Summary
Lies of Pwas originally mesmerizing based on how closely it emulatedBloodborne, a FromSoftware action-RPG that fans have wanted to see more of since its release. Closer to launch, though, it was learned thatLies of Pwould stand on its own merit with a dark take on thePinocchiosource material, adapting that content into agrisly, horrific, and fantastical Soulslike experience. That said,Lies of Pstill has the charm and whimsy fans might suspect from such source material, and perhaps one of the best decisions that its narrative makes is in its post-credit sequence, where it teases an adaptation ofThe Wizard of Oz.
How Neowiz decided to weave thePinocchiotale intoLies of Pwas fantastic, relishing notable characters in ways that made sense for the story that was being told, and gave it multiple endings that could all be canonical in their own way moving forward. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how Neowiz takes onThe Wizard of Oz, which is already popular for its depictions of childlike wonder as well as childhood trauma. Knowing thatPinocchio,The Wizard of Oz, and other whimsical fantasy tales in the public domain could be sharing this Soulslike universe,Little Red Riding Hoodcould be equally exciting.
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Lies of P’s Wizard of Oz Should Only Be the Beginning
HowThe Wizard of Ozis eventually adapted will be tremendously intriguing, whether it’s asaLies of PDLC or a sequel, butLies of Palready establishes a phenomenal formula for how it could be structured. The only questionable detail thus far, based on how little is actually known about this shared universe, is why Dorothy is in Krat.
Obviously,aWizard of OzSoulslikewould be most unique in the source material’s own setting with players able to traverse the Yellow Brick Road and explore the Emerald City, but that might not be the case if Neowiz has planned to make Krat the central location for all its ongoings. It’s possible that Dorothy’s appearance there was only to showcase that connection between them, though it’ll likely be some time before more details are revealed about what is next forLies of Pand its supposed universe.
Either way,the success ofLies of Pamid many mediocre Soulslike gamesdemonstrates that a franchise is more than deserving, and Neowiz devised a plan that could be infinitely rewarding with other fairy tale properties peppered into it. Unlike the MCU, too, these games wouldn’t even necessarily need to be connected explicitly beyond the character Paracelsus, as untethered Soulslike experiences for such fairy tales are intriguing on their own.
Lies of P Could Produce a Haunting Take on Little Red Riding Hood
There are many fairy tale landscapes and stories that Neowiz could adapt into a Soulslike for the purposes of this shared universe, andLittle Red Riding Hoodwould be instantly associable in that environment. The hooded cape that Little Red Riding Hood wears would be an iconic fashion look that players could perhaps swap out for other customizable gear, and her basket could provide the inventory players acquire throughout their journey. Likewise, the antagonistic wolf that stalks her could be an NPC who players constantly interact with, and in traditional Soulslike fashion, it could be dubious whether the wolf means to harm her or not.
The wolf’s deception and the fate of the girl’s grandmother are terribly sinister, which would lend itself perfectly tothe deceptive trickery Soulslike NPCs have represented, much less the gory and twisted nature of environmental storytelling in Soulslike worlds generally.Little Red Riding Hoodcould offer multiple endings similar toLies of P, with choices players make resulting in either a ‘good,’ ‘bad,’ or ‘true’ ending.
Lies of Pis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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