Latest news with #Round8
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Going Hands-On With Lies of P: Overture—Your Springs Are Reacting
When I first saw the announcement trailer for Lies of P: Overture, is was met with mixed emotions. Initially, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the add-on I was hoping for—if you got the 'Rise of P' secret ending, then you know what I'm talking about. But of course, I was more than happy for more Lies of P content in any way, shape or form, so even base-game DLC is good enough for me. I honestly didn't realize how much I loved Lies of P, even after the first time I played it. I had gotten reasonably far into it before I wrote my review for it, but—as is the nature of game criticism—other matters took my attention and I didn't really get back to it. That was until last November when I decided to pick it up again and fell so hard back in love that I finished it in under a week. So I was incredibly fortunate to be invited to LA by Round8 and Neowiz to get an exclusive hands-on first look at Lies of P: Overture. It was a remarkable experience, held at the Paramour Estate—which felt incredibly appropriate to the aesthetic of the game. We were surrounded by antique statues and classic paintings, much like Lies of P and the city of Krat, it felt like we were frozen in a forgotten pocket of time. At the end of the little greeting room sat a vintage puppet, dressed in P's new winter attire, who was brought to life by a puppeteer—which felt a little against the spirit of the character, but hey, this is real life—and they even recreated a Trinity Room, although I would've loved to have had to solve one of the King of Riddle's brain-teasers to get into it. As we snacked on charcuterie and sipped cocktails, Herman Li took the stage to perform 'Quixotic' and 'Feel' in a shred-metal way that only he could. It really was an unbelievable event that Round8 and Zebra Partners really put a lot of love and care into, in order to capture the spirit and soul of Lies of P. But once the sun set and the libations were consumed, it was time to step back into the city of Krat. The demo itself was split into two parts: a brief introduction to the new story-driven addition and the 'Battle Memories' boss rematch mode. When I asked what goes into the design philosophy behind Lies of P, not just in its gameplay but its story, Game Director Jiwon Choi said, 'First and foremost, we want you to experience the craftsmanship.' And this was certainly present in the demo. As was stated by Choi, the new story DLC integrates into the main story around Chapter 9, rather than acting as a direct sequel or post-game story. 'So, when we developed the base game, there was a huge amount of content that we wanted to fit into the base game. Obviously, there are limitations,' Choi said through his translator. He continued, 'So, once that work was complete, we had the opportunity to build the DLC part of it where you could actually bring in many of those elements and content that we couldn't fit into the base game.' Similar to what was shown in the announcement trailer, the game began with P finding himself in a strange version of Krat, now covered in a blanket of snow and outside the once magnificent Krat Zoo. Gemini informs P that there must be some mistake, as he remembers going to the zoo on a snowy day, before it was reduced to ash and rubble in a great fire—the two have been sent into the past. 'You know, you're well familiar with the Puppet Frenzy, and then how that transpired, and how it transformed creatures or living things…So we want you to be able to kind of guess and imagine how they were before that, and how they are now,' Choi said through his translator. He continued, 'So that you can kind of guess, and that will create sort of an emotional connection for this particular version.' It was only a small taste, but we got to see some incredible new enemies themed around the haunted managerie. Great apes, Kangaroos and hulking Elephants corrupted by Ergo and twisted into malformed monstrosities. What's more, the demo introduced a new status ailment that was thematically connected to the new setting: Freeze, which not only does damage over time, but slows P's movements. Thankfully, we had been given plenty of new weapons to deal with these newfound threats. The primary weapon we were equipped with was an honest-to-goodness Gunblade pulled straight out of Final Fantasy VIII. Outside of just looking cool, the weapon itself had a great degree of balance and versatility despite being a weapon that scales with Motivity. Players can combo into a heavy attack that uses a massive gunshot to blast them back—essentially acting as a dodge. However, players can also follow up with a second heavy where P aims backwards and blasts himself forward into a wide-reaching slash. Some of the other weapons included the bow and arrows shown in the announcement trailer which did take a little getting used to. Despite having a pretty fair range, there was a unique rhythm to attacking that needed to be mastered to keep enemies from closing the distance. One of the more interesting weapons was a massive club with two pinwheels that acted like sawblades. With every swing and dodge, the pinwheels spun faster, allowing for more hits. And despite being a fairly large weapon with a pretty big windup, this weapon scales with Technique, which will certainly make things interesting for more nimble players. And of course, there were P's new Puppet Arms. The first one, aptly named Icarus, allowed P to throw out up to five boomerang-like blades that could be charged and spin in a single spot, dealing massive damage to enemies. The second, named Cataclysm, was an arm-mounted Elephant Gun that P could charge for a devastating blast to blow back enemies or deal immense damage. This was a real risk vs. reward kind of arm since the charge time was pretty substantial, but the trade-off was certainly worth it. The second part of the demo, the aforementioned 'Battle Memories,' gave us a taste of the newest feature coming to Lies of P via an upcoming patch: selectable difficulty. This game looks to be the first of its kind—a Soulslike with difficulty , what a concept. I say this as a joke, but one of the questions that was asked of Choi specifically referenced how certain gamers take umbrage with the idea of difficulty options in Soulslikes, and how Lies of P would approach such a concept. Choi essentially said the reason they're making Lies of P: Overture more accessible is that there are a lot of people who love the game, but don't really enjoy it because of the difficulty, saying, 'So, I felt really bad about that. On the other hand, we do a lot of tests with the developers, but there are people who can't do it because of their skills, so we adjust the balance and do tests.' As to how difficult options would affect the game, Choi's answer was interesting, without giving too much away, saying, 'For that very purpose, actually…we kind of hid the overall kind of elements of that so that you don't immediately see the details of the difficulty.' He continued, 'It's not just simply higher HP or difficulty. We wanted to make sure with the variety of different play styles, the different characters, you enjoy the game in different ways.' What these changes may or may not be, I honestly couldn't say at this time. When I sat down to attempt the three new bosses that were made available to us for the demo, out of the five selectable difficulties, I played them on Difficulty Three—being the Hardcore Gamer™ that I am. My interest wasn't so much in the raw difficulty of these bosses, but in their style and substance, and they definitely didn't disappoint. Ranging from a quick and nimble Alchemist whose weapon was an angelic puppet tethered to her by a string of light, a hulking behemoth with a club made of bones who would enter an enraged state with expanded movesets and much more aggressive attack timing, and lastly a goliath monster that was a twisted amalgam of a human using both weapons and its colossal size to deal devastating damage. While the bosses in the Lies of P main game leaned more towards robotic enemies that were thematically appropriate for the story and setting, this small glimpse at some of the new opponents not only felt appropriate for the DLC but showcased a lot of the creativity and capacity that the creators have for this game. 'I focused a lot on expressing the romantic memories that we have from the main episode in a completely different way,' Choi said. While the demo was as brief as the trip itself, Lies of P: Overture looks to be as sizable and resonant as the main game itself. The love and care the team put into crafting both an in-person and gameplay experience shows just how meaningful this game is to them, and how much they want a wide variety of gamers to experience its beautiful and brutal world. Lies of P: Overture is set to release in the Summer of 2025.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lies Of P: Overture Shows Off New Bosses At Summer Game Fest 2025
Taking the stage at Summer Game Fest 2025, Neowiz and Round8 showcased a dramatic new trailer featuring a plethora of monstrous bosses and brand new gameplay for the Lies of P: Overture DLC. The trailer showed off some of the new bosses that were mentioned during our hands-on preview with Lies of P: Overture, as well as several new ones and possibly a new character who looks a bit like Jeppeto. Players will be taken back in time to the world of Krat before the Puppet Frenzy and experience a world that is as beautiful as it is brutal. 'Lies of P was a historic debut for our team, and it felt fitting to expand the story we've crafted in the most noteworthy fashion during Summer Game Fest with a surprise shadow drop on all platforms,' said Jiwon Choi, game director, ROUND8 Studio. 'This expansion allowed us to complete the first arc of our story, and we hope our community feels the same love and support as they did for the base game. Please stay tuned for what awaits Geppetto's Puppet.' In addition to the DLC launch, the base game will receive a patch with two new difficulty settings and two new challenging boss battle modes. The boss battle modes are accessible via the Hotel Krat Stargazer once players have seen at least one base game ending. The DLC will also feature an arsenal of weapon combinations and Legion Arms that provide unprecedented freedom to forge unique combat styles. In what was probably the biggest surprise of the announcement, Lies of P: Overture was surprise released during Summer Games Fest 2025. Lies Of P: Overture is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Digital Trends
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Lies of P: Overture makes a great Soulslike more approachable than ever
Back in 2023, Lies of P became a surprise hit thanks to its Pinocchio-inspired story and brutally fast combat. Though I enjoyed it at the time, that quick action was always my sticking point. It felt like bosses were so aggressive that slower weapons simply weren't viable. Players really had to commit to every attack to keep up with enemies that lashed out in a flurry of violence. Developer Round8 has since put out patches to make a few bosses easier, such as reducing health and increasing chances of breaking their stances. Now Round8 has a second chance to get things right. This summer, Lies of P will receive a prequel DLC dubbed Overture. The new chapter will take players back to the beginning of the mysterious Puppet Frenzy, and take them to some snowier locales along the way. It's not just bringing a new time and setting to the table, though. Overture stands to make a tough base game even more approachable than ever based on what we played in a recent two hour demo that showed what the DLC has to offer. Recommended Videos Environmental variety Right when I start my demo, I'm immediately struck by Overture's setting. While the base Lies of P game was filled with dark and rusty overtones, Overture is knee deep in snow. The bright white landscapes are a dramatic shift that makes Overture feel more inviting compared to the base game. There's still clever environmental storytelling underneath those sheets of white. Boxes and structures are broken, scattered everywhere. Bright red blood is splattered all around. Something clearly horrific went down during the city of Krat's final days. I got to try out several new weapons during my demo, including a bow and arrow as well as a gunblade. The bow and arrow is precise, useful for picking off incredibly aggressive enemies at a range. In particular, there's a frozen zombie enemy wearing a crown that would always charge at me as soon as I was spotted. I quickly learned that I needed to approach them very carefully so that I could get the jump on them first. When that failed, the gunblade came in handy. The weapon has a satisfying heaviness that matches its explosive firepower. Its heavy combos carried me throughout my entire session. Essentially, the gunblade can unleash a medium range blast that propels Pinocchio backwards. In a follow-up combo, the second hit propels him forward for an additional sweeping strike on enemies. This particular attack is perfect for putting distance between me and my enemies before I can swoop in for the kill. Sure, I used that attack over and over again, but in a challenging Soulslike game, I wanted to take advantage of every tactic I had at my disposal. As I perused through a zoo, a mansion, and a carnival-like area, I eventually came across the boss of my session: a gigantic alligator called the Tyrannical Predator. I wasn't able to defeat it in time due to its hulking size and powerful bites that took out sizable chunks of my HP with each hit, but it was a healthy challenge to end a session I otherwise coasted through with one move. Revisiting the past For the second half of my session, I tested out a new feature coming to the Lies of P base game that will be extended to Overture: boss replay. In the main hub area, Hotel Krat, players will be able to have rematches with bosses they've previously fought against. Additionally, there are now multiple difficulty levels for the bosses. Each boss rematch has five levels, and upon beating them at Difficulty Level 5, players earn a commemorative item. As far as I can tell, there weren't any differences in behavior between the lowest and highest difficulty levels. The boss' damage output and HP are simply higher. The Level 5 matches are quite difficult, as the bosses hit like trucks. Even a single strike from the game's very first boss at the highest difficulty took out half of my health. On the flipside, the Level 1 matches are helpful for relearning boss fights and patterns that I've long since forgotten since the game's release. The main draw of the boss replay demo was that I was able to fight against three new bosses. Despite Overture's overall snowy setting, it seems like there will be some different environments to explore. For example, Markonis, Puppeteer of Death resides in a lush greenhouse area. This is a dual boss fight where Markonis uses her mechanized puppet like a wrecking ball. The second boss I faced was the Two-Face Overseer, which utilizes a giant hammer to fight. He reminds me of Batman villain Mr. Freeze, as the boss's head is encased in a tank. The setting of this one looked like a hospital or medical institution. The third and last boss I faced off against was in some sort of excavation site. The creature is named the Anguished Guardian of the Ruins, and it's enormous. It stands on four legs and has a bearded face. This was the only fight I tried with two phases, and was the most challenging of the new bosses due to its wide-sweeping attacks that required me to time my parries perfectly. Based on what I played, Lies of P: Overture looks to be a substantial addition to the base game. I've only played an hour of the new area while spending another in its new boss replay feature, but I have the feeling that there's so much left to explore. That's great news for an already standout Soulslike game that's only improved over time as it addressed its difficulty balancing. Overture feels like it will be a culmination of that process, letting more players than ever get in on the puppet slaying action. Lies of P: Overture is scheduled to launch this summer.
7NEWS
20-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Kane Cornes admits he regrets retiring half-way through final AFL season
Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes admits he regrets retiring half-way through an AFL season to become a fireman. Cornes played his 300th and final game for the Power in Round 8 of 2015, after which he left the club to a pursue a career in the fire brigade. At the time, the decision was branded 'selfish' by a host of footy commentators, who said Cornes should have either played out the season or retired the year before. Back then, there was no mid-season draft for AFL clubs to fill list spots with, in the same way that Richmond could replace Shaun Grigg in 2019 when he retired. The Tigers used the mid-season draft that year to recruit Marlion Pickett, who famously debuted in the grand final against GWS. Speaking on The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night, Cornes admitted he wishes he held off on becoming a fireman until after the season. 'I really regretted quitting to be a fireman, and if I had my time again, I certainly would've played out the season,' he said. 'I feel like I let a few people down, mostly my teammates, in doing that. 'So, if I had my time again, I would have addressed life after football at the end of the season, not in the middle of it.' Making the decision worse in retrospect is that Cornes left the fire brigade shortly after joining it, instead pursuing his current career in the media, which began in radio. Caroline Wilson remembered the backlash Cornes copped for the early retirement. 'It was Round 8 when you quit, and a lot of people smashed you,' she said. 'Matthew Lloyd, Tony Shaw labelled you selfish.' She even recalled standing up for Cornes at the time, which she laughed at on Tuesday night. 'I tell you what, I stuffed up, because Mark Ricciuto had a crack at you, and I wrote this heartfelt column sticking up for you,' Wilson said. 'And I knew you, but I didn't know you that well — 'as close to romantic as life after football can get' (she wrote at the time). 'I had a go at Ricciuto for being conflicted because he was an Adelaide board member.'
7NEWS
05-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Kane Cornes wipes Port Adelaide and Carlton from AFL finals race after ‘line-in-the-sand' Round 8
Kane Cornes has declared the top seven teams in the AFL have already shown enough to be 'certain' of playing finals, while he has wiped Port Adelaide and Carlton out of the race. An intriguing Round 8 saw Brisbane secure top spot with a win over top-four hopefuls Gold Coast after Collingwood lost a thriller to perennial contenders Geelong. Hawthorn, Adelaide and the Bulldogs all solidified their places in the top eight with big wins over bottom-10 sides. Among the top eight, only GWS truly lowered their colours with a loss to a Sydney side that entered their derby on a three-match losing streak. And now the Giants' place in the top eight is the last up for grabs, according to Cornes. 'They talk about moving day in golf — Round 8 is moving round in the world of AFL football,' he said on Kane's Call. 'I think it's separated the best from the rest. The Giants are maybe the only vulnerable team in the top eight now. I think the rest play finals, I would be certain of that.' If that proves to be the case, it would be a significant shift from the 2024 race. Last year only five teams sitting in the top eight after Round 8 went on to reach the finals, after Brisbane, the Bulldogs and Hawthorn surged while Fremantle, Essendon and Melbourne collapsed. Before that, six teams had held their spots and two had dropped out in each season since 2016 — when the top eight did not change after Round 6. In 2011, seven teams in the top eight after Round 9 (when 13 of the 17 teams had played eight games) made the finals, though Essendon briefly dropped out during a losing streak before salvaging eighth place. But not since 2010 has the race for the finals proved to be for just one spot this early in the season. That year, seven of the top eight were set after Round 7 and the top eight did not change after Round 11. While GWS could yet make it a 2016-style top-eight lockout, seven of the current bottom-10 teams will still hold out hope of making the 2025 finals. Fremantle and St Kilda sit eighth and ninth after playing off against each other on Friday night, with the Saints coming up trumps. Essendon sit 11th after winning four out of their past five but all came against fellow bottom-10 opposition. The Bombers do, however, hold a positive win-loss record and still have a game in hand after their Opening Round clash with Gold Coast was postponed. Below them, Port Adelaide and Carlton suffered heavy defeats in Round 8 despite entering on three-match winning streaks that included wins over Hawthorn and Geelong respectively. The Blues' cause is helped by a 108.6 percentage, more than 10 points better than any other bottom-10 side and only 6.4 shy of the Giants. Sydney and Melbourne, now on their own three-match winning streak, are the last sides in the mix. 'There's probably one spot up for grabs for the likes of Fremantle or the Saints if they make a charge, Sydney if they can do the same,' Cornes said. 'Not sure about Melbourne, I don't think Carlton are good enough. But this round's separated the best from the rest. 'Fremantle weren't good enough. Port Adelaide not good enough so we've seen that and that's been on full display. Adelaide too good, Carlton not good enough. 'I think we're going to look back at this round as a pivotal line-in-the-sand moment and say 'gee, this round separated the best from the rest'. 'Long way out, I get it, but you can see the quality rising.'
