In thisLies of Preview, we’re going to be taking a deep dive into the latest shadow-dropped DLC,Lies of P: Overture. I’ve been pretty hyped for this launch ever since it was announced 3 months ago, and was pleasantly surprised when they released a full month before Summer, their expected release window. So, does this DLC live up to the grandeur of the originalBelle-Epoque Soulslike? Read on to find out!
*Note that there will be some spoilers for the Lies of P base game story within this review
Lies of P Review
Developed by
NEOWIZ Games, Round8 Studio
Published by
NEOWIZ Games
Release Date
June 6th, 2025
PC (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4
$29.99 (at time of review)
Lies of P Review – Story and Setting
Setting & World
InLies of P: Overtureyou continue playing as P in the world of Krat, except now transported back in time to before all the base game events, and before thePuppet Frenzythrew the city into ruins.
This means that you’ll be meeting people and visiting areas that were lost to horrific, untold events that prelude the frenzy, which were hinted and teased at in the base game; and when I say teased, I mean very subtle dialogues and lore excerpts in notes you pick up which super-fans have been deciphering for ages.
As such, I highly, highly recommend replayingLies of Por watching a lore recap video to refresh your mind on the story and setting. There is a surprising amount of worldbuilding that is told indirectly behind the scenes which constructs a full narrative behind various organizations like the Alchemists or Stalkers, as well as other important people who take huge precedence in this DLC.
As someone who did some theorising with ourOverture Trailer analysis video a few months ago, that prior knowledge really elevated my experience with the world and setting to new levels, as I found myself having multiple satisfying moments when the DLC confirmed theories to those burning questions we’ve have had for almost 2 years.
When it comes to the story itself, the story and storytelling inLies of P: Overtureactually manage to outshine the base game, which was already very solid. To give a brief rundown from the Steam blurb, “On the brink of the Puppet Frenzy massacre, you follow a legendary Stalker - a mysterious guide -through untold stories and chilling secrets”.
The Legendary Stalkeris a character who has been mentioned scarcely within the base game as an incredibly important character within the history of Krat, with this DLC being focused on her story, where you tag along.
And this story is nothing short of absolutely incredible, building up to a finale that manages to pull some heartstrings - even if you did know how it was ultimately going to end. The prior knowledge you have of the characters and events involved is a huge factor in how much you will enjoy it, but in overall they’re well written, demonstrating a range of reactions and motivations in response to the Alchemists' atrocities.
90% of the time when I picked up a letter, newspaper, book or any other lore item, the contents within would unfold some mysteries, answer questions I didn’t know I had, or completely change the way I viewed certain characters, even those from the base game. It’s incredibly hard to strike that balance between how much of the story or world should be left cryptic in these types of soulslike games, but I thinkLies of Phas achieved that balance with this DLC.
Even aside from the main story, their side-quest storytelling has also gone up a notch. There are multiple tightly-knit short-story sidequests within the DLC, of which every single one hit some emotional chord. There was not one boring side quest or story that I glossed over, and I genuinely wanted to know what happened to the characters involved, or how their stories were going to turn out.
The time travel part of the story is sometimes utilized in these side quests as well, with events appearing in the present timeline after you change the events of the past, which I found interesting. For example, you can go back to the present time to a specific character with an outfit equipped to get unique dialogue, or an NPC may suddenly appear after finishing their quest in the past.
I only have one very, very mild nitpick about the story, and it’sGemini’s new dialogue. I don’t know if I have a rose-tinted view of the base game, but I don’t remember his dialogue being as irritating as it was in this DLC. It was a bit of a pain to listen to him recap events which we just saw or state the incredibly obvious, and it felt like a little kick in the shin on the viewers intelligence everytime he did. However, it really wasn’t enough to bog down the overall fantastic story, and he only had these moments sparingly. Besides that, he was still a fun little companion.
Overall, the story was absolutely a highlight of the DLC, and a huge payoff forLies of Pfans who paid close attention to the world building and the story ofGepetto, Carlo, Simon Manusand all other important characters. Though it is a bit short, it’s tightly knit to have all important key events and manages to outshine most stories in games from recent years.
Gameplay in Lies of P
Moving onto gameplay, unlike the storyLies of P: Overturedelivers more of the same, with no incredible new mechanics to boast or major gameplay changes which elevate the experience.
New Content
When it comes to new content to bag in your inventory, the DLC delivers a modest amount which will be just “satisfactory” for most people. Namely:
Starting from the top, the 10 new weapons are fun additions to the game with new fable arts and gimmicks which make them much more special than your average weapon from the base game. To name just a few early in the game,The Royal Horn Bowwas a highlight as the first and only bow weapon; I carried this in my off hand for the whole game because it came in quite handy in levels with high up enemies, and had a killer single target fable art.
Another example would be aPuppet of the Future’s Welder Blade, which doubled as both a lance for heavy attacks, and a literal flamethrower for light attacks. A weapon I actually used for most of the game wasthe Maniac’s Pinwheel, a classic pizza-cutter weapon that revs up when you dodge or sprint. you may expect similar creativity with other weapons that you’ll find in the DLC.
The new legion arms were also quite fun, with a new shotgun that I used for practically my entire playthrough which felt awesome to use. The rest of the new content such as music discs, gestures and outfits didn’t quite interest me (Though I will talk more about the OST later), but there were a few outfits which I thought looked awesome to play in, and they were all welcome additions to P’s wardrobe.
Level Design & Enemies
In terms of level design,Overtureis much the same as what was in the base game, if not a little more linear. It’s taken a tiny step down in terms of exploration, with content being hard to miss and exactly 1 instance where I had to debate which direction to go.
Some levels show off great environments, with the ruined zoo and carnival early into the game, and an amazing ice area which I won’t spoil. The circus in particular was a pretty fun gimmick level with various minigames and prizes that you could acquire throughout, serving as a nice introduction back into the game.
But there really was much more to be desired from the levels overall, as even the base game had a mediocre level design format, and to go a tiny step down from that is a little disappointing.
Enemy-wise, unfortunately after the first zoo area it feels like the enemy variety just stops. In that area, we got mutant carcass gorillas, rolly kangaroos that beat the crap out of you unexpectedly and an elephant which transforms into a grotesque lovecraftian dinosaur midway through its health bar. Future areas would have some standout enemies as elites, but reuse many base game enemies for fodder.
In terms of bosses, there were a few standouts. There were 3 that I found great, the second, third and second last boss, with the rest being quite forgettable. However, the final boss is absolutely fantastic, beautifully meshing together lore, artistic design and combat design for a very satisfying finish to the DLC.
To summarize my thoughts on the gameplay of the DLC, it’s more or less the same asLies of P, which to be fair is one of the biggest compliments you can get. It’s a small step down in level design and has only a few engaging boss fights, but the only other nitpick I could give is that it doesn’t add too much to the base game formula, and rehashes much of what was already there. The new content that was added is fun to discover, adds some new build variety and is good enough to feel fresh.
Lies of P - Design, Visual & Audio
Graphically, Lies of P is still a polished product, nailing both art style and visual fidelity. Unlike the pre-launch review copy of the game from 2023, I did not have any crashes this time, and the optimization is still exactly the same; a solid 200 FPS at 1440P on the best quality settings with a 3090.
The art style has been touched up a notch for new attacks and moves with the final boss and regarding its subsequent weapon, as well as in character design. The world of Lies of P has always looked amazing, and this DLC has not changed that at all.
When it comes to audio, you can expect stellar voice acting (especially from a Joseph Balderrama), and the new music discs yet again knock it out of the park, just like the base game. My personal standouts are “Lisrim” and “Nightmare,” but honestly, the entire new soundtrack is a must-listen for anyone who was craving for more of that Belle-Epoque style Lies of P OST.
Pricepoint, Game Length & Replayability
As you may already have heard, this DLC is shockingly short. My playthrough after 100% in the game only took around 13 hours onthe Legendary Stalker difficultywith no summons.
At a steep price point of $30,that does call into question whether this DLC is actually worth it, when expansions such as SOTE adds 5x the content for only $10 more, or DLC such asThe Ringed City are 9 hours longwith more added content and cost half the price.
However, there are a few extras in this DLC that make the steep price point make a little more sense. Although there aren’t multiple endings, you can try out other dialogue options within the story as well as try to find secrets, such as hidden lore dialogue from NPCs when wearing certain outfits, or changes in the base game as a result of actions in the DLC. You’ll also be able to try out all 10 new weapons in NG+, with the final one being a real standout.
And by far the biggest factor for replayability is the brand new Boss Rush mode, which comes with a free update toLies of Pand is absolutely a plus for being able to re-fighting the new DLC bosses.
Given these factors, I would debate that the price point of 30 dollars is barely in line with what you get. It’s not a fantastic price, but there is currently a bundle for the full game and DLC for 33% off, and you may always wait for a sale.
Final Thoughts
Funnily enough, I ended up giving this DLC the exact same score we gave the base game, but now for different reasons.
Overall, my shortest summary of my thoughts forLies of P: Overtureis that this was very much a “Lore DLC”. The story you get from the foundations built in the base game absolutely pay off, and though it is slightly short, it still manages to deliver an exceptional story in a tightly wrapped DLC. I’m not sure exactly how much ergo the Writers snorted, but they delivered their A game, and it makes me very excited to see what’s coming for Lies of P 2 in the future, especially with the Giango twist and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.
While some gameplay elements have degraded since the base game, much of it is simply the same, which again is a huge compliment. The amount of new content added is satisfactory and quite fun to mess around with, and yet again I am falling in love with the OST and voice acting.
Neowiz has yet again proven to be arguably the top contender to FromSoftware in the Soulslike market, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting with the rest of you for Lies of P 2.
Lies of P: Overture is a fantastic, lore-packed DLC that pays off the rich storytelling foundations of the base game. Though somewhat short, the core mechanics remain as satisfying as ever, and the fresh content, OST, and voice acting make it a joy to explore. If you’re a Lies of P fan, this DLC is one you absolutely should not miss out on.
