THE “Soulsborne” subgenre is a relatively new one, branching off from the general umbrella of action role-playing games after being introduced and reinforced by the successive games from Japanese developer FromSoftware.
For a while, the subgenre bearing its hallmark gothic aesthetics, grim storytelling and incredibly hard gameplay was very niche, but after FromSoftware released the immensely acclaimed Elden Ring, the popularity of Soulsborne games exploded through the stratosphere.
Now, games from other developers are being made using the FromSoftware template, with the popularity of FromSoftware’s games trickling downward.
Released last month, Lies of P is enjoying the boon of being part of the subgenre, with South Korean publisher Neowiz Games revealing on X (formerly Twitter) that the game has surpassed one million copies in sales.
For a new intellectual property without an in-built fanbase, the achievement is a monumental success. Launched on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, PC and Mac, the game reimagines the classic fairy tale of Pinocchio in a similar style to FromSoftware’s Bloodborne.
In the game, Pinocchio has to fight his way through the city of Krat, where puppets have overthrown and killed most of the human population.
“The Lies of P project was a challenging endeavour for Neowiz and Round8 Studio and we take great pride in what we achieved with this title,” Neowiz co-CEO Seungchul Kim said in a press release.
In light of the great news, the future for the game is also seemingly bright, with a possible DLC or even sequel being hinted at in the game’s post-credits scene with a pair of red shoes from another children’s novel.
