Director Clarifies Difficulty Adjustment: Aiming for Broader Player Base

The highly anticipated DLC for *Lies of P*, titled *Overture*, marks a significant shift in the game's approach by introducing difficulty options for the first time. As a "Soulslike" game, *Lies of P* is known for its challenging gameplay, which can be daunting for newcomers drawn to its dark narrative and unique setting. Initially, director Jiwon Choi maintained that *Soulslike* games should not include difficulty options, and the game launched without them. However, Neowiz has reconsidered this stance after attentively gathering feedback from its player base.

Jiwon Choi explained to VGC, "We wanted to make sure a wider audience of players could play the game. We have a lot of feedback from customers, and from our developers. So by making development adjustments and introducing these difficulty options, we can offer the experience to different types of players. This broadens the base."

The community has mixed reactions to this change. Some players are discussing the reasons behind the shift in the director's perspective. One player wrote, "I would imagine it's a lot easier to say that you don't want to change the difficulty than to be inundated with negative reviews over it and have it constantly be brought up during discussions of your game and not have any urge to change it so a broader audience can enjoy what you made."

Another player shared their personal experience, explaining, "I got into gaming around the age of 24. I'm using the easier difficulty settings because, as much as I love Lies of P, I have a major skill issue, and that's okay. I just thought it would be nice hearing why someone would reasonably want the difficulty settings. I never got to own any systems when I was a kid, so now I can as a working adult who doesn't have 10+ years of skills."

There's also criticism from some quarters. A player on the Steam discussion forums wrote, "Was interested in playing, but after all the nerfs and adding difficulty levels, I lost interest. Game devs, please stop catering to babies," though most replies to this thread supported Neowiz's decision. Another player wrote, "You had a masterpiece on your hands Neowitz, and you turned it into laughing stock. For shame." A different thread titled "Difficulty settings = Not playing" contrasts with another from a player who found the original difficulty "ridiculous."

*Lies of P* offers a darker reinterpretation of the Pinocchio tale, featuring a challenging action game with a dynamic "lie" system that impacts gameplay. The *Overture* DLC will introduce new locations, enemies, bosses, characters, and weapons, along with a new mode called Death March, allowing players to challenge the game's bosses again. The DLC is expected to take experienced players around 15-20 hours to complete and will unlock after reaching a specific chapter in the game. Neowiz has also announced a sequel to *Lies of P*.

Our review of *Lies of P* awarded it an 8/10, noting, "Lies of P might not branch out particularly far from its soulslike inspiration, but it plays the part extremely well."

Lies of P: Overture Screenshots

View 5 Images