I have no qualms about saying Lies of P was my game of the year in 2023. I'm terrible at souslikes, but there was something about Neowiz's irresistible lore and stunning world that made me want to git good. After dozens of hours and countless challenges, when I finally finished the game, I was still ready for more.
Just under two years later, we're finally getting soulslike's world and completely changes the base game, adding a ton of replayability and opening it up to new players thanks to the introduction of difficulty settings.
I recently visited the Paramour Estate in Los Angeles to play an hour of Overture, as well as a further hour of the new boss rush mode, which will arrive later this year as a free update alongside the aforementioned difficulty options.
While the Overture DLC was a known quantity, this new base game update is a complete surprise. It's sure to put Lies of P back in the spotlight for a fresh wave of players to enjoy, while inviting hardened veterans back to take on the game's toughest challenges yet.
I played Overture's opening hour, which starts with a trek through a snowy forest. I figured it would act as a nice way to get reacquainted with the controls and combat before the real action kicked off, but oh, how naive I was. I was almost immediately thrown into a fight against powerful beasts, including a polar bear with a torture cage stuck to its head, who could inflict a new freeze status effect that slows your movement, actions, and stamina regeneration. The battle was hard fought, but I just about pulled through.
I also spotted the update's fluid new movement animations straight away. P will now jump and leap into attacks when sprinting, drag his Legion Arm across the ground, and slide when dodging, kicking up sparks as he goes. These new and adjusted animations are smooth and look great, but they did force me to make micro adjustments to my attack timings to avoid giving up free hits.
The rest of my preview was spent at Krat Zoo, which I traversed with my handy Final Fantasy 8-like gunblade in hand, one of several new weapons. It's classed as a sword, meaning it's fairly average when it comes to stamina drain, attack speed, and damage, but you can charge it up and use its revolver-style handle to deal massive damage. There's also the giant double pinwheel blade, which picks up stacks of momentum when you sprint. I especially liked the Wolverine-style claws and bow and arrow, which you can charge up to land devastating attacks.
I also tested out a couple of the new Legion Arms, including Cataclysm, which is effectively a double-barrel shotgun arm, and Icarus, which can launch up to four deadly spinning blades that return to P's arm after a short time.
Progressing through Krat Zoo, I'm relieved to say that if you love Lies of P's environments and level design, Overture hits that same level of quality. Whenever I took a wrong turn or ventured off the beaten path, I was always met with something worth finding, be it a shortcut or a stash of handy items.
It was surreal to see most of the environments covered in snow, which is such a mood change for Lies of P. The overall color palette here is also surprisingly bright, which I hope indicates the DLC will continue to take chances and try new things beyond its first hour.
Given Overture is clearly designed as an endgame DLC, it makes sense that its early foes pack a real punch. Yet nothing felt unfair or cheesy. Still, it expects you to know what you're doing from the jump. Don't expect a chill reintroduction.
My only disappointment was that I ran out of time before I could face the area's main boss, the Tyrannical Predator. If this is just a snippet of what we can expect from Lies of P Overture, then it might just be that my 2025 game of the year is a DLC, and I'm perfectly okay with that.
Beyond Overture, other incoming additions include Battle Memories and Death March. Battle Memories let you take on previously defeated bosses in difficulties ranging up to tier five, with special rewards for completing the hardest tiers. Death March is a gauntlet mode where you fight consecutive bosses with limited health and items. These gauntlets are custom scenarios, with up to three bosses per Death March, so you can go as easy or hard on yourself as you wish.
As for the boss rush mode, this allows you to face bosses you've already taken down to try and beat your best clear time. You can even set up a boss gauntlet to battle the bosses in rapid succession.
In of the difficulty options, the default will soon be known as 'Legendary Stalker,' while the two easier options are 'Butterfly's Guidance' and 'Awakened Puppet.' Between these new additions and the DLC itself, there has never been a better time to step into the world of Krat and discover why Lies of P is so much more than another soulslike also-ran.
Lies of P Overture is expected to launch in 2025 and will cost $29.99. While you wait, we've got a list of every best Lies of P weapons to take them down with.