Lies of P developer Neowiz did indeed drop DLC Overture during Summer Game Fest, introducing new locations, new enemies and bosses, new characters, weapons, and the very controversial decision to add in two easier difficulty options. And now, those options are getting easier again as the team preps for "difficulty reduction."
As a "Soulslike" game, Lies of P can be punishingly difficult, especially for inexperienced players perhaps attracted by Lies of P's dark story and setting. Director Jiwon Choi had previously said the team didn't think Soulslike games should have difficulty options and it shipped without any, but has since had a change of heart, saying: “We wanted to make sure a wider audience of players could play the game."
For those attempting the Overture DLC on the "intended" difficulty, Legendary Stalker, however, things seem tougher than ever. There have been so many comments — both for and against the DLC's difficulty spike — that the Lies of P subreddit has had to merge them all into a "megathread" to stop the community from being overwhelmed by complaints.
Some comments and reviews on Steam echo this, with one writing: "I’m at level 300 and should not be getting 2-shot from basic enemies. It doesn’t help that the enemy grouping is designed for you to have to deal with multiple at once. This wouldn’t be a problem if even one of those enemies doesn’t take out half your health with one hit."
Now, courtesy of a new Lies of P Director's Letter, it seems the difficulty will be tweaked once again.
"We're reviewing all of [the player feedback] carefully and are already looking into when to implement some of your suggestions," Choi said, as spotted by Eurogamer. "Among all the feedback, we are paying the closest attention to the combat experience.
"We identified areas that did not turn out quite as we intended. Therefore, we are reviewing various adjustments, including difficulty reduction. However, combat is one of the most fundamental experiences in Lies of P, so any modifications or changes require meticulous work and thorough testing." It's perhaps because of that "fundamental" issue that Neowiz has not given an indication of when the game will be patched.
We had a good time with Lies of P, awarding it 8/10, and Overture itself also secured a 8/10. "Even if it’s clearly dancing on the same old strings, Lies of P: Overture is an excellent expansion that adds a whole lot more to a game that was already great," we wrote.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
