Lies of P: Overture Deep Look

Stalking in a Winter Puppetland

In an increasingly crowded marketplace, Round 8 Studio’s action RPG Lies of P made a big splash when it released in 2023 and offered fans an outstanding hardcore Soulslike that surprisingly took inspiration from the nineteenth-century children’s novel The Adventure of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi, of all things. While its ending did tease a sequel, the developers have spent the last couple of years crafting a DLC expansion to the base game. Overture is a substantial addition to the adventure that adds plenty of new bosses, weapons, and areas to explore, as well as puts a premium focus on more direct storytelling to explore the tale of Lea Florence, the Legendary Stalker, on her hunt for a vicious serial killer.

In order to experience Overture‘s narrative, the player must leave the city of Krat behind for a bit — or at least its current state — as the DLC takes place in the not-so-distant past, shortly after the time the Petrification Disease started its rampage across the city. Access to the DLC doesn’t become available until fairly late in the base game, so a late-game save file or a near-full additional playthrough are required. Observant players may remember a certain Stargazer they had previously encountered that could not be used for anything; this is where they can now warp into the past to begin Overture. Players need not worry, though, because Stargazers within the DLC can still be used to warp back to present-day Krat at any time, so they are never locked into the new storyline.

Right out of the gate, Overture puts its best foot forward. Players are sent back in time into a wintry mountain pass on the outskirts of the city, where they’ll make their first acquaintance with some of the new and old enemies featured in this episode. Following this path eventually leads to the DLC’s first major area to explore, Krat Zoo. But this isn’t a fun and friendly trip to feed the animals living there. Stepping through the zoo’s gates is like walking into a grotesque abattoir, with the slaughtered and mutilated carcasses of animals and zoogoers alike littering the campus. Amidst the carnage, mutated versions of what once used to be peaceful zoo animals and park visitors stalk the grounds, intent on ripping to shreds anything they encounter. Overture‘s narrative leans heavily into the origins of the malady that had already decimated Krat in the present time, leaving behind mindless, vicious husks in its wake.

Winter is coming…to Krat.

Krat Zoo is only the first in a series of new areas that Overture adds to the mix, and with the two areas adjoining it (the botanical gardens and the funhouse carnival) it makes for a rather expansive level to explore, packed with shortcuts, secret nooks and crannies, and new gear to see players through their new journey. The expansion includes several more areas later on, adding a total of seven new stages which can easily add fifteen or more hours to the content in the base game, depending on player skill. For the most part, each area offers something unique visually, and, like the zoo, most take us to locations not seen in the base game. The carnival zone even includes a Ferris wheel, a grand carousel, and a number of attractions players can actually participate in to win prizes.

Despite this, however, it’s not all fun and games. Lies of P was no slouch in the difficulty department, and Overture doubles down on this. “Bigger is better” seems to have been the designers’ motto, as not only are familiar enemies made stronger and new enemy types introduced, but among the expanded bestiary are a whole host of large foes who pack quite a wallop. Even in the first area, while approaching the zoo, players are faced with a mutated polar bear wearing a spiked cage around his head which he’ll happily bash and skewer player skulls with. And the onslaught doesn’t let up from there. The zoo alone features a whole host of gargantuan adversaries, some so horribly mutated that the poor creatures could be pitied if they weren’t so brutally difficult to deal with: oversized primates who tower over P, vicious kangaroos with rib-crushing kicks, and baby elephants dragging themselves around on disproportionally powerful front legs while their hindquarters drag pitifully behind.

Naturally, the new bosses act as challenging skill checks for players wishing to uncover Overture‘s secrets, and this becomes quite obvious early on. Facing a mutated crocodilian whose snout alone is the size of a semitruck is already a daunting task. But when the zoo’s proper master — Markiona, Puppeteer of Death — reveals herself as a two-on-one battle against foes who not only coordinate their attack patterns with differing rhythms and from differing directions but who also have the ability to heal each other, it becomes obvious the expansion means serious business. In a fun nod to the base game, there is even a “rematch” of sorts with a familiar fan favorite. However, P isn’t without some new tricks up his sleeve, either. Once again, AI-controlled summon partners may be utilized during most boss fights, and two of the DLC’s boss encounters give players the option of tag-teaming with actual allies from the game’s narrative, as part of their character development.

Beware of the zoo’s carnival! Clowns are scary!

Apart from accepting a friendly hand when it’s offered, players can make use of a wide variety of new gear and weapons. Stronger armor is helpful, particularly against the new Frozen status ailment introduced in the DLC, and new amulets allow for a variety of additional ways to tweak P’s offensive and defensive capabilities. But the all-new weapons are where the DLC really shines. Throughout the new campaign, players will find both new normal weapons that can be disassembled (and combined at will with weapons from the base game!) and new boss weapons. For the first time, players have access to a ranged weapon, the Royal Horn Bow, and a claw weapon, the Death’s Talon. There’s even a gun blade that functions just like it sounds. However, even the normal weapons found in the DLC are great fun, either with new gameplay gimmicks or just design-wise. There’s the rocket-propelled Lorenzini Bolt, which functions like a lance that can drag P along for the ride, and the Maniac’s Pinwheel, a huge armament with several spinning fans mounted on it that slice and dice the opposition. The snake-headed Silent Evangelists’ Mace spits a cloud of acid at foes, and the La Vendetta is a sword whose blade can spin like a drill as it plunges into enemy flesh.

Along the way, the DLC continues the base game’s precedent of featuring outstanding musical accompaniment. For example, while exploring the creepy botanical gardens, players are serenaded by the faint sounds of Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, and there are plenty of new collectible vinyl records to add to the already fantastic soundtrack selection back at Hotel Krat. There is plenty of new voice acting, featuring both new and returning cast members via cinematic scenes and, for the first time, collectible audio logs. The world is further fleshed out via a host of new notes, letters, and other documents to read. Those looking for some atmosphere to accompany their action-heavy exploring won’t be short-changed.

Some later stages skew a bit more…industrial.

Those who muster the courage to see it through to the end of Overture will find that, along the way, they’ve been rewarded with a deeper lore dive than what was present in the base game. The original game painted a broad-strokes picture of the havoc caused by the Petrification Disease — and the alchemists’ eventual “cure” for it — that decimated the city of Krat almost entirely. But Overture gives a peek behind the curtain of the Order of Alchemists and sheds more light on why and how they did what they did. It is also filled with easter eggs and deeper connections to existing characters and lore, including a humorous scavenger hunt relating to the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, some chilling revelations about that always-quipping King of Riddles Arlecchino, and some actual background for Sophia and Gepetto. Even the base game’s choice system returns, with a number of decisions that carry weight back in the base game as well.

While it is as yet unclear when a true sequel to Lies of P will be forthcoming, the release of Overture should bridge the gap until then nicely. Areas are varied, with hidden secrets to uncover, and enemies — particularly bosses — like to hit hard and fast. Of course, new weapons and gear are available to deal with the increased danger, and integrating the lore and hard-won spoils from the DLC within the base campaign is a nice bonus that adds to the overall experience. With multiple endings and secrets that only reveal themselves after an initial playthrough, Lies of P has always been worth multiple playthroughs, and with the Overture DLC now available, there is more reason than ever to journey back to Krat and get snowed in.

Disclosure: This article is based on a free copy of the expansion provided by the publisher.