Elden Ring Isn’t the Only Soulslike Switch 2 Owners Should Be Playing

Last month, one of the most critically acclaimed soulslike games to ever blister our thumbs arrived on the Switch 2. Nope, we’re not referring to Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition – which indeed landed on Nintendo’s hardware with an impressive 90% aggregate review score on Metacritic – but another, equally excellent entry in the popular, and increasingly competitive, genre, Lies of P: Complete Edition. 

South Korean publisher/developer Neowiz’s take on the player-punishing category originally arrived in 2023, a year after FromSoftware redefined the formula it invented with the release of Elden Ring. Lies of P quickly became a cult-favorite, earning plenty of high praise – including a glowing review from ComicBook – and was ultimately crowned a big success that could stand among the genre’s best efforts, including FromSoftware’s beloved entries.

Despite connecting with seasoned fans of the parry-fueled, progress-stripping genre, Lies of P initially flew a bit under the radar, in part because it was released when Elden Ring‘s shadow still loomed large. The game’s new definitive edition on Switch 2 finds itself in a similar position, as the recently released Mortal Shell II and, yes, Elden Ring‘s arrival on the same platform, are stealing much of the soulslike spotlight.

But if you missed this gem the first time – and/or you’re a Switch 2 owner seeking new ways to be obliterated by brutal bosses – you won’t want to sleep on this excellent, Pinocchio-inspired twist on the formula. For the uninitiated, yes, you heard right, Lies of P borrows from the beloved puppet made famous by Disney. 

More specifically, it’s inspired by the lore and characters from the original Italian novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio. As such, Lies of P – despite starring a puppet and being available on the same system as Super Mario – is not an easy or family-friendly game. On the contrary, it’s a dark, disturbing, mature experience featuring the steep difficulty the genre is known for.  

As Beautiful As It Is Brutal

While Lies of P is brimming with blood-soaked violence, it’s also endlessly easy on the eyes. Heavily inspired by European history’s Belle Epoque period, it presents a beautiful, richly realized world packed with plenty of slick effects and immersion-ratcheting details. Its fictional setting of Krat – which also displays a bit of BioShock Infinite influence – has been plagued by a “Puppet Frenzy,” which see creator Giuseppe Geppetto’s seemingly harmless autonomous creations turned into murderous machines. 

Without spoiling too much of Lies of P‘s engrossing story, let’s just say its dark fairy tale soon finds titular puppet, P, tasked with combating the crazed, mechanical hordes, while uncovering the sinister secrets behind the chaos, as well as his own complex past. This all, of course, leads to lots of action role-playing fun that’ll be comfortably familiar to any fan who’s repeatedly suffered an untimely demise at the feet of an initially unsurmountable foe.

While Lies of P certainly puts its own spin on the soulslike formula, players will recognize plenty of elements – from its parry- and stamina-reliant combat and resource-recouping corpse runs to its respawning enemies and cleverly interconnected level design – that’ll make them feel right at home in the puppet-crazed city of Krat. 

Some Fresh Twists On Familiar Soulslike Combat

In addition to borrowing heavily from the established template, Lies of P injects a ton of fresh, welcome twists. Its blade-based combat, for example, mixes up the usual melees by separating weapons into two pieces, hilts and blades. As players acquire these parts throughout their journey, they can mix and match them, crafting different handle and blade combinations that vary the weapons’ effects, while catering to specific playstyles. 

This system also gives way to “Fable Arts,” special, powerful moves spawned from the different weapon combinations. P is also equipped with a robotic-like arm that can be outfitted with various gadgets, like a grappling hook, to further deepen the dealth-dealing encounters. The game’s souls-akin currency, called “Ergo,” also injects a nice risk-reward dynamic, as it’s used as both an upgrade resource for P and a form of money to purchase items. 

These unique elements only scratch the surface, however, as Lies of P layers in numerous other systems and mechanics – in and out of combat – that nicely separate it from other soulslikes. The mysterious ringing phones, scattered around Krat, are a great example of this. Answer one of these random, riddle-proposing calls, and you could be awarded a key allowing access to rare rewards and resources. And as its name suggests, Lies of P introduces a cool, story-shaping system that’s based on the puppet protagonist’s ability to tell the truth.

Lies of P Is Best Played on Switch 2

Of course, one of the most appealing aspects of Lies of P: Complete Edition is that it is exactly that – the game’s best, definitive version. On top of the awesome base game, the Switch 2 release includes all the benefits from previous updates and patches, as well as the equally excellent prequel story expansion Overture. 

Perhaps most important – especially for those being introduced to the challenging soulslike formula for the first time – is its approachability. The genre has notoriously shied away from offering different difficulties, but Lies of P remedies this, providing two easier tiers below the default mode, making it accessible to even those who just want to enjoy the story.

So whether you’re a soulsike fan who somehow missed out on the puppet-fueled apocalypse the first time, or you’re a curious newcomer who’s previously found the genre too daunting, Lies of P: Complete Edition provides the perfect path to Pinocchio’s dark side.