Lies of P Is The BEST Souls-Like Game (Critique)

hello fellow Gamers and welcome back to another video today I'm genuinely thrilled to reveal something exciting a fresh start for our Channel which is like the beginning of a new story many of you already know that we've been diving deep into the world of Elden ring for the last 18 months whether we were taking on tough challenge runs or exploring its fascinating stories but today we're setting off on a brand new adventure one that promises to be even more exciting immersive and detailed and you know what it's going going to be a whole lot more fun for me too I'm a big fan of video games and if you're watching this video I'm guessing you are too that's why we're making some changes to our content while still staying true to the gaming spirit that founded this channel you see in the past we used to create shorsh videos where we talked about the basics for video game lore in hopes that it would better satisfy the ever reducing attention spans of the audience that makes up the YouTube algorithm but now it's time for us to switch gears and go big with longer more immersive videos about video games in every aspect I can this is the type of content that I want to make whether it's good for the algorithm or not so get ready to embark on this exciting New Journey with me this is the segment where i' talk about our sponsor here usually and while we don't have an official sponsor for this video I did receive an early review copy from round eight and this is actually the first time a developer has ever sent me a review key so I'm very thank thank f for that and I wanted to do the game Justice by making it my first critique video I will mention my patreon really quickly here where they got to see each segment of this critique much much earlier almost weeks in advance before I put all these segments together into this one long video so if you're looking for some super early access videos and want to support this type of content to the max check it out in the description if you're as eager as I am make sure to hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications so you don't miss a thing and it's the best way to let me know that you like this type of video I've never made a video this long before so hopefully we're off to a good start without further delay let's talk about the amazing new Souls light game lies a PE welcome to Pinocchio puppets lie twice an exciting new soulslike game crafted by The Talented team at round 8 Studio you might recall or better yet probably not their only other developed project bless Unleashed which was an action MMO RPG this game released back in March of 2020 and received a range of reviews with opinions on it being quite diverse and eventually never gaining much traction in the gaming World Liza p is nothing like their previous game drawing loose inspiration from the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo kot its gameplay has been aptly described as soulslike a term even acknowledged by round 8 Studio it's evident that the game draws influence from the renowned Japanese Studio from software known for titles like Dark Souls bloodborne sakiro and of course Elden ring the term Souls likee refers to a sub genre of action role playing games or ar RPGs that take inspiration from the unique gameplay mechanics and design philosophy pioneered by from software in their souls series these games are characterized by several key elements first off Souls like games are widely known for their high level of difficulty players often face tough enemy enies and bosses that require precise timing strategy and skill to defeat death is a common occurrence and it's often a part of the learning and satisfaction process combat in Souls like games emphasizes precision and careful consideration when pressing a button to perform in in-game action players must learn attack patterns parrying dodging and stamina management to succeed button mashing is rarely effective they also typically provide minimal guidance to the players instead they encourage exploration and Discovery leaving it up to the player to uncover the lore objectives and World building elements many Souls like games feature interconnected and nonlinear World designs reminiscent of Metroid Vania games players often backtrack and unlock new areas as they progress resource management is a crucial aspect of gameplay as well players must wisely allocate limited healing items ammunition or magic spells adding an extra layer of Challenge and last but not least Souls like game excel in creating atmospheric and immersive worlds with Rich lore and storytelling often delivered through environmental storytelling cryptic item descriptions and subtle narrative hints and so Liza P came into existence this game takes all of these elements and puts its unique Twist on the formula surpassing any expectations I had let's address the burning question up front is this game worth your valuable time and money the answer is a resounding yes much like the Soul series and other Souls light games it does have its quirks but these are easily overlooked given the overall satisfying experience it offers in this video we'll dive into both the game shortcomings and its strengths every game has its highs lows and rough patches but I want to emphasize that Liza p is worth it but with a caveat only if you are already a fan of souls games for those unfamiliar with the sub genre I can't even recommend it as an entry point you see Liza p is quite possibly the most challenging Souls leg game I've ever encountered possibly even more demanding than the original Souls games themselves it presents an unrelenting difficulty that even someone like me with thousands of hours of experience in these games finds incredibly daunting at times at certain points during my initial playthrough I had doubts whether this game's difficulty might be too challenging the game's primary mechanic allows players to deflect attacks using any weapon akin to sakiro additionally it offers the ability to perform combat Dodges to evade enemy strikes reminiscent of the mechanic scene in bloodborne hence why I called the game Pinocchio puppets lie twice get it because sakiro Shadows die twice okay if I have to explain the joke then it's not a good one in any case what I want to emphasize is that the deflecting mechanic in Liza P known as perfect guarding demands precise timing and offers very little forgiveness understanding and predicting enemy movements can be a challenge in this game as the foes are rather unpredictable they are puppets after all with the ability to twist and contort their mechanical limbs in unconventional ways to launch their attacks at you beyond the puppet likee enemies there are various other creature types in the game and these creatures tend to use unconventional and unfamiliar attack methods that look just as weird and unfamiliar as the puppets as a quick side note I want to commend this this game for its remarkable diversity of enemies across all levels during my initial playthrough I found myself frequently saying out loud wow there's another new type of enemy it's not a criticism rather it's a testament to the game's impressive variety however it's worth noting that with each new puppet or creature encountered it felt similar to entering a new boss room as I had to invest time in understanding each one's unique intricacies and attack patterns given that they differed significantly between enemy types I love this and it makes every single combat encounter feel like something new to learn albeit sometimes frustrating and overwhelming again I don't think this is a negative I just had to take frequent breaks to give my brain a bit of a rest sometimes which kind of relates to my original point that the attack patterns can feel odd at first but I promise once you practice and Tinker with the options the game and the enemies give you during combat it's just as satisfying as any other Souls game all of these Souls games are hard until you experience and understand how the game Enemy or boss Mechanics Work round 8 Studio demonstrates a strong understanding of the mechanics that Define this gameplay experience they have skillfully added their unique touch to the timing and Rhythm aligning it seamlessly with the game's overall theme I'm truly impressed especially considering that this is their debut attempt at developing a game like this one thing I'd like to talk about as I've seen a lot of people discussing this are the claims that Liza p is just a copycat of the original Souls games made by from software the world of gaming is filled with titles that draw inspiration from one another creating a rich culture of interconnected ideas and themes Liza is one such game that unapologetically takes elements from other renowned Souls games like Dark Souls bloodborne sakiro and Elden ring while some may criticize this approach as derivative it's important to recognize that borrowing elements from other games is not only acceptable in my eyes but often essential for Innovation and the evolution of gaming as a whole Souls games have left an unforgettable mark on the gaming industry they are celebrated for their intricate level design challenging combat systems and Atmospheric storytelling by incorporating elements from these games Liza P plays homage to the legacy of these Classics acknowledging their impact on the gaming World in doing so it not only respects the roots of the genre but also builds upon them Innovation often arises from the integration of existing ideas Liza P takes this concept to Heart by adapting elements from its predecessors to create something new and exciting by refining and reinterpreting gameplay mechanics storytelling techniques and Artistic Styles the game manages to provide players with an experience that feels both familiar and fresh doing this allows developers to push boundaries and explore Uncharted Territory while building on the foundations of what works the elements borrowed from the souls games aren't simply copied and pasted into lies of instead they are carefully selected and integrated to enhance the overall player experience for example Liza P May draw inspiration from the challenging combat of these prior games by incorporating these elements thoughtfully the game adds depth and excitement to its own unique narrative and world since a significant portion of Liza P's target audience likely consists of fans of from software's previous work this caters to the existing Souls game fan base it provides a sense of continuity and familiarity making it easier for fans to transition into this new universe this approach also allows Liza P to tap into to the enthusiasm and anticipation generated by these previous games when I saw that Liza P looked like a version of bloodborne that ran on PC at more than 30 frames per second I wanted to play it immediately the gaming industry only thrives on healthy competition and constant Improvement when a game like Liza P takes inspiration from successful titles it encourages other developers to raise the bar this competitive Spirit Fosters Innovation and D drives the industry forward ultimately benefiting players who get to enjoy more diverse and highquality gaming experiences so to those who dismiss Liza as a copycat game of the souls games I have to disagree that it brings the game down in any way shape or form I want more souls games so I hope developers continue to make them this will also make from software want to elevate their already incredible reputation to make even better games than they already do I see nothing wrong with this and can only make everyone involved better along with giving Gamers who are fans of this genre more games to enjoy at the end of the day that's all I want more games to play and enjoy now I'd like to provide a comprehensive overview of the game's combat mechanics leveling system and featured weapons in the section following this one we'll begin going over the lore in the story of the game so hopefully you've realized by now that there's time stamps so that you can go to any section you're interested in I probably should have mentioned that at the beginning sorry about that first time making a critique so I'll get better at this as I make and write more of them the combat is pretty comprehensive so I thought it was important to talk about especially to go over the innovations that lies a p brings to the soulslike genre once you finish slow RP walking to the end of the train car at the start of the game we are given our first decision to make players are presented with a choice among three distinct weapons basically offering a slow balanced and fast initial play style your initial levels will vary depending on your weapon selection balance dexterity or strength however you can purchase the other two weapons you didn't choose from a vendor before encountering the first main boss while your initial stats do differ based on your choice I personally didn't find leveling up to be particularly crucial throughout even the entire game it certainly matters if you want to optimize your build but what truly makes a difference are the weapons you disassemble reconfigure and upgrade as you progress to clarify I'm not suggesting that levels are entirely irrelevant they do have their importance however I discovered that attributes like Vitality Vigor and capacity carried more weight throughout the game than the scaling levels associated with weapons such as midity dexterity and Advance essentially I found myself allocating my airgo currency more toward weapon upgrades and increasing my carrying capacity rather than solely focusing on bolstering my overall strength for example following this you'll commence your journey through the train station gradually unraveling the Grim predicament afflicting the city of crot the once friendly and helpful automated puppets have malfunctioned transforming into lethal red-eyed robots who now indiscriminately Target unsuspecting civilians throughout the game this event is referred to as the puppet frenzy the streets of crot are strewn with the lifeless bodies of its unfortunate residents their blood staining the city streets red meanwhile the Relentless puppets continue their pursuit of any remaining survivors before long you'll encounter your first Elite enemy Elite foes are distinguishable from regular enemies by their distinct appearance often larger and more menacing accompanied by substantially heftier Health pools that make them more ch challenging to overcome this initial Elite police officer puppet primarily serves as an introduction to these stagger Mechanics for players when you perform a perfect guard on a sufficient number of attacks combined with consistent strikes against an enemy their health bar will begin to radiate a white glow signifying the potential to put the enemy in a staggered dizzy state to successfully stagger an enemy you must execute a heavy attack before the health bar reverts to its red status accomplishing this triggers the enemy to stagger into a vulnerable state marked by a red position indicator appearing on the ground if you position Pinocchio in this designated area and perform a regular attack it results in a lethal strike that inflicts significantly more damage than usual typically this will kill the enemy depending on their remaining Health although the bosses and Elites often require multiple lethal strikes to defeat entirely furthermore these Elites frequently employ red attacks called Fury attacks serving as a visual cue to inform players that these strikes are unblockable consequently one cannot rely on just blocking to reduce damage here to evade this incoming red damage entirely the game recommends executing a perfect guard when confronted with these unblockable attacks a perfect guard entails pressing the block button just as the enemy's attack is about to connect with your character this action deflects the attack inflicts damage on the enemy's weapon and causes no harm to your character this mechanic is the primary reason why Liza draws comparisons to Ciro's deflect mechanic essentially it operates in the exact same manner though some may find it more challenging to pull off in Liza P compared to sakiro in my personal opinion what I meant by inflicting damage on the enemy's weapon is that if you pull off enough perfect guards you have the chance to break their weapon they'll still attack you after you do this of course but will do significantly less damage to you this gives the player another reason to perfect their perfect guarding skills since you can also break the weapons of main bosses as well however it's crucial to note that despite the game's guidance suggesting otherwise you can dodge Red Fury attacks successfully while dodging Fury attacks May pose a greater challenge it's entirely achievable with precise timing and more importantly maintaining the appropriate distance from the enemy it seems that the developers intended players to begin incorporating perfect guards as early as possible even when confronting Elite foes employing these Red Fury attacks it's also worth emphasizing that guarding and blocking hold equal importance alongside dodging with each technique having its own strategic relevance during various stages of combat I mainly wanted to mention this because I have seen players voicing their frustration that the fury attacks are just too hard to perfectly guard and since you can't Dodge them that they believe this is an unfair mechanic you can dodge them but it's also difficult to pull off just like the perfect guard and I think it's awesome that the game gives the player multiple options to deal with an attack while also making each option a challenge in and of itself while it may be frustrating at times to pull off a perfect guard or time the perfect Dodge I became addicted to the feeling of getting better at doing so throughout my entire playthrough if you struggle with this there are some handles to weapons that will automatically perfect guard for you while you do need at least one Fable bar to do this which are the blue indicators underneath your health and stamina bars you can focus on leveling up your Fable abilities so that you can just use this automa guarding handle as much as possible again if you struggle with perfect guarding just like with all the souls games you are given tons of options on how to deal with a challenge you could bash your head into a wall over and over again trying to perfectly guard every attack from every boss or you could use the insanely overpowered throwing objects that will melt most bosses in this game there's really not that much to say about these throwable objects besides mentioning that you are limiting yourself if you are not using them each of these throwable objects primarily serves to inflict status effects on bosses and enemies these effects include fire shock acid and posture damage shock damage serves as the primary means to increase damage against puppet enemies given their mechanical nature composed of electrical components similarly applying fire makes the most sense when dealing with certain monsters as acid and posture damage on the other hand prove valuable against all types of enemies encountered in the game there's also the break status effect that seems to only affect the player which just means that the player can't heal for as much as they usually can while you are broken so to speak break was the most forgettable status effect in the game that didn't really seem to do too much there's also Decay and Corruption that can only affect the player although I'm pretty sure that these are just different versions of assd that basically poison you if you stand in corrupted bodies of water for too long or let petrified monsters squirt you with Decay too many times I should mention that the player can be shocked in multiple different ways and burned as well if you are fully shock then you'll take increased damage from all attacks and it will limit your ability to retain your own stamina just like the puppets do since you are a puppet as well if you are fully burned then your health bar will quickly decrease until the status effect ends decay in my opinion is the most prevalent status effect since it will slowly decrease your health along with decreasing the durability of your weapon this is the ideal moment to bring up the fact that with time as you engage in combat or execute perfect guards your weapon durability will gradually diminish fortunately unlike in the Zelda games you possess the means to swiftly restore your weapon condition by utilizing the grinder integrated into Pinocchio's special arm prosthetic this device allows you to sharpen your weapon restoring it to its full Effectiveness when your weapon durability indicator starts flashing red your ability to deal damage and execute successive attacks will be compromised until you address the problem you can carry out repairs while on the Move albeit at a significantly reduced Pace this mechanic is intended to introduce an additional layer of strategy into combat requiring you to create distance between yourself and the enemy to allocate sufficient time to sharpen your weapon if I'm being honest this aspect of the game becomes only prominent during boss fights that inflict Decay such as the Archbishop and the swamp monster I'm not saying it's only an afterthought I just think it looks cool and makes sense to sharpen your blade after all the puppet smashing and monster killing you do throughout the game I did mention a prosthetic arm and if you're like me you immediately started thinking of sakiro when I said this it's not exactly the same but it's very clear that sakiro is the main inspiration to Li of p in more ways than one the legion Armen Liza P serves as a gameplay mechanic focusing on Pinocchio's left arm prosthetic which provides a diverse array of special abilities including shock fire acid pulling enemies on a string explosive projectiles and a defensive Shield what sets the legion arm apart is its upgrade ability allowing players to enhance its capabilities by using a rare material called Legion calibers scattered throughout the entire game World this feature adds an extra layer of strategic depth to the game playay players must carefully choose when and where to invest their limited Legion calibers to upgrade specific abilities since Legion calibers are not abundantly available the choice of which Legion arm abilities to upgrade becomes a very critical decision for instance one of the upgrades turns the string arm into a tool that not only pulls the player towards the enemies but also launches you into the air enabling a devastating slam down attack that inflicts a ton of damage which was my favorite Legion arm ability in the game this system encourages players to personalize their play style strategize for different encounters and experiment with upgraded abilities to optimize their build in a way that makes sense and adds to their experience don't worry too much about these upgrade decisions though because there is a way to Respec not only your levels but also your legion arm and even your P organ perk upgrades once you defeat Victor in the grand exhibition you'll talk with Simon Manis who will graciously give you a key to the saintus of Mercy statue you can exchange gold coin fruit with this statue to Respec your character in any way you see fit if it seems like I'm glossing over key characters and areas it's because I am for this section of the video don't worry though because we will be discussing seen quite literally every character boss and story beats in the next segment for now let's talk about the P organ system and yes it is literally called P organs like Pinocchio organs I feel like they could have been more creative here but that's okay in exchange for quartz you can allocate passive skills or upgrades towards your character each selection has a main attribute you can choose from however to fully activate this attribute you'll have to fill in the available skill slot first this system is very simple to understand but there is at least one skill that I highly recommend everyone to get as soon as possible there's a skill that lets your character roll quickly after being knocked down now if you've played the souls games this will come as a shock to you that you can't just do this from the start I want to say that having this roll mechanic be locked away in a skill tree is a major flaw that I think round eight Studio should deeply consider changing ing the amount of fun I had with the game skyrocketed after I unlocked this perk because my one major gripe with the game before I unlocked the skill was that it felt like an eternity would go by before my character would get up onto his feet after being knocked down there are also times where bosses and certain enemies would start their next attack before my character would even come close to getting back up on his feet Landing me in an attack combo that I I couldn't do anything about once I got this perk I could roll out of the way of these combos before they even started in my opinion this should just be a part of the character movement during combat and not locked away in a skill tree I'm sure most players agree with me on this as I actually can't think of a reason not to do this it can be unlocked reasonably early and once I found out about the skill it was the first thing I would unlock in each of my playthroughs it's actually that important so while I get that it makes getting the skill unlocked valuable for the player it also makes a lot of the combat encounters beforehand feel cheap and unfair because of these unavoidable attack combos I mentioned earlier this ability opens up the flow of combat for me and every moment after obtaining this skill felt like a fair challenge last but not least I want to go over the weapons really quickly each weapon comes with a blade and a handle each blade can be reassembled to any handle to give the player tons of different options to play around with the weapon that feels best to them using the game's upgrade materials you can upgrade the blade to increase its overall damage while also being able to take that upgraded head and put it onto any other handle handles aren't upgraded but can be altered to fit the build you want with different types of cranks midity technique and advanced cranks can change a handle's base leveling specs and will bring it up a letter grade to level better with your build not all handles can be upgraded to the highest Sr which I found to be pretty disappointing it's not like these grades make a huge difference to the weapon I just like seeing that nice s grade on a weapon that I have chosen to use for my build some weapons can if you find enough cranks and and if the handle was already scaling with the grade you wanted to increase but even if you have enough cranks some weapons just stop after one letter grade increase that's where my disappointment came from I didn't enjoy finding enough cranks and not being able to use them on the weapon I choose if you regret your choice you do have the option to use a balance crank to return that handle back to its original grade but being able to do this never outweighed my disappoint to just not increase it further I don't really see why they wouldn't just let the player do this and invest as much resources as they want into the weapon they want to use better said it makes the player feel limited and maybe this would have led to overpowered weapons potentially but like I said it didn't make too much of a difference in the long run this is honestly just a very small gripe that I had with the weapon upgrading system you never want to make the player feel like their exploration of finding these extra items was useless because they can't use it on what they want this basically makes finding certain items feel like a bummer instead of exciting is all I'm trying to say you can acquire special weapons by trading in Boss AOS which you earn after defeating most bosses to alidoro these unique weapons are the most interesting in the game but unlike regular weapons they cannot be disassembled and require a different type of upgrade up material Additionally you can have the option to exchange boss Argos for special amulets that offer passive upgrades to your character while these amulets are interesting and have their merits I found that many of them didn't provide significant enough benefits primarily due to their weight for me increasing my carrying capacity was crucial to ensure faster movement as every attack in the game staggers your character therefore there's little point in carrying a heavy load since it doesn't Grant any Poise unlike the souls games where you can trade attacks with enemies because of this prioritizing carrying capacity and keeping my weight below 50% became my main focus the only method I discovered to endure attacks with poise was by utilizing heavy Fable attacks however you can't use these attacks in any moment you want you have to recharge your Fable abilities by attacking and perfect guarding it seems they designed this mechanic to encourage players to use Fable attacks more frequently while I didn't pay much attention to them during my first playthrough I eventually realized how powerful they can be making them a central focus in my next playthroughs each weapon in the game has distinct Fable abilities for both the blade and the handle typically the blade offers offensive abilities while the handle provides Buffs or defensive capabilities and of course like we said you can mix and match the blade and the handle meaning you can mix and match these Fable abilities as well as I mentioned earlier some handles automatically execute perfect guard counters but the most gratifying Fable ability I discovered was the guard Parry wi time correctly it forcefully pushes the enemy away and inflicts significant stagger damage this move reminded me of the Parry mechanics in Dark Souls 3 which was the game that introduced me to the soulslike genre so once I found it I never stopped using it the game offers a wide range of options to suit various play Styles and it remains highly replayable if you seek a different experience each time however when it comes to these special amulets it's pretty much impossible to equip more than one at a time because of their weight like I said because of this I usually went with just using the boss Argo to gain over 10,000 Argo to use for leveling and upgrades you can always go to poina or puls Anella to purchase upgrade materials for your weapon blades and handles making purchasing a special amulet even less beneficial I also forgot to mention that you can equip special grind stones to have your weapon inflict a status effect for a limited amount of time if your weapon already inflicts a status effect then the grindstone can't be used these grindstones include the normal fire shock and acid but can also include special abilities like increase SE stagger damage critical chance and even increasing your chances of guard countering there's so much to this game's combat mechanics it's actually pretty incredible but I believe that's everything I wanted to mention for this segment I'm sure there's some things I missed within the combat system if I think of it later I'll make sure to add it to the conclusion segment of this video because if I can't think of it right now while writing and researching for this script then it's probably not that important so now let's move on to the overall story story and bosses in lies of PE I could go deep into the story of this game like many other video critiques would or I could use my experience from making Elden ring lore videos to highlight the main themes the game story tells best I made it sound like you have a choice kind of like in the game but honestly I'm going to pick if you're still watching you're probably here for the deeper insights so I'll focus on the hidden themes so while I could Pat out this video describing every single moment that you're already probably playing in the game I don't want to do that so let's get to it imagine a world where the line between human and inanimate is hauntingly blurred where ethical boundaries are consistently tested against a backdrop of dispair disease and dark Revelations this is the universe we immerse ourselves into within the game a narrative realm punctuated by poignant stories Twisted intentions and moral dilemmas that perpetually intertwine the strings of emotional and philosophical conflicts as Pinocchio we embark on a journey that isn't merely physical but extends deep into the Realms of moral Landscapes and existential questions through the dimly lit streets of crot amidst the chaos of the puppet frenzy and under the shadow of the Alchemist Sinister experiments we encounter stories that are fragments of a broader more complex overall story each character we encounter from the heartbroken Julian to the misdefined Sophia shares not just their narrative but a piece of the game's Soul challenging our perceptions of right wrong life death and everything that lies in between while the game isn't perfect and doesn't do anything ultimately groundbreaking in the ways it tells this story I think the game is a brilliant piece of art that tells a story most people already know in the best way our first choice given to us in the game is ultimately the most important question we can ask any of ourselves who are you who are you a question interlacing itself through various narrative strands as it unfolds take Sophia for example she's not just our guide but also becomes a symbol of the basic moral questions spread throughout crot Simon Manis basically uses her as a vessel to harness enough Argo to ascend to literal godhood and her plea to us to save her lays down an ethical dilemma where we as the player must decide between letting her continue to suffer or to give her peace save me oh God it hurts so much I Want to Be Free Please most would choose peace in this situation especially when she's begging you to do so she will ask you to save crot many times throughout the game but as you get closer to achieving that goal she admittedly selfishly asks you to save her from her prison a much earlier example is the tragic friendship between Murphy a Watchman puppet and a sickly boy who paints a heartbreaking tale of loss and fleeting happiness after the rest of his friends succumb to either the petrification disease or the puppet frenzy he is left by himself his only companion being the memories of Joyful moments with those friends and Murphy Murphy is this terrifying policeman puppet yet in his dying moments he says that he feels cold just like his friends on a bench in this Boss Arena you can find a sort of shrine with the word friends etched into the ground you can receive a whistle from here that you can take back to the sick boy in the window when you blow this whistle the boy lights up in joy for a moment calling out for Murphy but his sickness keeps him bedridden and ultimately dies shortly after using his last breath to blow the whistle to his good puppet friend this brings the semblance of those memories alive for him even if momentarily showcasing a tender effort to carve moments of Joy amidst undeniable tragedy if only we could play together like we used to Murphy I miss you a more simple example involves an elderly woman with a simple yet profoundly melancholic desire to taste a specific type of wine before she succumbs to the petrification disease this singular unassuming wish is a stark reminder of how even in the face of inevitable despair tiny slivers of personal Joys enclosure hold profound significance there's also the tragic tale of The Talented celebrity Adelina and her sister Patricia Adelina is a talented singer that the entire city of crot would flock together to see perform she had it all in terms of Fame and Fortune her sister Patricia always wanted to be like her talented sister but due to an accident her vocal cords were burned and she could no longer sing up to par compared to her sister instead Patricia decided to be adelina's protector and number one fan as a stalker Dawning an all-white outfit compared to her sister's all red dress Patricia is the white lady boss you fight against near Rosa Isabelle Street she's vowed to destroy all puppets due to the puppet frenzy when we defeat her her last words are to her sister saying that they now match like she always wanted an allh outfit now covered in her red blood to match her sister's all red dress eventually we can find Adelina still alive but suffering from the petrification disease inside the Opera House singing quietly to herself to ease the pain we can give her an apple that will subdue the disease for a short time after eating the Apple she confides in us a devastating Revelation Adelina poisoned her own sister so that she could be the better singer she sees this as an obvious sin that she wishes to confess to us in her last moments you can come back to this room later on to find her dead on the floor while her music plays on a record Adelina C Day must have it all I know it's wrong but still I love you then there's the unsettling revelation of the king of Puppets who we come to find is actually Romeo Carlos's childhood toy puppet which injects a piercingly tragic tone to our journey Romeo rather than being the enemy we thought he was throughout half the game was trying to warn us the entire time my puppets and I are taking a stand against death itself that's why I tried sending you Messengers but you got rid of them all you're still an Unstoppable fellow I remember you no reason for us to fight I suppose albeit unconventional when you reach the puppet King he actually puts on a play to warn you of what's to come he uses other puppets to put on this play that portrays jepetto ripping out your heart and putting it into another puppet leaving you to die this is a foreshadowed warning to you from the puppet King your friend Romeo a warning that you don't have enough knowledge to understand at this point in your playthrough Romeo will hold out his hand for you but you slap it away since you believe at this point that he is behind the puppet frenzy however we find out later on that jepetto is the one who started the puppet frenzy because of the secret law zero of the grand Covenant this rule is that japeto is the original Creator and his word is King he told the puppets to start killing the citizens of crot so that he could receive the necessary amount of Argo to bring his son back to to life Ergo is essentially the Frozen remains of a human's Soul Essence the petrification disease is what crystallizes the soul of a human the Alchemists have discovered that they can bring people back to life using this crystallized Argo and in their eyes create the perfect human if they can survive the process that's why we see all these crazy monsters throughout the game like Victor or the swamp monster they're all essentially Grand experiments of Simon Manis and The Alchemist ATT attempt to create a world with no lies through this cleansing process someone who explains this process pretty well is a rogue Alchemist known as test subject 826 I can read memories of ego that's what I was made for ego is crystallized time and memory but God I hate having to consume ego to read it why does it work like that it's the worst I can read memories but I can't even dream of tastes smells or songs this entire situation with Romeo and your father starts to muddy the waters between who really is your friend and your enemy if we explore the themes of authentic love and existential validation the intertwined stories of Antonia pandina Julian and Julian's puppet wife rais significant questions Panda's unspoken one-sided love for Antonia encapsulates the heart trending potential of Love unfulfilled simultaneously Julian's genuine love for his puppet wife later substantiated by an unexpectedly discovered love message from her solidifies the existence of a genuine emotional connection between humans and puppets so when you believe that you are lying to Julian telling him you saw a love message from his puppet wife that did not exist to ease his pain it turns out that she actually did love him making our conversation with pandina on his love for Antonia feel like it could have been possible for him too but poina is a gentleman and doesn't want to burden an old woman Afflicted with a small case of the petrification disease Antonia even has a moment with our character as well claiming that we are the spitting image of Carlo although she knows we are just a puppet however when she gives us Carlos's old school clothes and you put them on in front of her she forgets for a moment that we are a puppet making her imagine a world where Carlo is still alive you can even play the piano for her at this moment as well and she'll dance in the background it suits you for a moment there you look just like forgive me rambling this solidifies that it's possible to have human interactions and feelings for a puppet if only jepetto would have given our character a chance like Antonia does the narrative takes a dark Sinister turn with Simon Manis and The Alchemist whose pursuit of a truth dominated Humanity devoid of Lies spirals into a horrifying ethical nightmare the creation of an elixir rought with the horrors of the petrification disease and conceived through manipulating Argo illustrates the ironic and morbid lengths they'll go under the guise of ideological and evolutionary advancement it's a horrible thing to do and it creates horrible monstrosities how ever Simon is blinded by his own Pursuits because of his own past trauma Simon has the ability to read the thoughts of other people so he can always tell when someone is lying or telling the truth he considers this power a curse and is the sole reason he wants to create a world where no one can lie in a way you can sympathize with Simon at least somewhat because I cannot imagine having this type of power I don't think it's a power I would ever want to have but it brings up the obvious question what is more human to lie or to always tell the truth humans lie not to just always deceive other people but sometimes it's better to do so to bring Comfort to others an example is the weeping woman who just wants to hold her baby again her family took her baby away from her likely because she is sick with the petrification disease you can find a group of slaughtered people near City Hall and the puppet of a baby obviously This Woman's family along with her baby did not make it but you can give her this puppet baby to ease her mind in her last days she won't notice the difference but will ask you if you think her baby is adorable you can be somewhat cruel and tell her that the baby isn't real or you can tell her that the baby is cute this is the more obvious human Choice even though it's a lie a different example is the story of alidoro and Eugene to put it short Eugene was saved by alidoro during the initial days of the puppet bit frenzy when she finds out that alidoro has taken refuge in the hotel she gets excited and asks you to give him a special pair of gloves made specifically for him when you give him the gloves he says that they're disgusting and they don't even fit him right oh oh dear these gloves are a mess they don't even fit is this a practical joke my God I never did like that girl she's just like him oh never mind I thought you had better taste than this how disappointing get these Rags out of my sight when you return to her she asks you what he thought of the gloves you can lie to her and tell her he loved them or you can tell her the truth this decision feels quite different from the others as it depends on if the player has grown to like alidoro or not and for me he was always a conceited [ __ ] that I had no problem telling her that he didn't like the gloves or essentially telling the truth but this brought up an entirely new question for Eugene as if this alidoro was even the real one since Eugene made those gloves specifically tailored for alidoro hands considering he lost one of his fingers saving her what his fingers are fine that can't be right and no I'm not being precious about my work when the workshop Tower collapsed the Hound lost a finger saving me something to puzzle over in any case thanks for doing your part we come to find out that he actually is not the real alidoro but is his killer and stole alidoro identity you can even have the option to kill alidoro later on in the story where he'll say a very interesting line of dialogue when you do you're going to kill me I know what you are you're jepetto's puppet aren't you if someone isn't trying to kill you you can't hurt them either that limitation makes it seem like your creator didn't trust you very much smart of him so what will it be Mr Handsome idiot leave quietly or shut up and buy something youve got to be joking don't come any closer you're like a human now I almost didn't want to talk about the black rabbit Brotherhood because I think these are the worst boss fights in the game by a long shot I love the boss fights in Liza P but both times that you fight the black rabbit Brotherhood I think this game takes an absolute nose dive in the fun factor I absolutely hate boss fights where the difficulty only exists because there are multiple enemies to deal with the initial fight with this group grou is annoying in my opinion as you deal damage to the large brother more of the siblings will jump in to help I will say I think this is welld designed for what it is since the additional enemies will stay passive for the most part until you get near any of them but then much later in the game you get to fight this group again all at once again most of them will stay passive while one comes at you there's just something about gank fights that just turns me off from the fight overall honestly after godkin do design anything is better to deal with than that as for the story of this group it brings up something interesting for me the stalkers as an entire Community have been basically slaughtered since the start of the puppet frenzy they've lost the war essentially and the remaining stalkers are just trying to survive at this point the black rabbit Brotherhood while basically a sibling gang of stalkers bent on destroying all puppets you really can't help but side with them in a way all of their friends and family have been killed by the puppets so of course they hate you of course they want to destroy you they're just looking out for themselves at this point this also goes for the red fox and the black cat stalkers that you meet throughout the game they manipulate you use you and talk down to you basically every time you meet them but in a world like this why would they ever think of anything but themselves and survival especially dealing with a puppet like you eventually you can befriend these two if you decide to give them the gold coin fruits to help the black cat regain his sight since he's caught with the petrification disease as well but even if you become friends with them they will still betray you joining up with the black rabbit Brotherhood and alidoro to basically tear down the entire hotel we did kill their brother after all so you can't really help but feel bad for this entire group but we are the main character and we are more important you can even meet a weasel stalker who just seems like a kid much later in the game and this fight pretty much encapsulates the entire theme of the remaining stalkers and crot that are just trying to survive I want to die I just wanted a full belly that's not so wrong another important interaction is the conversation you have with the king of riddles this guy is absolutely insane and is the actual essence of a murderous serial killer that killed many people through out crot while he offers a ton of dialogue throughout the entire game through his ringing phone system that he has somehow set up in the city he's the one to ask you the ultimate question at the end of the game are you a puppet or a human [Music] being which one are you this question is basically an entire circle back to the very first question you made at the door of the hotel tell who are you I believe this is a beautiful reflection of the choices you've made in the game even if it's being discussed with such a horrible individual he still makes a good point if you really were just a puppet you wouldn't be able to lie at any point or do any of the things that you've been doing all of the choices you've made involving love deception hate finally you understand yes we are human we may be trapped by Argo but we live we think we love we hate depending on your playthrough all of these decisions could bring you to multiple different endings the real boy ending where you could say they all lived happily ever after is anything but a happy ending this is very much the bad ending this ending is reached if you give your father jepetto your heart once you defeat Simon Manis he tells you that he can turn you into a real boy with the powerful airgo you've Acquired and the arm of God once you agree japedo will rip out your heart and put it in the body of a puppet he's keeping inside a box this puppet uses the skin of his real dead son Carlo we can then see the newly revived Carlo murder everyone who still remains in hotel crot carried out by the orders of jepetto they are then all replaced with lifeless puppets who represent the same characters they replaced and are only meant to serve us and our needs even after all of this japedo will still leave the city and you behind this is a good time to point out that if you paid attention to the overall plot up to the point of giving jepetto your heart you would be an idiot to do so jepetto could go down as the worst father in any story ever the real Carlo even hated him because he was never there as a father for him he didn't even come your graduation I don't care if an old man like that kicks the bucket and once his son died he seemed to regret being such a bad father he created you P so that you could carry out the task necessary to bring his son back to life he calls us his beloved Son reminding us how much he cares about us over and over again throughout the game he says this all while sending us constantly on deadly missions and likely isn't talking to us in the first place he's talking through US likely to the heart inside of us meant to hold the memories of the real Carlo we might become a real boy in the end but we are anything but human we're just a lifeless tool for jepetto to use in the good ending I'll call it the goodish ending if you refuse jepetto he will release the nameless puppet to forcefully take the heart from you the nameless puppet like we said is made from the skin of jepetto's real son Carlo who died in a tragic accident the nameless puppet was the first puppet made by japeto after Carlos's death but since this puppet was naturally too destructive in nature it was not chosen to be the new body for Carlo during this fight japeta will yell out that he did not bind us to the Grand Covenant like all the other puppets because of Carlo's memories that are stored within us once you defeat the nameless puppet it will actually break the strings that jepetto used to control it and will try to destroy the heart inside of us japeto realizes this and steps in front of the nameless puppet's attack allowing us the time to finish it off this will create two different potential endings for us if we've lied enough throughout our playthrough up to this point we'll have changed enough to become a real version of a real boy on our own if you've only lied somewhat throughout the game we won't reach full Humanity by the end of the game if you have gray hair he will shed a tear for jepetto which makes him realize that we had become the real son that he lost if you don't reach your full Humanity jepetto will just call us a useless puppet and will die in our arms in either scenario I believe the nameless puppet targeted our heart specifically so he didn't have to become what jepetto wanted you could say that Carlo was trying to end it so his father could stop trying to bring him back and would just let him die like I said earlier pretty [ __ ] up following the goodish ending we can find a replica puppet of Sophia that I believe we had made to bring her back using the Argo she gave us if we decided to give her peace when we find her in the tower we can return the favor from the beginning of the game and give her airgo so that she can come back to life just like when we first met her and she'll even say just like she did at the beginning that it's good to see us it's so good to see you so I think that's everything I hope you guys like this video and and hopefully it's a good starting point for me to get better at making these kinds of videos this was a tough one to make it's a lot of information to go over and summarize in the best way I can honestly I just hope you enjoyed it to conclude I love this game Liza P exceeded every expectation I had for it going into it it's not perfect there are some issues mainly with the camera During certain boss fights but honestly once I learned the rhythm of attacks I almost didn't need to see the attacks to deflect them which is how I ended up playing sakiro eventually too there's just a good Rhythm to this game and ultimately it's a satisfying game to play this game just feels like there's a lot of heart and soul poured into it the developers clearly gave a [ __ ] about what they made here and it really shows for me they've even hinted at a DLC in the works already that involves Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz which sounds awesome to me you should play this game I highly recommend it to put this entire video short it's even on the Xbox game pass so if you're on PC or Xbox there's really no reason not to give it a try since it's free sorry PlayStation players also make sure to check out the patreon I was actually putting up multiple segments of this video on there ahead of time as I made them so they were getting this video pretty much weeks in advance because it took me that long to make this video so if you want some exclusive Early Access content it's in the description thank you for watching and I will see you all in the next video take care [Music] [Music]

Channel: AgtJake

Views: 30,760

Keywords: video, sharing, camera phone, video phone, free, upload

Id: bXvRJNEXv0s

Length: 60min 0sec (3600 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 18 2023