Lies of P Dev Details Difficulty Fine-Tuning for Wider Appeal

Lies of P's upcoming DLC, Overture, will for the first time introduce difficulty options for players.

As a "Soulslike" title, Lies of P delivers a punishingly hardcore experience, which can be daunting for newcomers drawn to its dark narrative and setting. Initially, Director Jiwon Choi stated the team believed Soulslike games should not include difficulty settings, launching the base game without them.

Now, Neowiz has reconsidered. The studio confirmed this shift came after carefully listening to player feedback.

“Our goal was to ensure a wider audience could enjoy the game,” Choi explained to VGC. "We received extensive feedback from our community and our own developers. By making development adjustments and adding these difficulty options, we can tailor the experience for different player types. This significantly broadens our audience.”

This decision has sparked debate among players about the director's change of heart. One commenter noted: "It's easier to hold the line on a design philosophy than to face a wave of negative reviews and constant criticism. Adjusting difficulty to let more people enjoy your creation is a logical step."

"I started gaming at 24," shared another player. "I use easier settings because, while I adore Lies of P, I have a major skill gap—and that's fine. I never had consoles as a kid. As an adult with limited time, I don't have a decade of gaming reflexes to rely on."

"Souls elitists oppose difficulty options because they enjoy boasting about their in-game accomplishments. I'm glad Lies of P isn't catering exclusively to them," added this player.

Not all reactions are positive, as seen on Steam forums and social media.

"I was interested, but after all the nerfs and added difficulty levels, I lost interest. Developers, please stop catering to casual players," wrote one user, though most replies in that thread support the developer's new approach.

Another stated: "Neowiz had a masterpiece and turned it into a laughingstock. For shame." Directly above a thread titled "Difficulty settings = Not playing" is a post from someone who actually tried the game, writing: "the difficulty is just ridiculous."

Lies of P: Overture Screenshots

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Lies of P presents a unique, dark reimagining of the Pinocchio tale, offering a challenging action-RPG with a dynamic "lie" system where choices shape the gameplay. The upcoming DLC features new areas, enemies, bosses, characters, and weapons. It also introduces "Death March," a new mode that lets players re-challenge all the game's bosses. Overall, the DLC will take seasoned players roughly 15-20 hours to complete, unlocking after a specific story chapter. Neowiz has also announced a full sequel is in development.

We enjoyed Lies of P, awarding it an 8/10 in our review: "While Lies of P doesn't stray far from its Soulslike inspirations, it executes the formula exceptionally well."