The latest Souls-like Lies of P features difficult yet satisfying combat akin to Dark Souls. Its narrative has players take control of Pinocchio on his adventures to save the city of Krat. The similarities to Dark Souls don’t just end with combat. Lies of P features a very cryptic and hasty tutorial system that may leave some inexperienced players in the dark. Though Lies of P doesn’t directly tell players exactly how to play the game in most cases, experimentation alongside trial and error are some of the keys to success. This can sometimes be a bit frustrating, so to avoid some of that frustration, here are some useful hints and tips that Lies of P keeps hidden.
A Controller May Feel More Natural For Lies of P
A tip that Lies of P doesn’t explicitly tell you is which controller type to use. From my personal experience, I found a keyboard and mouse to be a bit clunky. Using a controller is a much better and more fluid choice, giving an easier time parrying and dodging. Plus, any players familiar with playing Dark Souls on console should feel more at home with a classic controller as opposed to a keyboard. Overall, more often than not, keyboards can feel cluttered with all the different options that Lies of P has to offer. A controller consolidates the many tools available and lets players act faster with the right choice at the right time.
Each Stat Could Use More Explanation
Although a little bit of digging reveals exactly what each stat does in Lies of P, initially, understanding this vital information can be a bit confusing. The game doesn’t give many tips or hints in this regard either and throws players in to figure this out for themselves. Pinocchio has six stats: Vitality, Vigor, Capacity, Motivity, Technique, and Advance. Upgrading these stats increases health, stamina, carry weight/Legion Arm, strength, dexterity, and Legion Arm/throwables, respectively. Additionally, weapon and item damage will scale off of some of these stats. For example, the starting Rapier will scale to deal more damage with Technique rather than Motivity. This system can be confusing at first, but with time, you’ll be crafting your own strong builds.
Perfect Guards Are An Extremely Important Tool
Lies of P only briefly covers the concept of Perfect Guards with a quick hint. Perfect Guards are performed by timing your block for right when an enemy attacks you. This will completely negate damage dealt by the enemy and potentially make them Staggarable or destroy their weapon. Missing this, on the other hand, will leave you completely vulnerable. Due to the simple and brief tip that Lies of P provides, Perfect Guards can seem like an unimportant concept. Contrary to this, Perfect Guards are some of the best ways to take on hard foes. If you ever find yourself struggling with your encounters, try practicing your Perfect Guards.
Save Your Rare Ergo
Whenever you defeat a boss in Lies of P, you’ll receive a Rare Ergo. When consumed, you’ll obtain a massive amount of Ergo that you can use to level up. This seems like a pretty simple way to give you an early boost in levels, though Lies of P doesn’t reveal the downside until much later. The item description says, “A treasure hunter may want this rare Ergo.” This cryptic clue is the only tip that sometime later in Lies of P, players will come across the NPC Alidoro, who you can trade in your Rare Ergo into for powerful gear. Although saving your Ergo for so long can be frustrating, obtaining powerful equipment down the line may be a better choice for some.
Changing Builds Comes Way Down The Line
Finally, when leveling up, players will want to be sure of the stats they choose. Similar to Dark Souls, changing builds in Lies of P is something that doesn’t come until much later in the game. This means that you’re stuck with any decisions you make until you reach the Saintess of Mercy Statue. For non-Dark Souls players, this idea can be especially frustrating as most other RPGs give players an easier time respeccing their characters.
