The Brutal Truth Behind Bloodborne's Punishing Gameplay

The release of Lies of P's demo has given players a lot to explore before the game's official launch in September. The demo showcases several quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to warp to-and-from Stargazers and an item similar to Dark Souls' Homeward Bone. However, some items, like the Grinder, make the threat of weapon durability inconsequential if used frequently. Many of these features are reminiscent of FromSoftware games, with one feature in particular drawing inspiration from Bloodborne. While players can replenish their puppet protagonist's health bar by striking back at enemies, currently blocking and dodging are difficult to manage in combat.

Lies of P’s Chip Damage Punishes Its Blocks and Rewards Its Parries

In Lies of P's demo, players are given the option to choose from three unique starting builds, each of which comes with a different starting weapon. While each weapon features a sword blade and handle, it remains unclear if all weapons in the game will allow players to block and parry as effectively as these swords do. However, playing with either sword in the demo reveals that blocking may not always be the best option when backed into a corner. In fact, unless players are planning to parry, blocking is not recommended as it still results in significant chip damage - the gradual reduction of a player's health bar while guarding - which can be detrimental in Lies of P.

Performing Perfect Guards, or P's parries, in Lies of P is crucial to preventing chip damage. However, mistimed parries result in regular blocks that still cause significant life loss, especially when facing larger enemies and bosses. This becomes problematic as combat options are limited, particularly with the unsatisfying dodge mechanic that only provides minimal distance and exposes the player to enemy attacks. With neither blocking nor dodging being reliable options, players are forced to master the tight timing of parrying and dodging, making blocking alone an unreliable choice. The introduction of P-Organ upgrades, including a potential double-dash, offers hope that the dodge mechanic will become more effective and fluid.

Improvements to the dodge and chip damage mechanics would be highly appreciated for Lies of P's release in September. It is possible that subsequent upgrades may address these issues, but addressing them earlier could lead to a smoother gameplay experience for players. If feedback from the demo has inspired any late tweaks, it would be great to see them implemented. However, players may need to adapt to the initially restrictive dodges and severe chip damage as part of the learning curve. Lies of P will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S from September 19, 2023.