I knew I used to be going to be rusty after I sat down with Overture, the Lies of P prequel growth that shadowdropped on June 6. Over a 12 months had handed since I had overwhelmed and final performed Lies of P, and I hadn’t dabbled with many Soulslikes within the interim. Nonetheless, getting into the footwear of Pinocchio as soon as once more for Overture felt pure, like time hadn’t handed in any respect, and I used to be immediately reminded why I like this recreation a lot — due to its aggressive fight, difficult boss fights, and heartfelt storytelling. And naturally, a few of the first enemies in Overture kicked my butt. Such is the best way of a Soulslike.
Overture is the primary and presumably solely growth from Neowiz and Round8 Studio for Lies of P. It presents new perception into the historical past of Krat, some nice weapons, and enjoyable ranges to discover, however the most effective new addition is actually Lea, the Legendary Stalker. When P and Lea lastly meet, every little thing Overture’s story arrange actually coalesces.
By unexplained means, Overture sends P again in time to a Krat that’s on the verge of collapsing; the Puppet Frenzy hasn’t decimated its streets but, although you’ll encounter puppets making an attempt to kill you, after all. The principle points P and town’s residents must cope with are the monstrous carcasses created by the Alchemists in response to the Petrification Illness. Like within the base recreation, you’ll come throughout people who’ve been became monsters, and a visit to the zoo will present how these human monsters are the least of your worries.
The growth begins with P exploring the Krat zoo, which is derelict within the current timeline however intact throughout the prequel. Nonetheless, it’s actually not open to guests — monstrous gorillas and kangaroos stalk its grounds, able to demolish P. Despite the fact that I had overwhelmed the sport with a stage 94 Pinocchio and absolutely upgraded weapons, these rattling gorillas nonetheless bodied me one after the opposite. The corrupted elephant was additionally a gnarly and tough struggle, and an early showcase of how tough the growth was going to be. If I had accessed the DLC any sooner — it turns into obtainable after you beat chapter 9 within the base recreation — my ass would have gotten much more wrecked.
P’s exploration of the previous takes him by way of quite a lot of new places in addition to the zoo: a circus (full with very rewarding elective challenges), shipwrecks, and the Monad Charity Home, all lined in a blanket of snow. The degrees had been great by way of enjoyable issue (you trip a Ferris wheel!) and worldbuilding, exposing new sides of Krat with hints of how alive town was pre-devastation. I may simply think about what it might have been like for households to stroll by way of the zoo or circus earlier than they had been overrun with murderous kangaroos and puppets.
However a brand new growth can be nothing with out new weapons, and Overture delivers in spades. The bow provides a pleasant change of tempo to fight and presents an actual, bona fide ranged weapon (even when the vary isn’t that far). Once I may, I’d assault enemies from a distance like I used to be Hawkeye, after which swap to the Wolverine-like claws after I wanted to get P’s fingers soiled. Regardless of the DLC providing 10 new weapons, I caught with the bow and claws for chunk of the growth as they aligned with my construct and had been simply an excessive amount of enjoyable to swap out.
Overture consists of weapons for each kind of construct, and the Maniac’s Pinwheel will certainly be a fan favourite. It’s a greatsword that’s much like Bloodborne’s pizza cutter (Whirligig Noticed) however has two spinning blades. The Puppet of the Future’s Welder is one other greatsword, although its regular assault is extra like a flamethrower, whereas the Arche’s Guardian’s heavy assault discharges electrical energy, making it a fantastic choice for battling puppet enemies. Most of Overture’s new weapons will be disassembled and mixed with different elements, persevering with to present gamers freedom in crafting their very own distinctive devices of puppet devastation. Maybe the most effective weapon comes on the very finish of the DLC, although I received’t spoil what it’s.
You’ll use these nice new weapons in a number of boss fights, which had been a combined bag — some provided a enjoyable, creative problem, whereas others felt obnoxiously tough in a method that merely didn’t really feel truthful or gratifying. Dealing with the primary boss, the Tyrannical Predator, studying its assault patterns and perfecting my dodges absolutely shook off my rust. The frenzy of satisfaction after taking its janky, crocodile ass down by no means felt so good.
The Puppeteer of Demise struggle was a standout as properly, with Markiona controlling a puppet on strings throughout the fray, making it one thing of a two-on-one conflict. She provided a problem that felt much like taking over the Black Rabbit Brotherhood within the base recreation, in the best way you need to juggle a number of foes; studying when her puppet would assault from any angle when Markiona herself demanded your consideration was fairly thrilling.
The penultimate boss proved to be much less of an thrilling problem and extra of a irritating one, much like the Walker of Illusions struggle within the base recreation. I needed to flip the issue all the best way right down to cope with him and his obnoxious combos that wouldn’t give me time to breathe (not to mention heal). He’d consistently tease alternatives for backstabs, then twist round and assault earlier than I had an opportunity to grab the opening. Impolite. He’d additionally heal partway by way of the struggle, including insult to damage — I’m presupposed to heal, not you!
The DLC additionally has a hidden elective struggle, which takes one of many base recreation’s most annoying bosses and makes it even extra annoying because it too heals throughout the struggle. Nonetheless, Overture’s last conflict is so good — and so difficult — that it makes up for the frustration present in a few of the different fights. It’s a two-phase struggle, with the second section unleashing devastating combos that take a look at your mastery of the sport’s defenses, similar to the bottom recreation’s last boss.
Bouncing between glorious and irritating bosses was value it for Overture’s story alone. A lot of it issues P making an attempt to meet up with Lea, the Legendary Stalker, as she searches for her apprentice, Romeo (ring any bells?). Lies of P informed a heartbreaking story with a fantastic solid of characters, and Overture does the identical, fleshing out the character of P and providing perception into who he — or, extra precisely, Carlo — was earlier than the occasions of the bottom recreation. In my favourite part, Lea and P march collectively to the Monad Charity Home, slicing down monsters left and proper. She’s a powerhouse, and why she earned her moniker is instantly clear. Lea can be summoned for the ultimate fray, and I completely cherished enjoying alongside the Legendary Stalker versus an unnamed Spectre.
Overture’s storytelling enhances the bottom recreation and feels as near important as a prequel will be. Although I didn’t click on with all of the boss fights, I loved the brand new enemy sorts — particularly the monsterized zoo animals — and experimenting with Overture’s new weapons was a pleasure, even when I rapidly grew hooked up to my Wolverine claws and didn’t actually need to commerce them out for the rest. By the point credit rolled, I used to be removed from rusty and had my Soulslike groove again after the 20 glorious hours I spent with Overture. The sequel to Lies of P doesn’t have a agency launch window but, however Overture — in addition to the separate boss rush mode, obtainable as a part of a free patch — will certainly assist ease the look forward to it.
Lies of P: Overture launched June 6 on PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, and Xbox Sequence X. The sport was reviewed on PS5 utilizing a prerelease obtain code supplied by Neowiz.
