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Lies of P: Overture Review – A Gritty Prequel That Deepens Krat’s Dark Legacy

Time：Wed, Oct 22, 2025 07:06:48 PM Reading：9890

True to its name, Lies of P: Overture serves as a prequel to the 2023 souls-like hit, illuminating the chain of events that triggered the Puppet Frenzy massacre and the subsequent downfall of the city of Krat. At its core—mechanical yet beating with emotional weight—this first DLC expansion for Lies of P weaves a narrative of personal anguish and retaliation. While developer Neowiz has refrained from overhauling the game’s fundamental mechanics in Overture, its storytelling has seen notable improvement, expanding on the atmospheric Belle Epoque-inspired world it crafted as a far darker, more twisted reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio. “Most unfortunately, in the lives of puppets, there is always a ‘but’ that spoils everything,” a quote often linked to the Italian author. Happily, this adage does not hold true for Overture.

Rather than adhering to the structure of a traditional prequel, Overture follows Geppetto’s namesake puppet as he journeys back in time alongside his loyal companion, Gemini. Players can access the DLC from Chapter 9 by visiting the Path of the Pilgrim stargazer, though its difficulty level positions it more as post-game content—offering a stiffer challenge than the base game’s final chapter. Upon materializing in a snow-draped forest on Krat’s outskirts, you are immediately confronted by a colossal, petrified polar bear with a torture cage clamped around its head. There is no reintroduction if you have been away from the game for a while, but its moveset—blending charges, grab attacks, and rhythmic combos—makes this enraged beast the perfect opponent to reacquaint yourself with parrying and dodging on the fly.

After resolving the initial confusion of how you ended up in the past, you soon find yourself in pursuit of the Legendary Stalker—a shadowy figure who acts as a guide through Krat’s final days of glory. Clocking in at roughly 15 hours, Overture offers less room for meandering, boasting tight pacing driven by the story’s urgent circumstances. Intrigue and mystery still permeate the experience, but the narrative never drags, remaining gripping from start to finish—even if one could argue that too much of it is conveyed through optional notes. These letters, personal reflections, and final testaments are well-crafted, but it is the evocative imagery that lingers—particularly the grotesque tableaux staged by the game’s villain using the corpses he leaves in his wake.

These scenes are horrific yet morbidly beautiful—a striking contrast I haven’t encountered since Bryan Fuller’s acclaimed Hannibal series aired. Much like that show, whose “Death Paintings” drew inspiration from artists such as Gabriël Metsu, Damien Hirst, and Sandro Botticelli, it would come as no surprise if Neowiz drew influence from specific artworks or creators when designing these haunting displays. Combined with other instances of environmental storytelling, Overture excels at building tension and fostering a bone-chilling sense of unease that surrounds its primary villain. It is therefore somewhat disappointing when he proves to be more suited to the role of an over-the-top cartoon antagonist. This is a stark departure from his portrayal in the base game, where he stood out as one of the more compelling characters you encounter—though fortunately, this misstep is relatively brief.

The art direction throughout the rest of the DLC largely matches the intensity of these lurid scenes as you explore other crumbling corners of Krat’s outskirts. Though these locations are new to you, the snow blanketing every surface and drifting from the sky evokes a sense of nostalgia and childlike wonder—a striking tonal shift for Lies of P. Pair this with the ever-present dangers lurking around every bend, and it becomes another of Overture’s fascinating contradictions. The first area you visit after clearing the forest reinforces this contrast, as you confront the violent chaos of Krat Zoo. Amidst the frenzied puppets, mutilated giraffe carcasses, and other wildlife, some animals cling to life, ravaged by the petrification disease. From an elephant with a crocodile’s head bursting from its skull to kickboxing kangaroos and ferocious apes, these new foes pack a powerful punch and deliver incredibly satisfying combat encounters.

This quality persists throughout the rest of Overture, whether you’re facing off against robotic circus clowns and strongmen or skewering a petrified swordfish that has no hesitation leaping from the water to attack you on land. The DLC also features exceptional boss fights, such as Markiona, Puppeteer of Death—a humanoid adversary who battles alongside a tethered puppet at all times. While the souls-like genre has often struggled to balance multi-opponent boss fights (see Lies of P’s own Black Rabbit Brotherhood), Markiona stands as a masterclass in how to execute this concept flawlessly. For instance, when her marionette is about to strike, the tether connecting them glows orange, giving you time to dodge or parry even if the puppet is out of sight. The pair never overwhelms you entirely: Markiona focuses on ranged projectiles, while the marionette favors melee strikes. It remains a tough battle, but like most of Lies of P’s boss fights, it never feels unfair—even when the odds are stacked against you.

When it comes to exploring these new environments, Overture mostly upholds the high standard set by the base game. Neowiz’s level design remains intricate, offering semi-open areas with multiple paths and varied combat encounters that test your skills and strategy. You’ll traverse canopy bridges suspended above zoo enclosures, fight through a fairground with a working Ferris wheel and carousel, and navigate broken ships trapped in thick ice as the green glow of the Northern Lights shimmers overhead. These settings are visually stunning and engaging to explore, often telling tragic stories between moments of intense action.

There are also pleasant surprises, such as the aforementioned fairground. By collecting coins, you can unlock access to themed minigames—from a giant whack-a-mole to a classic shooting gallery—and earn various rewards. The only letdown is an underground prison and laboratory operated by Krat’s sinister ruling class, the Alchemists. With tiled walls, scattered empty gurneys, and large tanks filled with glowing liquid and floating test subjects, it’s a generic, uninspired location that has been overdone in gaming. The level design itself is still engaging, but it lacks the distinct character that defines Lies of P’s other environments.

Thankfully, even in this lackluster area, Overture introduces new weapons and Legion Arms to add variety to your arsenal—though the core gameplay mechanics remain largely unchanged. The first is a bow, allowing you to maintain distance by firing consecutive arrows at foes. It also features a charged shot that can interrupt enemy attacks, and it feels well-balanced—even with unlimited ammo—since taking down regular enemies requires multiple charged shots. While the bow functions more as a supplementary weapon, it’s a fun addition that fills a noticeable gap for dedicated ranged builds.

Elsewhere, you can get your hands on claws reminiscent of Wolverine’s, letting you tear through enemies with speed, as well as a Gunblade that would fit right in with Squall Leonhart’s gear. Dubbed The Pale Knight, this unique sword boasts an attack pattern similar to a greatsword, with its heavy attack triggering a double-barreled firearm—unleashing lead into your opponent’s face while the recoil sends you reeling backward. This serves as both a powerful offensive move and an evasive maneuver. The coolest feature, however, is the ability to fire again to launch yourself back at the enemy for a devastating follow-up strike. The only minor downside is that this top-tier weapon is unlocked only at the very end, leaving little use for it unless you plan to start New Game Plus.

As for the new Legion Arms, one operates essentially as a shotgun—capable of being charged and saved to quickly stagger enemies—while the other deploys spinning blades that deal continuous damage to a single target. With upgrades, you can increase the number of blades fired at once and modify the ability so that retrieving a blade temporarily boosts the power of your next launch. It’s a versatile tool that rewards strategic use.

You can also put these new armaments to the test in Lies of P’s new boss rematch modes, part of a free update released alongside Overture. The update adds two modes: Battle Memories and Death March. In Battle Memories, you can challenge any boss you’ve already defeated in either Lies of P or Overture, with up to five difficulty levels—each increasing the boss’s specific stats—and you’re scored based on how quickly you take them down. Death March is a boss-rush mode where you select three bosses to fight in succession. Your enjoyment of these modes will depend on your eagerness to revisit bosses, but the addition of online leaderboards would significantly enhance their appeal.

A more impactful part of the free update is the inclusion of two easier difficulty modes for the entire game. The default (and hardest) setting is now named Legendary Stalker, while Awakened Puppet and Butterfly’s Guidance offer varying degrees of accessibility. However, the descriptions for these settings are somewhat misleading. Butterfly’s Guidance is billed as “A very easy difficulty for players who want a story-focused experience.” Perhaps due to Overture’s inherent difficulty, after struggling with a boss, I tried the easier modes—and while even the lowest setting is undoubtedly more forgiving, it’s still not a walk in the park. You deal more damage and take less, but it’s not the casual experience you might expect from the labels “very easy” and “story-focused.” Regardless, this is a positive change that should open Lies of P to a wider audience.

It’s also no detriment that Lies of P: Overture is essentially more of the same. The base game is arguably the finest souls-like from a studio other than From Software since the genre’s rise. That said, it may feel less appealing to those who recently finished Lies of P for the first time. For players like me, who hadn’t touched the game since its September 2023 launch, dedicating another 15 hours to more of this experience was a joy. Overture is a fitting prologue that caps off an exceptional game.

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