Lies of P
analyzed 2026-10-04 · sample of 484 English reviews across the whole review history
Across 484 sampled reviews, combat is the most-mentioned aspect, at 24.8%, and it leans positive: 83 of those 120 reviews are favorable, with players calling the guarding mechanism "fun" and crediting new mechanics. Story follows at 19.8%, where 85 of 96 mentions are positive, and gameplay at 11.6% draws 51 positive mentions against 3 negative. Graphics, music, art style, atmosphere, lore, and voice acting are each overwhelmingly positive in the sampled reviews. Opinion splits more sharply elsewhere. Level design, at 11.0%, draws 23 positive and 19 negative mentions, with players describing it as linear but dense. Balance is the clearest sore point: of 38 mentions, 28 are negative, citing stunlocks and fights that feel unfair. Controls draw 11 negative mentions against 4 positive, and bugs, stability, and pacing also skew negative. Camera comes up as a recurring theme. Difficulty, at 13.0%, is mixed, with some calling it "fairly difficult" and others finding it easier since a patch. Players also raise the DLC, build variety, replayability, and quest design, generally favorably.
numbers checked against this report's stored data · quotes copied verbatim from reviews · plain text is the language model's own wording
Aspects
share of sample, axis to 30% · ± is the sampling uncertainty around each share
- positive
- mixed / neutral
- negative
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combat
83 positive · 22 negative · 15 mixed · 0 neutral
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The iterations of perfect guard/weapon breaking, and weapon reassembling, add some incredibly satisfying new game play mechanics to the genre.
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Good game, the perfect guarding mechanism is fun, so fun that I gave up all my dodge upgrades and went straight into guarding game play.
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The flow of combat is nice, learning the parries is rewarding, and the visual designs are usually amazing.
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story
85 positive · 8 negative · 2 mixed · 1 neutral
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☑ Lovely
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Good story too, the Antonia story hits too hard.
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This souls-like has mechanics just as strong as any souls game with a better (or at least better told) story.
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difficulty
39 positive · 10 negative · 5 mixed · 9 neutral
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The combat and bosses are fairly difficult but once you get used to the mechanics it's not too bad, very well made soulslike.
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I've seen different kind of mobs from my current state of the game and found it pretty easy since the patch dropped compared to what I've seen from some other players before it.
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tough but fair.
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gameplay
51 positive · 3 negative · 1 mixed · 1 neutral
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☑ Very good
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This souls-like has mechanics just as strong as any souls game with a better (or at least better told) story.
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the gameplay is great, weapons feel good, graphics look incredible, the story and characters are really interesting and just a great spin on "Pinocchio" fairy tail as a dark gothic fantasy story.
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level design
23 positive · 19 negative · 10 mixed · 1 neutral
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truly loved the fighting gameplay and the lay out of the map.
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The game is certainly more linear than not, but that can be a good thing for some people that just wanna focus on combat and action, with just a little short sidepaths, sidequests, and such if you please.
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The level design although linear is dense.
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balance
9 positive · 28 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral
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First it was just an enemy that can stunlock you unless you have a specific upgrade.
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5% LUCK, 80% GITGUD 10% BS MECHANIC'S 5% SKILL
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It doesn't feel good or fair. It just feels like you got cheated out of your progression in the fight and development.
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graphics
35 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral
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☑ Beautiful
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The only thing I can say for this game is that the visuals are good.
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Music, graphics, charm, combat, interesting weapon assembly mechanic, surprisingly well themed and lots of references to the original Pinocchio story, almost everything about this game was well thought out and carefully crafted.
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music
33 positive · 1 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral
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Music, graphics, charm, combat, interesting weapon assembly mechanic, surprisingly well themed and lots of references to the original Pinocchio story, almost everything about this game was well thought out and carefully crafted.
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The soundtrack is great and plays a role in the story.
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- music and artstyle are incredible
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dlc
32 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 2 neutral
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Maybe some dlc to add more hidden paths/areas to make the game feel less linear.
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Hoping for some DLC in the not too distant future! Game ends on a real cliffhanger so I'm very excited for what's next.
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Edit: The DLC is an amazing add on. Made me play the whole game through again twice.
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world
28 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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Love the setting and can't wait to play this game to death as well.
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Then they replaced blackjack and hookers with very good functioning game mechanics and a intriguing world that has some kind of steampunk / automata theme going on.
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Great atmosphere, engaging story, characters and overall world building.
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see more
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build variety
24 positive · 1 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral
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The weapon system is good fun and led to some funny setups.
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I think it is a fantastic game with a rich story and many possible builds.
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- Unique weapons and fighting styles/combinations
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art style
23 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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The flow of combat is nice, learning the parries is rewarding, and the visual designs are usually amazing.
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So, putting combat aside, I LOVED the characters, the aesthetic of the game, going around uncovering the lore.
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I love the steampunk aesthetic in this game.
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replayability
20 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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I wish there was because I want to continue playing!)
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I'm definitely going to 100% this!
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- lots of achievements, some requiring multiple playthroughs allowing some replayability
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performance
17 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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- Runs SO smooth, almost NEVER had problems with lag or stuttering
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I played this game at 1080p on a GeForce GTX 1060 and had zero performance issues.
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this game showed me denuvo does not impact performance lol
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atmosphere
20 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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The atmosphere is incredible, and the mechanical enemies allow for some more difficult to read robotic movements, which heightens the need for close attention to enemy combos.
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Loving this game so far, gives me bloodborne vibes
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Great atmosphere, engaging story, characters and overall world building.
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characters
19 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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So, putting combat aside, I LOVED the characters, the aesthetic of the game, going around uncovering the lore.
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the gameplay is great, weapons feel good, graphics look incredible, the story and characters are really interesting and just a great spin on "Pinocchio" fairy tail as a dark gothic fantasy story.
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Great atmosphere, engaging story, characters and overall world building.
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lore
20 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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Music, graphics, charm, combat, interesting weapon assembly mechanic, surprisingly well themed and lots of references to the original Pinocchio story, almost everything about this game was well thought out and carefully crafted.
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So, putting combat aside, I LOVED the characters, the aesthetic of the game, going around uncovering the lore.
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The world building, references and history of stuff'n'thangs found in item descriptions and collectables really ads to it like a FromSoftware game proper does.
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progression
13 positive · 5 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral
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Once you get a bunch of upgrades, you can kill the bosses with a couple tries.
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I found the game more enjoyable during the 2nd playthrough since by that point you'd have proper gear, stats, and other bonuses that make the combat flow better (such as dodging upgrades)
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It maintains the core of souls-games with difficult enemies, similar levelling, status effects etc.
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controls
4 positive · 11 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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Stiff character controller.
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At the start of the game the controls do feel choppy, the combat can seem annoying since you get laid flat on your ass whenever something remotely strong hits you, some animations are too …
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Horrible controls, the character too often does anything but what you are telling it to do, paired with difficult enemies that you can't beat without being able to properly control the puppet.
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learning curve
4 positive · 4 negative · 2 mixed · 5 neutral
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The beginning is definitely harder if you don't know what you are doing, ie.
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It might get some time getting used to the parry timings if you are used to FromSoftware games but once you get down the timing fights feel very rewarding.
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Played for a couple hours on Gamepass initially and didn't click with it. After 7 hours of playing with a different outlook on it, It's great and fun!
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price value
11 positive · 1 negative · 3 mixed · 0 neutral
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☑ Worth the price
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Totally worth to play and can really scratch your Sekiro itch if you are a huge fan of Sekiro like me.
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It's worth the price.
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bugs
2 positive · 7 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral
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The model of my weapon regularly disappeared in the model of the enemy though did no damage. It is hilarious when you stand directly next to a boss and your stab connects, but your slash is too short.
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a little bit of jank here and there.
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Also, game eats dodges after you get hit so you get hit multiple times for no reason.
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exploration
6 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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If they had a "story-mode" option where I could have one shot every mob and just focused on exploration, collectibles, and lore I would have given this game a perfect score of 100% 10/10.
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and still be rewarded for seeking out the finer details of the environment
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SOUNDTRACK, GAMEPLAY, EXPLORATION, STORY, LYING, LEVEL DESIGN (most times), BOSSES, VISUAL GRAPHICS, VISUAL FIDELITY, SIDEQUEST, EMOTIONAL MOMENTS ARE GREAT.
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player choice
7 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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I believe it has different endings based on some of your choices as well.
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From boss design to weapon and enemy variety and even the story and how it shifts with your play style and the decisions you make was great this is a gem of souls like game!
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… fairy tale of Pinocchio), with interesting characters, various types of enemies, enjoying and fluent battle system and weapon arts, a lie system that adds to the plot, exceptional level and boss designs, great challenge and tasteful and fitting music.
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quest design
6 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral
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There are also some fantastic quality of life improvements when it comes to quest design.
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a way to track quests that doesnt take away from that sense of discovery
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SOUNDTRACK, GAMEPLAY, EXPLORATION, STORY, LYING, LEVEL DESIGN (most times), BOSSES, VISUAL GRAPHICS, VISUAL FIDELITY, SIDEQUEST, EMOTIONAL MOMENTS ARE GREAT.
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animation
7 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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The animations and soundtrack are also very good.
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Some people won't like it, and that's fine, but some of the hate this game received is unjustified, especially in regards to animations (especially when it comes to parrying, as players tap the guard button instead of holding it for half a …
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The mechanics, animations, graphics, performance, world building and boss fights all hit perfectly for me. Not to mention the NG+ incentive of deciphered boss dialogue which was something unique I had never seen before.
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sound design
8 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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☑ Very good
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The art, sound design, graphics, and absolute polish of this game, let alone a story that could rival Dark souls itself, given a couple of great sequels.
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What makes this higher is the records you find in game, and the sounds of the world. These two together really immerse you in the game, make hits matter, and build upon your emotions.
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pacing
3 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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The first have of this game is incredible, easily rivals fromsoft titles during the first 12 or so hours. The problem is it becomes a real grind after the rabbit brotherhood boss fight. I think the real issue here is that they pile on too many mini bosses with lengthy run backs.
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You're gonna love this game, it's gonna rope you in with actually good boss fights and amazing visuals, AND THEN, its gonna ♥♥♥♥ all over that with possibly the worst second half of any game I've ever tortured myself through.
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also final chapter was a bit too long/tedious for my liking
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content amount
2 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many minibosses AND way too many minibosses that dont GIVE LOOT, SOULS, or UPGRADES! A miniboss will take an average player 2-5m to beat (Granted they dont die).
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Fantastic souls-like, enemy variety can use some work, but bosses, combat, lore are all very decent.
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However I do have a few gripes with the game: namely the lack of enemy variety, linear level and world design and some of the weapons are redundant.
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developer conduct
4 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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The game is at worst mediocre but at its best, really is a fantastic polished game that you can just tell got a lot of love from its developer.
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Kudos to the developers for such an incredible job!
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You can see the dev have put a lot of love into the game even after so long after the game release.
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game length
3 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 2 neutral
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Amazing game, managed to beat it within 27hrs pretty good souls like, engaging gameplay, really recommended
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Less trouble than it'd be in DS1-3 or Elden Ring, since the game's not that long, but still something to consider before you buy it.
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Furthermore, I think this game has a good length. It does not overstay its welcome at all, and in general feels quite tightly edited.
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stability
1 positive · 5 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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Initially, my experience was ruined when I lost my saved progress, which was really upsetting because I had to start over.
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this game is amazing so far, but make sure you always close the game properly (not alt-f4) and back up your saves, a lot of people including me have gotten corrupted saves and had to restart
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Could never get the game to run more than 10 min without crashing.
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customization
3 positive · 1 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral
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So much to customizations for your character and enhancements.
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This often results in very wacky looking swords and spears, but it is incredible with the level of customization you can do.
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The weapon customization system is interesting, though I didn't find myself experimenting with it too much on my first playthrough.
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emotional impact
4 positive · 0 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral
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SOUNDTRACK, GAMEPLAY, EXPLORATION, STORY, LYING, LEVEL DESIGN (most times), BOSSES, VISUAL GRAPHICS, VISUAL FIDELITY, SIDEQUEST, EMOTIONAL MOMENTS ARE GREAT.
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This game is a true masterpiece, filled with deep emotion.
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10/10 - unforgettable from start to finish.
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updates
3 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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They updated the game with a difficulty slider. I'm actually playing this game again.
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Overture patch has added many great QoL features!
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Good quality of life updates for the souls-like genre.
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voice acting
5 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral
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item descriptions and somewhat vagueness of well voice acted characters
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Great characters and voices, lovely music, and really fun gameplay.
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One of my biggest gripes with the souls-borne games is the lack of a coherent story, in Lies of P you always know why and because of whom you are doing any given thing, with beautiful rendered cutscenes and good voice acting.
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Emergent themes unvalidated
topics reviewers bring up that are not on the validated list; raw counts only, no error bars
- camera 6
Review timeline
monthly peak 6,467 reviews · all languages
monthly share rated positive · 50% reference · months with <5 reviews faded
the timeline as a table
| month | reviews | up | down | positive | note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | 6,467 | 5,578 | 889 | 86% | |
| Oct 2023 | 5,363 | 4,887 | 476 | 91% | |
| Nov 2023 | 5,815 | 5,531 | 284 | 95% | |
| Dec 2023 | 2,558 | 2,350 | 208 | 92% | |
| Jan 2024 | 2,160 | 1,987 | 173 | 92% | |
| Feb 2024 | 1,355 | 1,220 | 135 | 90% | |
| Mar 2024 | 1,387 | 1,238 | 149 | 89% | |
| Apr 2024 | 1,325 | 1,187 | 138 | 90% | |
| May 2024 | 923 | 833 | 90 | 90% | |
| Jun 2024 | 753 | 694 | 59 | 92% | |
| Jul 2024 | 1,830 | 1,601 | 229 | 87% | |
| Aug 2024 | 962 | 859 | 103 | 89% | |
| Sep 2024 | 952 | 838 | 114 | 88% | |
| Oct 2024 | 771 | 699 | 72 | 91% | |
| Nov 2024 | 920 | 823 | 97 | 89% | |
| Dec 2024 | 1,078 | 948 | 130 | 88% | |
| Jan 2025 | 998 | 889 | 109 | 89% | |
| Feb 2025 | 790 | 737 | 53 | 93% | |
| Mar 2025 | 1,656 | 1,497 | 159 | 90% | |
| Apr 2025 | 855 | 753 | 102 | 88% | |
| May 2025 | 887 | 767 | 120 | 86% | |
| Jun 2025 | 4,520 | 4,030 | 490 | 89% | |
| Jul 2025 | 2,954 | 2,652 | 302 | 90% | |
| Aug 2025 | 1,583 | 1,408 | 175 | 89% | |
| Sep 2025 | 1,040 | 952 | 88 | 92% | |
| Oct 2025 | 858 | 755 | 103 | 88% | |
| Nov 2025 | 1,577 | 1,480 | 97 | 94% | |
| Dec 2025 | 1,073 | 960 | 113 | 89% | |
| Jan 2026 | 1,379 | 1,200 | 179 | 87% | |
| Feb 2026 | 705 | 635 | 70 | 90% | |
| Mar 2026 | 940 | 833 | 107 | 89% | |
| Apr 2026 | 755 | 676 | 79 | 90% | |
| May 2026 | 835 | 696 | 139 | 83% | |
| Jun 2026 | 868 | 758 | 110 | 87% | |
| Jul 2026 | 889 | 778 | 111 | 88% | |
| Aug 2026 | 867 | 769 | 98 | 89% | |
| Sep 2026 | 851 | 708 | 143 | 83% | |
| Oct 2026 | 140 | 126 | 14 | 90% |
How this report was made
- Population
- all Steam reviews of the game (every language, purchase type, and verdict), walked newest-first per window; only English-language reviews are analyzed
- Sample
- 484 English reviews, time-proportional draw over 38 windows (newest-first within each), taken from an all-language walk and kept English-only — where English is a minority the sample runs smaller than the draw, and every margin of error is computed at 484
- Aspect yield
- 247 of 484 analyzed reviews carry at least one aspect (51.0%); every share on this page divides by all 484
- Interval regime
- calm: standard margins of error for a share of a sample (Wilson interval), no widening needed
- Fetch paths
- 38 time windows fetched directly (windowed)
- Language mix
- 1,000 fetched: english 485 · schinese 119 · russian 90 · 21 more
- Steam-marked windows
- none flagged by Steam (Valve's off-topic flagging began March 2019)
- Marked share
- 0.0% of sample inside marked windows, under the 2% floor
- Narrative
- passed the grounding gate first try
- Evidence floor
- aspects and emergent themes appear only with 5+ supporting reviews; smaller counts sit at the classifier's false-positive floor
- Instrument readings
- measured once on the study corpus for this model and prompt: frozen calibration, not properties of this run
- · aspect tagging vs. human labels
- 0.801 [0.752–0.844] (F1 against a human-labeled test set; 1.0 is best)
- · quotes filed under the wrong aspect
- 11.6% [6.6–19.6] of quotes, measured by hand on a sample; lower is better — measured on the prior model (2026-08-05); re-measurement pending
- · independent model vs. production labels
- 0.791 [0.772–0.810] (F1 of the production labeler against an independent judge model) — measured on the prior model (2026-07-25); re-measurement pending
- Versions
- deepseek-flash · prompt classify-v1 · ontology v2
- Run
- serve-20261004T205758Z-642c13c7 · code 798e06c
full methodology in the milestone write-ups