Zero Brightness - A Podcast About Horror Video Games · Ecstattic Studio

Bonus: Lies of P Rocks

·50 min·3 clips

Weapon blades and handles can be disassembled and recombined into absurd custom weapons.

1. Zero Brightness Plus frames "Bonus: Lies of P Rocks" as a January Patreon episode tied to the host's annual break. 2. The host is the solo narrator, and his gaming taste matters because he compares Lies of P with FromSoft, Code Vein, and Tunic. 3. The episode asks whether Lies of P is "the best Souls-like" and whether it can work as an entry point. 4. He says he skipped year-end lists because he was busy making "three records" or "maybe four" and releasing music. 5. He names Resident Evil 4, Armored Core 6, Tears of the Kingdom, and Demon's Souls as the main big games in his 2023 diet. 6. He says that focus left him short on indie games and shorter games, which made the year-end list feel "boring." 7. He connects that pattern to another habit: getting obsessed with a game in the last days of the year and wishing he had played it earlier. 8. He uses Tunic as the earlier example, saying he started it at the end of 2022 and finished it in January 2023. 9. He says the Lies of P demo disappointed him because it ran poorly and felt janky and unoptimized. 10. He also says the demo failed to teach the game correctly, especially the need to block rather than dodge. 11. He cites Joseph Anderson and Iron Pineapple as videos that helped him understand the combat. 12. He describes Lies of P combat as a blend of Dark Souls, Sekiro-style active blocking, and a hidden posture meter. 13. He says the dodge is weak at the start, with "tiny" movement and no i-frames, so players should lean on blocks first. 14. He argues that the combat becomes strategic because enemies can be broken, then finished with a charged heavy attack and a light attack. 15. He says the weapon system is built around blades and handles that can be separated and recombined for free at save points. 16. He gives examples like a saw blade on a dex-scaling greatsword handle and a rapier handle with a heavy blade. 17. He says the P-organ skill tree, quartz upgrades, and mechanical arm tools all reduce frustration by giving players more options. 18. He says the game's balance lets him beat most bosses on the first try, with one boss taking five or six attempts. 19. People who like Souls combat systems, buildcraft, and detailed mechanical breakdowns should listen. 20. People looking for narrative spoilers, horror-storytelling focus, or short episodes should skip it.

As heard by us

A late-year Lies of P fixation becomes a compact argument for combat systems where every opening feels earned.

Lies of P gives this bonus episode its center of gravity, with the host treating it as the game he wishes had made it into year-end conversation.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a candid nudge toward the late-year game that grabbed the host after year-end wrap-up season?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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