5/5 ★ – Lord_Hazenberg's review of Lies of P [sequel].

The Overture expansion takes what was already the best souls like, elevates it into a league of its own, & now even surpasses some of the From Software catalogue. It was an absolute joy coming back to my personal 2023 GOTY even if this DLC was a cruel mistress, but that’s my fault for playing it on NG+2. Firstly the major complaint from a lot of people concerning this DLC is the difficulty. Although most of them are entering on high NG+ cycles, seemingly unaware of how that’s always been the case with souls games. The DLCs are notoriously difficult, because the game expects you to have played before. There’s two lower difficulty options now, so leave your pride at the door or overcome the challenge before writing a negative review because you got your ass kicked. Some new additions came to the base game as well with the DLC update. Two easier difficulty options for those who want the story without the challenge of the normal game, and a boss rematch/gauntlet mode you can access once you defeat it in the actual game. Level design wasn’t a massive strong point in the base game, but some of the DLC levels really came together quite well especially the carnival section. Loved the use of optional interactive content in the form of the little games. The nods to FromSoft DLCs were numerous; with the traveling back in time like Artorias of the Abyss, the winter setting accompanied by a lady painter for Ashes of Ariandel, & uncovering dark secrets of the main villainous faction akin to The Old Hunters. The new weapons are all awesome. A bow & arrow, flamethrower, wolverine claws, adding in Laxasia’s sword which was a popular request from the base game, & freaking Squall’s gunblade from Final Fantasy 8. Didn’t use either new Legion Arm too much, but both were cool. The story was awesome. Getting to see how the stage was set for so many of the main game’s characters & plot points was so well done. Interacting with characters you’d only heard of before was great, and there’s a couple instances where NPCs can join you for boss fights instead of the usual spectre if you so choose. Some new faces either malicious or helpful had me feeling every range of emotion through this journey. Sadly I didn’t witness any myself, but if you are able to complete the DLC before heading to the last level of the base game then there are new dialogue interactions. The new bosses were all a blast, maybe not that stupid crocodile who ate me a bunch of times but that’s beside the point. The first major boss was easily my favorite. Super creative, difficult, & fun to fight. And that final boss was insane. The design, area, voice acting, story relevance, 10/10 all around. TLDR; Lies of P plus Overture is without a doubt one of the best games of this generation. A good story that doesn’t get in the way of the gameplay, challenging but mostly fair combat, & keeping the tone of the series it took inspiration from while innovating enough to separate itself. If you loved Lies of P, then Overture is a must buy.