Lies of P: Overture's mutant kangaroos and new difficult settings give the long-awaited DLC a Resident Evil 4 vibe, and I wouldn't have it any other way

The thing I'm loving most about Lies of P: Overture is the distinct lack of puppets – so far, anyway. I've traveled back in time to the moment the Krat disaster began, before corrupted puppets roamed the streets and this gorgeous Belle Epoque world was thrown into chaos. That means most foes I've come up against are either humans, aggressive and homicidal as Resident Evil 4's ganados, or a variety of mutated beasts.

With the help of a special new weapon type added in the DLC, slicing and shooting my way through Krat City Zoo has been a cathartic blast. Sure, there's the threat of a certain "Puppeteer of Death" looming overhead, but it seems I have some time (and plenty of mutant elephants) to kill before I jump that hurdle. Overture presents an opportunity to take a break from the puppet plague, and it comes at precisely the right time.

A real boy's journey

The tension has peaked by the time I gain access to the DLC. Upon returning to Hotel Krat in Chapter 9 of the base game and finding Gepetto kidnapped, our puppet protagonist receives a new mission: to take down big boss Simon Manus, rescue his father, and put an end to the Alchemists once and for all.

Here, I can choose to either head to the boss battle to finish the main story, or dive straight into the DLC by repairing and using the Hotel Krat stargazer. A prompt appears when I open the fast travel menu, urging me to head to the Path of the Pilgrim stargazer in the Malum district, and away I go.

Some might find it strange to head into a prequel before even finishing the main story. But the way I see it, Overture gives players a chance to grind out some more ergo in preparation for the final showdown without having to re-clear zones. Plus, thanks to the introduction of difficulty levels, I can bump myself way down to Butterfly's Guidance – the so-called "very easy" difficulty – to help re-familiarize myself after nearly two years away from Lies of P. I'll be straight up with you, though: very easy mode is still plenty challenging.

After a short cutscene, P wakes up in a snowy field. Gemini the cricket is notably startled, commenting that he hasn't seen snow "since…."

He trails off. As I explore my new surroundings, it becomes clear that this place really is familiar to my cricket pal. Between despatching large, wolflike beasts emanating clouds of Freeze damage – a new status effect in Lies of P: Overture – and hostile, near zomboid human foes throwing themselves at me in a frenzy, Gemini marvels at Krat City Zoo in the distance. He knows for a fact that the zoo was destroyed before the events of the story so far – which is my first true hint that, somehow, we've managed to go back in time.

Pulling the strings

Before I can even process what that means, I'm presented with a mini boss. This mutated brute was probably once some kind of wolf – or maybe a large primate? – but it looks more like an Umbrella Corporation experiment from the Resident Evil timeline now.

My Lies of P combat skills are immediately put to the test as the thing launches itself at me. I've already equipped all of my fire-based throwables and forged a fiery new weapon especially for the DLC, but having to learn a brand new moveset is a different beast entirely (pun intended).

For once, my rustiness at puppet-slaying is a godsend. I can see the need for approach code-switching being pretty jarring to anyone coming into the DLC straight off the back of the base game, given how differently these animals move compared to humanoid puppets. But thanks to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, my parry game is strong these days. Two tries and a LOT of thermite later, I claim victory

The zoo's main building is deserted once I finally reach it, my only welcome being a large, partially-destroyed double staircase bisecting the wood-paneled walls. Paintings adorn them in various states of vandalism, each depicting a strange creature from a far off place. Somewhere in the distance, a human moans in pain. Pinocchio to the rescue!

After listening as "Marchiona, Puppeteer of Death" ominously introduces herself over the crackling intercom system – a problem for another time, no doubt – I quickly scale the intact staircase. More those ganado-like human foes await, loping about the landing before hurtling toward me with an earsplitting shriek. But in my rush to clear the building, I almost miss the source of the pained moaning from earlier.

Just beyond the stairs, a man sits slumped against a balcony bannister, unmoving. An interact button appears when I approach him, and I'm surprised to find he's still alive. The man pleads with me to find a woman at the Savanna Expedition Center – "a stalker with red hair" – before he chokes on his last breath. I mentally file away the clue before heading back into the main building – and that's when things really get interesting.

Don't nock it 'til you try it

Getting a bow in Lies of P is something I didn't know I needed so badly. The limited array of ranged weaponry was a bit of a sticking point for me in 2023, with only throwables and certain mechanical arms being up to the task when I wrote up my Lies of P review. But now, I can't imagine pressing ahead without it.

Of course, my first bow-kill is a bit of an exploit. I bait a huge, pustule-ridden mutant elephant up a set of stairs by accident, panicking as I realize he hasn't lost interest. Dashing through a narrow stone awning that leads out onto a patio turned out to be more than a knee-jerk fight-or-flight response when, seeing that the elephant is still charging at me despite being stuck on the other side, I decide to get some target practice in.

The damage stats on the thing are pretty low, I note, but the bow comes with the same basic functionality as any other weapon: a light attack, heavy attack, and two Fable Arts specials. It can even block and parry damage, though if I'm using a bow, I'll hopefully be far enough away from an enemy to avoid being hit anyway.

Once comfortable with the controls, I finally put the giant beast to rest. It still takes a lot of chipping away, even on easy mode – most humanoid enemies are felled in maximum two strikes with my saber-dancer sword combo, but I lose count of how many this utter damage sponge soaks up before finally going down.

After a bit of an ergo boost back at the Hotel, I tell myself – because yes, you can jump between timelines through any stargazer while playing Overture – I know the bow will be my new go-to.

I don't know how Neowiz did it, but Lies of P: Overture managed to calm me down from the main game's chaos. Sending arrows flying into mutated elephants, bears, and a particularly nasty kangaroo feels immensely satisfying after spending so long clearing Krat of steampunk nightmare machines. Not only that, it offers players a moment to take a break from the main story's drama to gain a little context as to how it all came to pass in the first place.

This is a DLC that does everything a DLC should: make meaningful changes, tell a thrilling new story, and get its playerbase hyped for a grand return. Just promise me you'll stock up on fire weapons beforehand. Lots of fire weapons.

Lies of P: Overture is out now to play on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and last-gen consoles. Check out all the other new games set to follow in in 2025 and beyond!