So, everyone keeps calling this "Bloodborne on PC," right? It’s the easiest comparison to make when you look at the Victorian-era grime and the way the protagonist moves. But honestly, Lies of P gameplay is doing something much weirder and more technical under the hood than just copying FromSoftware’s homework. It’s a clockwork machine. If you go into Krat expecting to just dodge-roll your way to victory like it’s Elden Ring, you’re going to get absolutely flattened by the first real boss at the Krat City Hall.
The game is punishing. It’s rigid. But it’s also remarkably fair once you stop trying to play it like a different game.
Neowiz and Round8 Studio didn't just make a "souls-like." They made a rhythm game disguised as a grimdark puppet tragedy. The core of the experience isn't the exploration or the story—though those are great—it’s the clank of metal on metal. You have to learn the beat. If you don't, the Parade Master will teach it to you, one painful slam at a time.
The Perfect Guard Is Not a Parry
Most people jump into the Lies of P gameplay loop and try to parry like they’re playing Sekiro. It’s a mistake. In Sekiro, the window is generous, and the goal is to break posture immediately. In Lies of P, the "Perfect Guard" is tighter. Way tighter. You have to hold the block button right as the impact happens, not just tap it.
If you miss? You take "Guard Regain" damage. Your health bar turns a faint grey, and you can claw that health back by hitting the enemy. It’s a genius bridge between the aggressive "rally" system of Bloodborne and the defensive "turtling" of Dark Souls.
You can't just hide behind a shield. Well, you can, but your stamina will vanish, and your weapon will probably break.
The weapon durability system is something most reviewers complained about at launch, but it's actually essential. You have a "Grinder" on your arm. You have to literally sharpen your blade mid-fight. It sounds tedious. It’s not. It adds this frantic layer of tension when a boss like Laxasia the Complete is breathing down your neck and your sword is throwing sparks because it’s about to snap. It forces a reset in the rhythm. It’s a breather that isn't really a breather.
Assembly Required: The Blade and Handle System
This is where the game actually beats its inspirations. You can take the head of a giant circular saw and put it on the handle of a tiny kitchen knife. Why? Because the handle determines the moveset, and the blade determines the damage and reach.
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If you find a heavy "Greatsword of Fate" blade, it hits like a truck, but the swing is slow. If you put that blade on a "Salamander Dagger" handle, suddenly you’re stabbing people with a massive slab of iron at lightning speed. It breaks the game in the best way possible.
There are over 100 combinations. You’ll spend hours in the Hotel Krat menu just swapping parts.
The "Fable Arts" are your special moves. Each part (blade and handle) has one. Some are defensive, like a perfect parry stance, while others are massive explosions of fire or electricity. Managing your Fable slots is just as important as managing your health. You can't just spam them. You earn them by being aggressive. See the pattern? The game hates passivity.
The P-Organ and the Lie System
It’s a funny name. Let’s get that out of the way. The "P-Organ" is your skill tree, and it’s surprisingly deep. You use "Quartz" to unlock perks. But here’s the kicker: you don't just pick a perk. You have to slot two minor buffs into a major node to activate it.
Maybe you want a double dodge. That’s a game-changer. Early on, P’s dodge feels... clunky. Short. Like he’s wearing lead boots. Once you unlock the "Link Dodge," the Lies of P gameplay transforms into something much more fluid.
Then there's the lying.
Since you’re a puppet, you aren't supposed to lie. But the more you lie to NPCs, the more "human" you become. This isn't just flavor text. It changes the ending, sure, but it also affects your stats and unlocks a secret weapon (the Golden Lie) that is arguably the coolest staff in the genre. It’s a narrative mechanic that actually has teeth. It makes you feel like your choices at the controller are manifesting in P’s physical body.
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Dealing with the "Red Attacks"
Every boss has "Fury Attacks." They glow red. You cannot dodge them. You cannot regular-block them. You have two choices:
- Get completely out of the way (harder than it looks).
- Hit a Perfect Guard.
This is where the game filters players. If you refuse to learn the Perfect Guard, you will hit a brick wall at the King of Puppets. He has a firefowl-style dance that will delete your health bar if you haven't mastered the timing. It’s brutal. It’s polarizing. But man, when you land four Perfect Guards in a row and the boss's weapon breaks? That’s a high you can’t get anywhere else.
The Legion Arm: More Than Just a Grappling Hook
You start with a basic punch. It’s fine. But eventually, you get the "Falcon Eyes" (a literal arm cannon) or the "Aegis" (a shield that explodes).
The Legion Arm is your "left hand" utility. It’s limited by a separate energy bar. Using it effectively is the difference between struggling with mob enemies and clearing a room in five seconds. The "Puppet String" is the fan favorite. At max level, it allows you to fly through the air and perform a massive overhead smash. It’s flashy, it’s effective, and it makes you feel like an anime protagonist in a world that wants you dead.
The enemy variety is also worth mentioning. You start fighting malfunctioning puppets—jerky, predictable, weirdly sad. Then the game shifts. You start fighting "Carcaas" monsters. These are biological horrors. They don't move like puppets. They flail. They delay their attacks. They force you to unlearn the rhythm you just mastered.
Technical Mastery and Optimization
We have to talk about how well this game runs. In an era where "unoptimized" is the default for PC releases, Lies of P is a miracle. It looks incredible—the lighting on the wet cobblestones of Rosa Isabelle Street is breathtaking—and it stays at a locked frame rate even on mid-range hardware.
The sound design is the unsung hero. Every weapon has a distinct "weight." When you hit a heavy attack with the "Big Pipe Wrench," you can feel the impact in your teeth. The "clink" of a successful guard is the most satisfying sound in gaming.
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What You Should Actually Do Next
If you’re just starting out or considering picking it up, don't play it like Dark Souls. Stop rolling away.
Start by practicing the Perfect Guard on the training dummies in Hotel Krat. Learn the hold-and-release timing. Second, don't hoard your Quartz. Use it to upgrade your Pulse Cells (healing) and your Dodge capabilities immediately. Those are the foundation of everything else.
Third, experiment with the "Specter." The game gives you a summonable NPC for boss fights. Some purists say it’s "cheating," but the developers put it there for a reason. If a boss is ruining your night, use the Star Fruit and call for help. There’s no trophy for being miserable.
The most important takeaway for Lies of P gameplay is adaptability. Swap your handle if a boss is too fast. Change your Legion Arm if you need more range. This isn't a game about grinding levels; it's a game about outsmarting the encounter with the tools you've built.
Go find the "Booster Glaive" in the Venigni Works as soon as possible. Its heavy attack has a built-in rocket booster that lunges you across the arena. It’s essentially a "skip" button for annoying distance-closing problems and will save you hours of frustration in the mid-game.
The world of Krat is beautiful, but it’s the mechanical precision of the combat that keeps people coming back for New Game Plus. It’s a masterpiece of tension and release. Just remember: hold the block button, don't just tap it. Your life depends on that distinction.