It’s been interesting to follow the discussion about soulslikes and the inevitable comparisons between Lies of P (which is getting DLC and is developed/published by Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio) and Lords of the Fallen (CI Games/HexWork, and which I have stopped playing). It’s interesting to me because the level of the discourse is one I cannot reach. I cannot ‘git gud’ at the games because it’s beyond my ability. I’m not being dow on myself; I’m being honest. I know that I have issues with my abilities in several areas.
I know this is the nature of having disabilities (or being a minority in any way), by the way. People without them simply cannot understand how far from the norm I am. This is why I wish there was a soulslike that was made for people with bad reflexes, no depth perception or periphery, and just no innate sense of (non-dancing) rhythm.
I wrote in my post yesterday that I gave both games a 6. That is much lower than Lies of P received (pretty much 10s across the board. Or 9s), but the rough average of what Lords of the Fallen got. Not 6s across the board, but 4s and 8s and all the other numbers.
I have to say that if you can parry, you’ll probably love Lies of P. If you can’t parry, then you’re going to be SOL. There were people in the RKG Discord who waltzed through the game because they could parry. If you can’t, then you’re going to spend hours on each boss.
Speaking of bosses, by the way, in Lies of P, from the fourth boss on, every boss had two phases. Whether it was half a health bar each or an actual whole health bar each, you knew that when you got to a boss, it was going to be grueling–unnecessarily so. I included a video below by Elbethium that compares the two games. I don’t necessarily agree with all his points, but he does bring up unnecessary difficulty (which he had in terms of the Lies of P bosses before as well, I think).
Oh, the reason he brings it up in this video is because the devs of Lords of the Fallen made the baffling choice to only have one vestige seed in NG+. Vestiges are the bonfires and vestige seeds are portable ones (you can plant them in seed beds dotted across the map). A great idea that was less than great in execution. The baffling decision to make NG+ and beyond diffiicult by only having one seed for the whole game is, well, baffling. The devs quickly realized that (from all the negative feedback) and changed it so that they were taking away vestiges in chunks (for each additional NG+) rather than making it one vestige seed from the start.
This is the mentality of the devs for Lords of the Fallen, by the way. Throw shit at the game and see what sticks. Where with Lies of P, it’s stick to the very safe From formula, throw in an original story (original to this genre, but not original in the fact that it’s literally Pinocchio), polish it to a shine and call it a day. I think I said in an earlier post that at the end of the day, right now, Lies of P is the better game. If you want a complete experience and you can parry, this is the game for you.
It’s just frustrating to me that I am someone who love the FromSoft games, but have constantly been frustrated by the soft (and not so soft) ableism that is rife within the community. Even with people who should and do know better on other issues. I don’t want to yuck other people’s yums, but I also don’t like feeling as if I can’t share my honest opinion on something.
Here’s the thing about Lies of P. Putting aside the parry issue (which, by the way, ugh). Put aside the slickness and the polish of the game. And the fact that it’s a clone of a From game. Put all that aside, and what is there? I know that might be a disingenuous thing to say because the whole is a lot. It’s a beaeutiful, slick, tightly-knit game that delivers an experience. I’m not saying it doesn’t.
But am I thinking about the game now that I’m done with it? No. Do I think about the bosses and am in awe at how great they were? No. Do I want to play the game again? Nope. And, believe me, I’m not saying this is the way anyone else feels because I am well aware that I’m an extreme outlier in that I play the games, but I suck at them. My point is that the genre is getting more and more gatekeeping, and I’m being pushed further and further outside that gate.
I beat that game by using throwables almost all the time. It’s not hyperbole to say that I beat every boss from the fourth chapter on by throwing things at it in the second phase. By the way, one or three bosses with a second phase is a surprise. Having it every time is a chore. I’m saying this FromSoft, too, as they’ve started to buy their own hype, too. So many bosses with two different bosses in Elden Ring–that’s probably where Lies of P devvs got it from.
As for Lords of the Fallen, the bosses for me have been a nightmare. I can’t see them because of the atrocious camera controls and because something about the angles cuts out my already terrible periphery. I can’t get a handle on the space of the arenas I’m fighting in, and everything about the boss fights just feel off.
So, in short, Lies of P‘s bosses were too artificially hard and Lords of the Fallen‘s bosses were just badly designed. For ME. I did not enjoy the bosess in either game, to be honest.
I have written more than once that I don’t play these games for the hard bosses. Before my medical crisis, I did make it a point of personal pride to beat each FromSoft boss solo. Except in the DLC for Bloodborne. I simply didn’t have the fortitude or the will to do it. I made the mistake of playing the complete version (including the DLC) in one go, which wore me out. B the time I reached the DLC, I just didn’t Care. I summoned the NPCs for the Ludwig fight and the Laurence fight, and two humans for the Orphan of Kos fight. I also allowed myself to be summoned for the Laurence fight, and it was fun to help someone else kill him.
After my medical crisis, I just did not care about fighting the bosses solo. I used my spirit summons liberally as well as the NPC summons. I did summons humans a few times, too. My goal in playing that game was just to have fun and enjoy a new Miyazaki world–and I did both of those things.
So, which game is better? It completely depends on what you want in a game. Do you want a slick, polished experience with a Pinocchio story? A game that doesn’t have many new ideas (except for the totally rad idea of making the weapons have two parts–the blade and the handle, and you can swap and switch them out. Except the boss weapons. Those are one piece). Do you want a game that will remind you of Sekiro and Bloodborne every step of the way? A game with ridiculously hard bosses unless you can parry? Then, yeah, Lies of P is for you.
Do you want a game with intricate levels that have plenty of shortcuts, but you can’t tell the difference between any of the paths/ A game that has bosses that are infuriating if you have no depth perception and no spatial recognition? And a terrible camera? And combat that is way too fast and floaty? And enemies who love to jump out at you and push you off narrow walkways? But also a game that has tried to do something ambitious in two different worlds, and while it has ultimately failed, it at least tried? Oh, and did I mention the tons and tons of narrow walkways that you can get pushed off or shot off (with crossbows)? Then try out Lords of the Fallen!
Or just do what I end up doing–replay a From game for the millionth time.