The Intricacies of Character Building in Lies of P

Inspired by the classic fairy tale of Pinocchio, Lies of P is a Soulslike game set to be launched by Neowiz. This unique game places the player in the role of Pinocchio as he navigates through the significantly damaged, Belle Epoque-styled city of Krat. The city's destruction is a result of an uprising by lethal puppets and automata. The main goal for players is to unearth the truth behind the rebellion and the other clandestine activities in Krat. A vital part of achieving this is by personalizing Pinocchio's combat style to outwit intimidating bosses and traverse complex environments. We recently had a chat with some members of the Neowiz team, including director Jiwon Choi, about the variety of character-building options provided in the game.

Ensuring Balance in Character Building

The enthralling quality of games like Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring emanates from the blend of in-depth customization and flexibility they provide players. Furthermore, these games maintain a constant level of difficulty that forces players to continuously learn and adapt. A variety of character-building options would be inconsequential if they don't significantly affect gameplay. Therefore, a diverse and profound system is necessary to create the attractive, complex design that makes Soulslike games worthwhile. The Neowiz team aimed at achieving this balance, as explained by Jiwon Choi:

"We appreciate the importance of both diversity and depth in a Soulslike game. If there is diversity without depth, the game loses its appeal to players. Therefore, we have endeavored to ensure that our game offers an optimal mix of both."

Detailed Character Building Systems

Lies of P offers a variety of systems that add depth to the game, with the Fable Arts and weapon customization systems standing out. Once players obtain weapons and gain access to the crafting table in Hotel Krat, they can interchange weapon grips and heads to create new weapons with unique abilities - the Fable Arts. After obtaining all the weapons, there will be about sixty Fable Arts available for players to mix and match to suit different encounters.

A Familiar Leveling System

As demonstrated in the Lies of P demo, leveling up Pinocchio will be a familiar experience for Soulslike game enthusiasts. Each level earned provides a single point that can be distributed among several attributes like health, stamina, equipment load, and a choice between finesse or strength-leaning damage-dealing stats. While this aspect of the character-building system is traditional, it has proven to be a stable foundation for many of FromSoft's genre-defining Soulsborne titles.

Regarding the comparisons with esteemed titles like Bloodborne and Elden Ring, Choi stated that it is truly gratifying. The Neowiz team is also inspired to live up to their legacy. With the game's range of Legion Arms, Fable Arts, equipment, and Soulslike stats for fine-tuning, all the elements for a compelling experience are laid out. Players won't have to wait much longer to see how these elements have been blended together.