Summary
This summer, critically acclaimed Pinocchio-themed SoulslikeLies of Pis receiving its first major DLC: Lies of P: Overture. This DLC will include 25–30 hours of new story content, new bosses, a new region, a boss rush mode, and, controversially,difficulty settings.
The inclusion of easier difficulty options directly contradictswhat the game’s director told me back in 2023, when he said, without hesitation, “We believe Soulslike games shouldn’t have difficulty options.“This U-turn, coupled with Souls fans' masochistic nature, has meant that this new inclusion hasn’t gone down too well.
Lies Of P Fans Aren’t Happy With Overture’s New Difficulty Options
Historically, hardcore Souls players have been against anything that makes the genre easier. This stems back all the way to the inception of the genre, right through toElden Ring, wherea portion of players are vehemently against the use of summons. Naturally, now that Lies of P is confirmed to be receiving new difficulty options, the Souls-purists are out in force, unhappy with the decision.
I love Souls games because they are balanced right out of the box. You don’t have to worry about which difficulty is right for you; it is what it is.
One of the many things Lies of P was initially lauded for was its balance, one it struck finely between difficulty and approachability. Many felt that the game’s challenge didn’t come from enemies having massively inflated health pools, overpowered attacks, or unmanageable movement patterns, but instead, from the way the game was designed, and the need for players to understand the environment and enemy cues. There is theopinion from the communitythat much of this will be lost with the addition of an “easy mode”, and that it “misses the point” of the game.
“What ends up happening in many games is that easy/normal modes tend to hit their mark, and harder modes tend to be ‘normal mode, but with 3x health,'“said Stairway2evan on Reddit, adding, “This can be boring and really slow down a game that would otherwise be excellent.”
A second user concurred, saying, “I love Souls games because they are balanced right out of the box. You don’t have to worry about which difficulty is right for you; it is what it is.”
While some cited balancing issues as their reason for their discontent, others had different opinions.
Nainnssaid, “I hate difficulty options. I want devs to give me their intended experience. You want your game to be a chill ride? I’m cool with that. You want your game to be hard? Throw it at me, give me what you envisioned,” while Salucialamented the lack of a “big hype moment"after overcoming a game’s killer boss.
Either way, as the saying goes, you control the buttons you press. Your experience isn’t going to be altered by somebody else playing on an easier difficulty, so lets be happy more people get to enjoy one of 2023’s best games.
