round8/Nough
Image: Neowiz/Round8/Nough
Image: Neowiz
Lies of P was very well received by critics, with an 88% Critics Recommend score on OpenCritic. "The game surprised and engulfed me with its grim tale, in which greed and obsession for power turned a city against itself. Despite a clear obligation to pay homage to its pioneers, it carves its own reality — one in which you decide which illusions to believe in," Diego Nicolás Argüello wrote in Polygon's 2023 review.
The Overture prequel expansion, which sends P back in time to witness the fall of Krat and the rise of the murderous puppets, was similarly praised, and has a 100% Critics Recommend score on OpenCritic. I enjoyed my 20 hours with it, writing in my review that "Overture’s storytelling enhances the base game and feels as close to essential as a prequel can be."
If you're interested in Lies of P but intimidated by the difficulty of most Soulslikes, fear not: a free update last year added difficulty options, letting you play at your preferred challenge level. (These options were essential for helping me get through some of Overture's more difficult bosses.)
Lies of P: Complete Edition is out now on Nintendo Switch 2. It's also available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
