Lies of P: Overture Review

I think I’ve found myself in a unique position with Lies of P. It’s become a kind of comfort food for me. The type of game you return to after a long time away, only to realise it hasn’t lost any of its soul or magic. In fact, it might’ve even gotten better. It’s rich in atmosphere, dense in mechanics, and constantly challenges you in a way that feels both brutal and rewarding. After not touching the base game for almost 2 years, I came back and was instantly reminded why it resonated so deeply with me. The world of Krat pulls you in with its eerie charm, and playing it again reminded me of why it stood out among other Soulslike titles.

The new DLC, Lies of P: Overture, is a prequel to the main game and honestly feels like another home run from the team at Neowiz and Round8 studios. The base game was already one of the best Soulslike experiences I’ve had, and this DLC carries that exact same level of quality. From its pacing to its presentation, everything feels like a natural extension of the original. When I first played Lies of P, I was blown away by how polished and well-crafted it was. A beautiful love letter to FromSoftware, a Dark Souls title in all but name. Now, with the release of Overture, that excellence continues. In fact, this prequel story has made me appreciate the base game even more by fleshing out characters and relationships I didn’t realise I cared so much about.

Rather than acting as a sweeping introduction to the world, the DLC offers a much more intimate, character-driven story. It explores the background and motivations of several key figures, some of whom appear later in the base game, and one specific character who’s introduced very early on. Without spoiling too much, this DLC gives us a closer look at relationships that were only hinted at before. It’s a quieter, more focused narrative that adds emotional weight to events you have already experienced. The writing is definitely one of the strongest parts of this game; it’s effective, and if you’re invested in the lore, you’ll find a lot to appreciate here. It doesn’t try to do too much, and that focused approach works incredibly well in its favour.

Content-wise, Overture brings a solid amount of new material. There are new weapons, items, emotes, vinyl discs (a type of collectible), and a couple of fresh sidearms to experiment with. It all feels like a natural continuation of the systems from the base game. Nothing revolutionary, but all very well implemented. The only barrier of entry is that the DLC only becomes available after Chapter 9 in the main story. For better or worse, that meant I had to restart my entire Lies of P playthrough. I hadn’t played this in years, so it was a full journey from the beginning all the way up to just before the final boss. From there, I entered the DLC and was immediately hit with one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in the game yet.

The difficulty in the Overture is no joke. It completely swept me in its proverbial broom and smacked me out for six.  Lies of P is already a tough game, but the DLC turns the dial up even further. I was getting wiped out by regular enemies in just a few hits, and bosses were absolutely brutal. Two bosses specifically had me going for up to four nights straight. The balancing in this game completely threw me off. It was a serious adjustment, especially coming straight off a fresh playthrough where I thought I was more than prepared. It turns out I wasn’t. The enemy design is creative, but unforgiving, and the learning curve here is insanely steep. That said, once I started to pick up on the new attack patterns and strategies, things got a bit smoother. Still, this DLC expects you to bring your A-game.

One of the best things is its environment set pieces. Because this is a prequel, Krat is shown before the total collapse seen in the main game. It gives us a fresh take on familiar themes, and the locations are incredibly varied. You start out in a zoo, which was surprisingly eerie and cool, and from there, move into forests, caves, and even an icy ship graveyard that quickly became one of my favourite settings in the entire game. The world design feels even more creative and ambitious than before, and it’s clear the developers took the opportunity to explore new ideas visually and thematically. Every area felt distinct and memorable, with its own tone and story to tell.

Length-wise, this DLC is massive. Going in, I assumed it would be around 5 to 8 hours long. Your typical add-on content. Overture completely blew past that expectation. I ended up spending around 16 hours on it, which is just wild for a DLC. It spans five full chapters and mirrors the structure of the base game, with stargazers (save points) and the same style of exploration and progression. This wasn’t just a quick story add-on. It felt like a mini-sequel in many ways. That level of content and care is something I’ve rarely seen in DLCs, and it honestly impressed me more than a lot of full-priced games have.

Boss fights range from exhilarating to infuriating. Some are creative and fun, while others are just straight-up punishing. There were bosses that dwarfed anything I faced in the base game in terms of size and intensity. At times, I found myself battling not just the enemies but the camera as well, especially in cramped or chaotic arenas. It became a test of endurance, patience, and adaptability, shout out to the final encounter with its stupidly long attack move set. Even mini-bosses and sub-bosses were no joke. I was constantly being pushed to my limit, and there were moments where I genuinely questioned whether I could get through a fight. But that’s also part of what makes Lies of P so satisfying. When you finally overcome that wall, it feels earned.

You’ll also revisit some familiar locations, like Hotel Krat, which still serves as your central hub. Some returning characters make an appearance, and you’ll meet a few new ones as well. The cast feels tight and well-developed, which works well for the story’s more focused tone. Because this DLC is shorter and more contained compared to the base game, the narrative beats hit harder and land with more emotional weight. It’s like taking all the best storytelling elements from the main game and condensing them into something more intimate and impactful. There’s something about that directness that really worked for me.

As for new gameplay features, the major addition is an upgrade to the skill tree. You can now enhance certain abilities to new levels, adding another layer of customisation. It’s not a huge change, but it’s a welcome one. It’s a small, safe evolution of the current system, not groundbreaking, but useful. I was hoping for something a bit more experimental, given how much time has passed since the base game’s release, but what we got still fits nicely within the existing mechanics. It’s a natural extension rather than a reinvention, and for a DLC, that’s perfectly fine.

There is also more to unlock in New Game Plus, which encourages you to return to the past and find more secrets in order to fully 100% the game. I haven’t got that far into it just yet but I’m expecting to get tested even more. The game, however, introduces difficulty settings, which is a first. While I have strong personal feelings towards its availability, I can appreciate that it’s there for gamers who want to be eased into the world of Pinocchio.

Lies of P: Overture is, without question, one of the best DLCs I’ve played in recent memory. It’s dense, challenging, emotional, and beautifully crafted. It doesn’t try to fix what isn’t broken; it simply gives us more of what made the base game great. The environments are stunning, the combat is punishing, and the story adds real depth to the world of Krat. If you loved Lies of P, this is absolutely worth your time. And if you’ve been away for a while, like I was, this DLC is the perfect excuse to return. Just be prepared, it’s going to push you harder than ever before. And honestly? That’s exactly what I wanted.