Summary
Lies of Pis as haunting and unnerving as it is tragic and solemn. The story is told in a digestible way compared to Soulslike contemporaries, maybe as a result of the themes and characters it adapts fromThe Adventures of Pinocchio, but it is still a Soulslike through-and-through with familiar mechanics peppered throughout the experience. If fans have played a fair number ofFromSoftware’s non-Armored Coregamesthey’ll likely know what to be mindful of inLies of P, including how to properly construct a build for the weapon scaling they want or when to suspect that an enemy might be waiting to ambush them around a corner.
That said, like any other Soulslike whose imitations clearly mimic FromSoftware games,Lies of Pis equally unique in what it brings to the table that others haven’t.Lies of Pdoes this most prominently through its lie systemwhere binary dialogue options can have an effect on character relationships and the game’s endings. However, one of its most subtle additions to the formula mainly works to create a gentle ambiance for the player while they’re taking their time talking to NPCs, leveling up, or upgrading in Hotel Krat, and that’s viaLies of P’s record collection, whichResident Evilshould learn from.
RELATED:One Quest and Key Item Feature in Lies of P Shouldn’t Go Unappreciated
Lies of P’s Records are as Narratively Impactful as They are Atmospherically Enriching
Records inLies of Pare surprisingly rare collectibles that can be viewed and listened to at Hotel Krat’s record player, and thankfully the game allows players to listen to each of these tracks while they go about their business in the game’s hub. These tracks are all classically rooted in the charming and moroseBelle Epoque atmosphere thatLies of Pfirmly embedsin its world-building, and the record items themselves are perfect for any completionist collectible hunters.
Still, records are acquired in a number of ways between completing side quests, purchasing them from merchants, or choosing a specific dialogue option. Players will only receive the “Quixotic” record if they give Red Fox and Black Cat a Gold Coin Fruit when asked for one, for example, while the “Why” record can only be received if players lie to Belle and say that Atkinson was killed in action fighting a puppet.
Collecting all records goes toward an ending inLies of P, and therefore they are narratively significant in having P react to Ergo as he warms up to his humanity, whether he was also lying throughout the adventure or not. In the meantime, playing these tracks offers a beautiful atmosphere in one of the few places where P is ever even remotely safe, and that respite is true too of the save/safe rooms that players breathe a sigh of relief when locating inResident Evil.
Resident Evil’s Save Room Themes Could Afford to Include Records or Music Selections
In this way, Hotel Krat becomes sort of familiar as a save room if fans have playedResident Evilgames before and used such rooms to hide away for a moment.Resident Evil’s survival horrormakes save rooms essential when finding typewriters or storage boxes, and players may oftentimes find themselves running back and forth to them while their inventory space is critically low.
Moreover, players know when they’ve entered a save room and can finally let their shoulders drop when a save room’s theme begins as they walk through the doorway. These themes have allowed a way for fans to remember each installment, such as which games they believe have the best save room themes, though adopting the record player feature fromLies of Pcould give its atmospheric ambiance even greater impact.
If Capcom had records or some other sort of audio that could be collected and played in a save room, players could select the particular ambiance they wanted. It’s true that players spend much more time at once inLies of P’s Hotel Kratthan they would in any number ofResident Evil’s save rooms, but the option to listen to selectResident Evilthemes would be a fantastic bit of content for players to enjoy while they contemplate what items to withdraw or stash and plan out how to navigate the environment’s labyrinth around them.
Lies of Pis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
