Bloodborne-like Lies of P continues to impress in 12 minutes of new gameplay

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Pinocchio Souls has no right to look this good

Lies of P
(Image credit: Round 8 Studio)

Another 12 minutes of Lies of P gameplay footage have emerged, and this Pinocchio-themed Soulslike continues to defy expectations.

After stunning the crowd at Gamescom with another gorgeous gameplay trailer, Lies of P is back with even more new gameplay, this time courtesy of an IGN hands-on preview. Here we get a more candid look at the game, showing the player traipsing around dangerous environments, dodge-rolling around enemies, and since this is a Soulslike after all, dying. Check it out:

The bones of Lies of P will be immediately familiar to anyone who's played Elden Ring, Bloodborne, or any of the Dark Souls games. The movement, combat, and UI are all clearly inspired by From Software's works, and there are even Bonfires/Sites of Grace in the form of "Stargazers."

All that being said, Lies of P does seem to have its own thing going on - at the very least, you have to respect the boldness of the concept. It's a game about Pinocchio trying to find his puppet master Mr. Geppetto and become human, but also it's Dark Souls. What you might expect to be a silly gimmick actually looks well-realized, with a dark Belle Époque world and story inspired by, and paying tribute to, the works of Pinocchio creator Carlo Collodi.

GamesRadar's hands-on Lies of P gameplay demo is cautiously optimistic about what could end up being a Bloodborne for Xbox players to call their own, seeing as it's been confirmed as a Game Pass day one title.

"I don't know if it's the dark Belle Époque aesthetics or the way that the camera lingers loosely behind Pinocchio as he pirouettes around, and pierces through, all manner of mechanized monstrosities, but I was hooked immediately," reads our preview. "Like the vast majority of games that attempt to replicate the settings and styles perpetuated by FromSoftware, it's a little rough around the edges – lacking that finesse and flourish that sets the Soulslikes that come from the source apart from the rest. But there's definitely something in Lies of P that's worth pursuing on the road to Xbox Game Pass release in 2023."

In the meantime, here are some great games like Dark Souls to test your mettle.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.