Lies of P: Overture Hands-On Preview: An Incredible and Inviting Intro

An overture is a musical introduction to an opera or ballet. Often beautiful in its own right, it serves as the aural appetizer to the full musical meal. It’s a fitting subtitle for Lies of P’s first huge expansion, as Lies of P: Overture is a prequel that takes place before the events of the main game, thanks to a convenient bit of time travel. And like an actual overture, this meaty piece of DLC is wonderful and seemingly will play a vital part in making Lies of P an even more complete experience. 

The word “more” there is important because Lies of P already feels like a complete experience. It’s got a deep combat system, stunning boss fights, and a lengthy but not bloated campaign that lets players explore a ton of interesting levels with an ever-evolving loadout of unique and customizable weaponry. Overture, as it should, just expands upon all that with the confidence developer Round8 has earned.

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This is evident in the first section, which takes place in the snow-covered ruins of Krat Zoo. Zoos and educational museums attached to them in real life are designed to be eye-catching, and it’s no different in Lies of P. The exhibits hold all sorts of recognizable animals with the sort of ornate details that display Krat’s luxurious status before the Puppet Frenzy destroyed it all. 

This destruction is evident right off the bat since the front steps and many of its indoor areas are coated with innocent blood and eviscerated corpses. The deer exhibit is drenched in blood. The Woolly Mammoth in the foyer with an unfortunate soul impaled on its tusk with a “Hall of Adventure” banner hanging above visually evokes the iconic T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park as well as the chaos that unsubtly implies. It’s a beautiful graveyard, and that clash of extremes gives the visuals such a distinct style that makes each corner worth studying and pilfering through. 

The zoo also naturally houses Overture’s new enemies. The Petrification has also overtaken this facility more so than bloodthirsty puppets, meaning the animal inhabitants that haven’t been gored have been turned rabid by the infliction. Kangaroos, primates, canines, and elephants make up just a few of the new adversaries, and all have unique patterns that more humanoid infected beings can’t emulate. They’re all different from one another, too, as the quick, kick-happy kangaroo requires a different approach than the reckless and hideously deformed elephant. While the whole level could hide more secrets and additional variants, the new foes in the first few chunks of the zoo were welcome additions to the game’s bestiary that also perfectly fit the level they were in. 

Overture also has its fair share of new weapons, like Wolverine-like claws, a sharp pinwheel on a stick, a bow and arrow, and a large sword with a pistol-like grip that can blast rounds; a gunblade that would undoubtedly make Squall Leonhart proud. This small sampling of additional tools all felt wildly different from one another — the combo-heavy claws and new bow could not have been more different — and yield even more variety to an already-open and highly customizable armory.

The two revealed Legion Arms also add totally new abilities. The short-range double-barrel shotgun can either be charged and shot at a later time or, once upgraded, released at a specific time for a heavy, high-damaging blast that rewards skillful timing. The other sent out charged discs that dealt continual damage; ideal for large and mostly immobile foes. The variety of new armaments tucked away in Overture is immensely impressive, and this, according to director Jiwon Choi, was how they made the cut in the first place.

“One element is how different the experience of playing [with the weapon would be],” he said through a translator. “So, a weapon has to be refreshing and new. The other is how fun would you have [mastering the weapon]. And of course, there’s the weapon combination system, so that should also give you much more of an elongated experience of dynamic new things.”

Choi was relatively tight-lipped about many other aspects of the game — he refused to answer questions about the lore, talk about the summons implied in one of the trailers, and even detail if Overture had new trophies or achievements — but the team at least demonstrated three additional boss fights. All three were radically different in nature but bound together by how spectacular and well-designed they were. Markiona, as shown in the trailer, is a two-on-one fight that’s fair because of how easily identifiable colors distinguish between who is attacking. This small tweak is what makes a potentially unfair boss fight into something manageable and an incredible challenge to overcome.

The second big fight was also a formidable foe, but for different reasons. This two-faced monstrosity specialized in heavily delayed strikes designed to punish those who dodge or parry too early. Some of its windups are comically long, but learning this different tempo is what makes this fight so exhilarating. It, like its name implies, also has a whole second half that is demarcated by its blood-red head fluid and different attack patterns that make this boss even trickier to topple. 

The third fight in the demo was a massive, grotesque beast with many limbs and sweeping strikes called Anguished Guardian of the Ruins. It seemed to have unique weak spots that more tactical players could target, but it was hard to tell when having such a limited time with such a difficult game. Regardless, the variety in styles, attacks, and visual designs between these three fights was remarkable and is extremely promising for whatever else hides in Overture’s unknown depths. Given how fantastic and rewarding the bosses were in the base game, the bar was already high and it would not be surprising if this expansion meets or exceeds that standard. 

It was possible to jump between these bosses with the new boss rush modes that are going to be in a free update coming alongside Overture for all players. These new modes are accessible from the Stargazer in Hotel Krat and will let players square up with any boss they’ve already conquered and even adjust the difficulty. Choi wouldn’t reveal if there were rewards for going through this mode, but being able to quickly relive some of Lies of P’s best moments is a thoughtful quality-of-life feature that should be a genre staple going forward. 

Along with two nifty features that let players cash in Ergo shards in the upgrade menu and a small progress bar under the Ergo counter that fills to succinctly show what’s needed to hit the next level, this update is also going to add two new easier difficulty settings that can be switched on at any time. It’s a touchy subject for some, but, while not touched on in the preview build, it should hopefully open up this incredible experience for those intimidated by Lies of P’s challenge. According to Choi, this was why the studio implemented it. 

“We wanted to make sure a wider audience of gamers with different traits and characteristics could enjoy the game,” he said. “That’s the whole purpose: so we can serve many gamers.”

This free update, along with the Overture expansion, seems poised to meaningfully add to a game that’s already one of the best in its genre. Climactic boss fights, a slew of new enemy types that fit the well-realized stage they’re in, and a hefty upgrade to the arsenal all demonstrate that Round8 has a deep understanding of what Lies of P is and how to build on that fantastic foundation. There’s a lot that the team is keeping under wraps, but it’s hard to imagine that this overture will lead to anything but a beautiful symphony.