The Lies of P is a soulslike single-player action RPG developed in Korea. Since its release, it has become a highly anticipated global hit, becoming the first Korean game to win three awards at Gamescom 2022. Soulslike is a game genre that combines a dark atmosphere with action, adventure and nurturing. The combination of these elements makes Lies of P a challenging game, but it¡¯s still very popular among gamers. Lies of P allows you to make your own decisions, fight enemies along the way and finally face the final boss.

While the soulslike genre has a strong fan base, it¡¯s a difficult genre for new gamers to enter. To overcome this, Director Jiwon Choi and his team made an effort to create an easy-to-understand story, ensure gamers experience a simple system and adjust the level of difficulty so the game would gradually get harder. Of course, they also kept the essence of the genre¡¯s staples: a unique world, a solid story, spectacular action and detailed graphics. As a result, Lies of P makes the genre accessible and enjoyable to gamers who may not have had access to the genre before. In short, the game has reimagined the soulslike genre.

The Lies of P begins in the 19th century, where a fictional city called Krat is on the brink of collapse due to a puppet frenzy and an epidemic. A puppet made by the artisan Geppetto awakens to the whispers of butterflies at Krat¡¯s train station, which has turned into a hell-on-earth. Geppetto¡¯s puppet sets out on a journey to solve the tragedy that has befallen Krat. This is when gamers become immersed in the game. ¡°We needed a familiar theme that gamers would remember, but we also needed a unique story, one that was familiar to people all over the world, and one that wasn¡¯t childish and would engage adults. When I took a good read of the original Pinocchio story, it had all the elements I was looking for: a dark and brutal atmosphere, black comedy, charming characters and an ironic setting. It was the very essence of soulslike.¡±

The game¡¯s narrative starts with the story of Pinocchio, and various gameplay features make it even more immersive. ¡°We wanted to take a familiar setting and add a unique twist to it. ¡®Action¡¯ is the most important aspect of soulslike, so we put a lot of thought into not only the world and characters but also the combat. The genre is all about the player¡¯s experience, and since it¡¯s all about gamers¡¯ judgment, we put a lot of emphasis on realistic and precise action.¡±

Choi says the team worked hard to minimize distractions during combat to ensure the best possible experience when gamers got into fights. Players can create more than 100 customizable weapons from more than 30 different combinations, and since the main character is a puppet, players can change the protagonist¡¯s body parts and learn new skills. The more you customize your character, the more complex the game becomes.

In addition to the action, the game¡¯s designer also put a lot of emphasis on ¡°level design,¡± which is the structure of the maps and the levels in the game. The challenges gamers face as they progress through the levels and how they overcome them are varied, and there are multiple paths gamers can take to get to their destination. ¡°For gamers to have a good experience in combat, we have to pay attention not only to the action, but also to the overall balance and level design. It¡¯s a device to make the gamers feel immersed. We went through a long process to obtain feedback and reflect it into the game in order to create a three-dimensional level design.¡±

Dynamic battles against monsters are Lies of P¡¯s strengths.

Choi¡¯s background in action games is a big part of the reason he was able to bring more intense action to Lies of P. He has worked on countless action games, including combat systems for Asker Online and Lost Ark so it was a natural progression for him to join the production of a soulslike game. ¡°Neowiz first offered me the opportunity to join the development of the new soulslike game, and I didn¡¯t hesitate. It¡¯s a lot of work. A console game must be a finished product, and you must think about and prepare all the elements that make up the game from the very beginning. Since this was Neowiz¡¯s first foray into the soulslike genre, we faced unexpected challenges throughout the development process due to our lack of knowledge. Through countless iterations of testing and reacting, we were able to perfect Lies of P.¡±

Since the game was announced, Lies of P has been hailed as a new chapter in soulslike games, and its expansion into the global market had already begun in 2022, when it became the first Korean game company to win three awards at the German Gamescom, Europe¡¯s largest game show. The game also surpassed one million cumulative global sales within a month of its release.

Having taken the gaming industry by storm with Lies of P, Choi is currently working on Lies of P DLC (downloadable content), providing new content to play, and the game¡¯s next installment. With the confidence and development experience gained through Lies of P as his driving force, he plans to continue making games so that more people can enjoy Neowiz¡¯s games. During the interview, Choi said he has never had a more ¡°heart-pumping¡± experience than with Lies of P. After their wild ride with Lies of P, gamers throughout the world are looking forward to his next thrilling game.