Souls fans are eating well this year, with Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen releasing in short succession of one another just a month after Armored Core 6. Both games are excellent additions to the Soulslike subgenre, and both have lots to offer, with tightly designed combat, challenging boss fights, and a whole host of visually stunning environments to explore.
While being somewhat mechanically similar, featuring many tropes of the Souls series like limited healing items and checkpoints that respawn enemies, Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen are very different beneath the surface and appeal to two completely different types of Souls fans. You might be wondering which one is the better choice for you, and if so, we’re here to help.
Lords of the Fallen or Lies of P – which should you buy?
Lies of P has intricate combat and punishing bosses
Lies of P launched to widespread critical success on Sep. 19, 2023. From developer Neowiz, whose only previous game was Bless Unleashed, a failed rehash of a middling MMORPG, it’s nothing short of remarkable that Lies of P looks and plays as well as it does. It has stunning visuals and a striking aesthetic reminiscent of Bloodborne alongside excellent art design that expertly brings to life Neowiz’ eerie take on the literary classic.
The best thing about P is undoubtedly its combat. Like Sekiro, it strongly rewards players for executing perfect parries but blocking and rolling are viable too. Enemy and boss design is universally top-notch, with every foe bringing something new to the table. Elites and bosses, in particular, are ruthlessly aggressive and as early as the third or fourth area, they start to attack wildly and unpredictably with brutally punishing combos. You’ll either love or hate Lies of P’s approach to combat, but regardless of how you feel, it’s unquestionably well-designed.
To top off the excellent combat, Lies of P also features a unique and interesting weapon crafting system, unlike anything I’ve seen in a Souls game or otherwise. You can detach weapon heads from handles and mix and match them to your preference. The new weapon gets the handle’s moveset and the head’s properties—if you want, you can attach a fire dagger to a spear handle to scorch your foes from afar.
While the weapon crafting system is nice, there’s less build diversity overall, with fewer stats and weapons than sprawling action RPGs like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Lies of P is more akin to Bloodborne, and that’s more than okay for many players. My biggest criticism of P is its linearity: The whole game is a one-track affair from start to finish, and although the levels themselves twist around each other with shortcuts to unlock within them, there are no branching paths. This means if you’re stuck on a boss, you have no other option than to keep banging your head against the wall.
If you love Souls games for their precise, punishing combat and brutally difficult boss fights that require perfect execution to break through, then P is probably for you.
Lords of the Fallen has a sprawling world and deep RPG systems
Lords of the Fallen launched on Oct. 13, 2023, to a mostly mixed reception. Reviewers praised its sprawling, interconnected world, gorgeous vistas, and deep build diversity but criticized the game for performance issues and bugs that marred the experience for many—particularly those playing on PC and Xbox Series S. I reviewed Lords of the Fallen for PS5 and absolutely loved it, but recognize that many didn’t have the same positive experience I did.
That said, it’s without doubt a must-play if you enjoy Souls games for their world, exploration, and RPG mechanics. Lords of the Fallen features a staggering number of weapons to choose from with lots of different movesets, and supports strength, dexterity, and quality builds, with three types of magic as well.
Ranged combat using bows and magic is a big step forward over previous Souls games, with intuitive controls that make ranged options easier to use in the heat of battle. On top of this, Lords of the Fallen lets players summon allies for help or invade others to ruin their day, which is a nice addition to an already very Souls-y Soulslike.
Above all, though, the world is without a doubt the best part of Lords of the Fallen. It features a central hub area, Skyrest Bridge, in the middle of the map, which seamlessly branches out into surrounding areas. You’ll explore two parallel worlds, Axiom and Umbral, using your Umbral Lamp to transition between them.
There are multiple routes you can take, and most of the game is non-linear, with former and upcoming areas telegraphed on the horizon. In my opinion, it’s the best interconnected world since Dark Souls. Combined with its excellent build diversity, this makes Lords of the Fallen very replayable, and with online multiplayer, it’s more than likely the game will remain relevant for years to come.
While the world design is unparalleled, it’s impossible not to mention Lords of the Fallen’s boss fights. They’re still challenging and varied, but undoubtedly simpler than Lies of P’s bosses. In general, Lords of the Fallen’s combat is somewhat less refined on the whole, so while the range of viable builds and playstyles on offer is impressive, if you enjoy Souls games purely for the combat and ruthlessly challenging bosses, Lords of the Fallen will probably miss the mark for you.
When the bugs and performance issues for PC and Xbox players are ironed out, Lords of the Fallen is a no-brainer to recommend—but unless you have a PS5, it’s probably best to wait for the time being as the developers continue to roll out fixes and balance changes. That said, if you’re like me and love the Souls games for the depth of their RPG systems, you’re going to have an absolute blast developing your character as you explore Lords of the Fallen’s breathtaking yet somber world.
The final verdict
Lords of the Fallen and Lies of P are sprawling, challenging Soulslike RPGs with lots going for them. They both appeal to different types of players, and you’re likely to prefer one over the other depending on the kind you are.
That said, purely considering quality and consistency, Lies of P is our recommendation. It’s a polished and refined experience from start to finish with endlessly satisfying combat, especially when you get good enough to nail the perfect parry timings. The enemy and boss design is sublime, and its linearity isn’t a problem for many players. Things might change when developer Hexworks irons out Lords of the Fallen’s issues, but for now, P takes the crown.
