A fun fact about the mad dash over the roofs of Elysion Blvd. is that while youre in the portion where the puppets are throwing cells at you, if you look in the direction of City Hall, you can see lightning explosions emitting from its courtyard, hinting at the Scrapped Watchmen.
The level design in this game is so damn good. You could rearrange this list into almost any order (just keep Relic at the bottom) and I wouldn't be able to diagree. Every area feels just as great as the last and the next.
Genuinely so impressed given this wasn't even a Triple A dev team that made this. Some of the level design is absolutely genius, and I like that they were liberal with their shortcuts due to the more linear nature of the game world ^^
There’s a note where the Brotherhood mentions that attacking the hotel was their last resort and maintaining a low profile and being unnoticed in taking the gold coin fruit was their best means of keeping their operation with the alchemist going. Or so that’s what I took from it.
Aha, now that you mention it, I recall that note. I still think it's a bit of a weird plot device though that Antonia wouldn't know about that passage in her own hotel, especially when Gemini is shown to be wary of the Brotherhood from the first moment in Elysion Boulevard.
@@BillySYT there’s definitely some story/logic inconsistencies in this game. The reveal of the hidden path to the Trismegistus/Alchemist Isle in the hotel kinda had me perplexed too. Like you mean I had access all along. Same for the fruit too, I believe Antonia said they sealed off the tree to protect it from outsiders. But like I need it. Lol.
@@foosbooze263Antonia says its locked on the alchemists side so even if they opened it earlier they wouldn't have been able to get in allegedly. Which unfortunately just doesn't make sense with the level design down there.
So i just completed my NG+3, and as I was watching your video I had a small "Aha!" moment thinking that Belle and her partner is a reference to beauty and the beast. Because hes literally a beast, and well shes named Belle
I love hearing how much people enjoyed that area. I can't really verbalize why it didn't click for me in the same way, but I'm glad people enjoyed it ^^
I’m going to be honest, Arche Abbey was probably my least favorite part of the game. This isn’t anything against the level, because it is genuinely one of the best areas in the game and is visually amazing. The only problem I had with it was I was sooooooooooooo bored of a lot of the basic areas. I don’t know what it was, but at that point in the game I think I just wanted to get to the next bosses lol.
I think if there's one issue I could say Lies of P has, it's a sense of fatigue as you progress. The bosses took so much out of me that sometimes I'd get to a new area and just be exhausted. Replaying the areas on NG+ & NG++ really changed a lot of my opinions, which helped shape my thoughts in this video though.
I kinda felt a similar way. It starts off really strong with the memories on the beach and the view of the Abbey while you approach but then it just drags on and on and on. Doesn't help that the music playing the whole time clearly indicates "You're in the endgame now" and made me anticipate the final boss around every corner which over such an extended period of time just ruins the hype.
The area is so huge that make it seem like you should be exploring and take your time, yet the story and music ramps up like it wants you to hurry up. Thats what it felt for me at least.
I feel the same way. I feel like carving off certain portions of it would remedy that "it feels too long" feeling. Like that maze area with the 2nd coming of the clown puppet and the jumping puppet could've just not been there imo
The only problem I have with the level design in this game and one of the few problems I have with the game is the lack of secret areas. It has some secret rooms of course, but the biggest secret area is the cave in the swamp area and it only contains a single stargazer. It isn't a major issue and yet it is one of the biggest in the game to me.
I actually quite enjoyed the linearity, if only because I'd just come off of Elden Ring being my last Souls game. And having something I could just dedicate a weekend to without worrying too hard about missing content was very nice. That being said, they totally could have made an entirely optional portion for the Relic of Trismagistus and I'd have been eating it up.
I prefer a game that is fun to replay and the level design is so good that you don’t need to look at a map or have a mini map. It’s great. There are plenty of “secrets” to find, but sure maybe in the next game there could be more things to explore.
I tend to prefer linear games to any other type of game because that means the developer meticulously crafted every bit of scenery we're seeing (that being the reason why I don't really like Elden Ring that much and pretty much prefer every other fromsoftware souls like and even lies of p compared to it, while the world is really beautiful and the areas are pretty to look at I find the walking thru the map part horrendous, and couln't really do a 2nd playthrough of the game, and not because of lack of trying), that said, yeah, I get it, Lies of P could benefit from some exploration like ds3 with some secret areas, bosses, npcs, etc...
One thing that stood out to me was how, as you've said, there are no bad areas. On the several playthroughs for the plat, there was nowhere which I dreaded having to go back to
While I’m not a huge fan of the Barren Swamp (I don’t hate it or anything I just didn’t feel like it was anything special personally), playing through the Hermit’s Cave really made me wish there were more optional areas like it. I don’t hold the game’s linearity against it, I think the fact that it’s so linear is one of the reasons they were able to make the level design so consistently good, it really made me wish that there was more optional areas to explore and bosses to fight. I think as it stands it’s one of my few gripes with the game.
I'm glad this game is getting the attention it deserves. It's genuinely fantastic, and I think it can easily be compared to FromSoft games. I actually find it to be better than Demon's Souls and the first two Dark Souls games, and equal to Dark Souls 3.
I think I'd have it somewhere in the middle for now. I want to see how I feel when I play it in a few months/a year to see how the replayability is long-term.
On the part about the rolling ball section in the cathedral, you can actually stand to the side where there are those two wooden planks and avoid the balls entirely and not have to worry about racing to the top before the balls drop down
It's true. I have tried it...those two wooden planks saves lives believe me. Discovered in the first playthrough though because as linear the game is the devs would never make a game that required pixel perfect gameplay mechanic. ( except for that God awful laxasia 2nd phase shield rush😞)
My man loves to roll his r’s. I knew it was coming in “Alidorrro” but “brrriefest” and “grrrrand” even impressed ME. Also, I want to take over /under bets on the boss ranking video for “How many times Billy says the word Bloodborne” I’m putting the number at 5. I figure with some of the boss similarities the absolute minimum is at least 3. Gotta reference Paarl with Scraped Watchman, Laurence with corrupted parade leader, and Maria with Nameless Puppet. So I’m going with over. Place your bets!!!
You know the funny thing. I can't roll my R's. I live in Spain, and have a Spanish bf who constantly rolls his R's and it drives me up the wall lmao. Also 100% here for the Bloodborne mention tally lmao
Wait, you like the Brotherhood Boss fight??!! You might be the first UA-camr/player that I've seen liking them. (Because I've seen other Lies of P Boss Rankings and spoiler, they pit the Brotherhood/Human Bosses last)
Im back. First of all: really nice video. Great ranking and great reasoning behind all placements. Personally I loved the Rosa Isabelle street in its entirety and would’ve placed it in the top 3 while removing the Arche Abbey from it because that last area disappointed me in two big ways. 1) the overall theme was awkward in comparison to the rest of the game and changed from robot stuff to ancient temple out of nowhere. But my biggest problem with that area is the aesthetic itself. At the top it looks beautiful but everywhere else it’s just dark and foggy. It looks like one of these lower budget souls where they put stone walls and fog everywhere to not having to design a proper background. From a final area I expect stunning visuals but to me it’s probably the ugliest area in the entire game before fighting Laxasia and making the weather change. 2) Then there are the enemies. I didn’t like how there weren’t any new one expept, again, for the pretty good top part. In a finale I expect sensory overload but instead got older enemies we’ve already seen a dozen of times before, making the first half rather boring. Also placing puppets from the trainstation and clown ones there didn’t really make sense to me. It’s probably because the Romeo made them attack the island but to me it didn’t feel like a war but rather randomly placed enemy types. Also not another argument but an random thought which I think would enhance the finale where if you’d somehow be able to rebuild and recruit former bosses to fight against the alchemists. I imagine a scenario where the war in front of the castle doors would be way way bigger. You fight together with first phase Fuoco against the big monster. I think this would work at least technically because his attacks were rather basic. A scenario where you would team up with the puppets by having certain story requirements would be amazing.
This game is so fucking good. Genuinely enjoyed this game more than some of the from soft games. It has some of the most fun to explore areas in any souls likes imo. The only issue is that the game is very linear and there aren‘t that many secrets. But even that isn‘t nearly enough to bring the game down for me
I think the linearity was refreshing for me, especially after coming off of Elden Ring. Do I wish we had one extra optional area, maybe? Hopefully we get a little DLC down the line, or if that end credits scene is to be believed, we get a little more branching paths in the sequel.
@@BillySYT I think we likely will get DLC, based on that overgrown stargazer you can interact with back in the Pilgrim's Path that seemingly has no purpose yet.
I loved this game from the moment I started playing it, but Arche Abbey is what made this my favourite game this year. The whole island experience was AMAZING, the music was so fitting. Laxasia is probably the best boss in the game. I couldn't stop playing by that point until i finished the game. I cant wait for the DLC!
when i found the gold coin tree and i heard the hotel theme start playing, then walked back into the hotel from there, i had to stop and collect my thoughts because my god that was such an amazing circlet. I didn't know what to think - I thought I ran so much further than what I did and was AGES away from the hotel.
I wish the sequel has a hub area that's more like the center of the town. I'm LoP, areas are more sprawled out that you only loop back to the hotel once you finish Malum. Could have use the Scrapped Watchman arena as a cross road to other areas out of order.
I think that goes against Lies of P's main design philosophy though. The level-design & world design showed that they were going for a linear experience. They didn't want players doing things out of order, and ramped up the challenge to accommodate with each new area. For the sequel, I think they have more opportunities to go with a more open-ended level design/world design given what they're potentially adapting next.
Ch. 11 is my fav area/part of the game. I'm slighty surprised they didnt split it into Ch.11 & 12 considering how long it is but I enjoyed the whole chapter except for the guardian boss who gives you the key.
You see, IGN, with a positive disposition and being able to distinguish between design choices and design failures you can appreciate the "linear" level designs of Lies Of P. Great stuff, Billy. I genuinely enjoyed your narration. Subbed.
The only weird thing about Lies of P’s areas is how they would give you shortcuts and hidden paths but they seemingly would all be pointless as there would either be a closer by stargazer or just a shortcut you would never need to use again
I'd say it's an accessibility feature for the shortcuts. They're not really for experienced players, moreso for casuals who are getting into Souls-likes and need an easier time getting around the game world.
I'm slightly disappointed that Lorenzini Arcade and Grand Exhibition were ranked so low. For me, that was the point where I really started getting into the game, as those areas gave me strong BioShock vibes. It was fun to wander through those places and imagine what they probably looked like during better times. I agree with the swamp being one of the best, though.
This was a great list and video, Billy. I loved the analyses of all the different areas and how it felt to traverse them. This game’s level design and overall feel reminds me so much of Code Vein, which to me was one of the first truly successful, on the nose soulslikes despite some of its wonkiness in some areas. Its levels were quite linear but had a lot of winding pathways and interconnected sections of levels with shortcuts and side paths here and there. It had really cool visuals and a theme of crystallized giant thorns protruding from the earth, while you explore the deranged and destroyed remains. The story was very in-depth. The character creation system and blood code system in it were also 👌
seeing her like that after the Laxasia, really hits. I stood there for a good half hour displaying every kind gesture displaying love and remorse. Really wish we could’ve saved her.
21:56 You can also give ergo to the merchant in the Malum District if you haven't beaten the boss or gotten the Smiling Bunny Mark. You just need to have Ergo fragments in your inventory. There are different options depending on what Ergo fragments you have in your inventory, but I don't know what the different options entail. Great video!
About the breakable bridges complaint and especially the one in the swamp over a death pit: There are two types of breakable bridges/floors. The first type is the type that drops you into a new or secret area, where you'll find a chest or item or something. This type of breakable floor/bridge will break under you, causing you to fall. The other type are the breakable bridges that have either a death pit or a previous area under them, meaning that falling in them will be bad for you. The thing is, this second type is programmed so it only breaks after you cross it. But there's what I can only assume is a bug: if you suspect that the bridge wil break and you jump, the bridge will break as soon as you jump, creating the illusion that the bridge would have broken under you and killed you. But that's not the case, you can test it yourself. Go to that bridge over a death pit in the swamp and just walk over it. It will not break until you have crossed it. But if you jump, it breaks immediatly, even causing you to die if you jump too early. So, that bridge was never meant to kill the player, but a bug with jumping causes it to sometimes do just that. If you don't want to test it, there's a video example in my channel of how this kind of breakable bridge works (you can skip to 0:30)
Hmmm... I still don't know how I feel about that. Even if it doesn't kill the player, it still gives the illusion that it could have killed the player, and as you've seen with my thoughts in the video, it left a negative impression on me. The level design already speaks for itself with it's quality and it's danger, without needing to resort to breakable floors throughout the game.
@@BillySYT Yeah, I agree that it's unnecessary and overdone. But it wasn't meant to be as cruel as it would seem, since these traps were never meant to kill the player, just scare them. Well, the game doesn't have mimic chests, so I guess they made mimic bridges, in a way lol
the last level really is great. this game was surprisingly good and super polished. it really goes to show that not only from soft can make these games
I'm glad people are talking about this game's level design. It's something I find really makes or breaks these types of games. Soulslikes are not just bosses and bonfires. Luckily the areas in this game are very satisfying to traverse, and they all surprisingly correlate naturally to the world. That big moment where you get back to the Hotel from the Malum District is super satisfying, but it wasn't until my third playthrough that I spent time trying to piece out where every stage was in the world and if it made geographical sense. Turns out it did! This game's great
I had absolutely no idea you could lock on to the puppet hanging from the Alchemist Bridge after getting the first cryptic vessel. I've spent like 4 playthroughs Kobe-ing gears at it.
Btw on the electric balls in the cathedral you can hug the right wall and avoid it. I'm not sure if you are meant to so you have to keep walking into the wall I think.
Moonlight Town might actually be my favorite area. It has great atmosphere, a great introduction to carcass enemies and it's a fresh breath of air to see some nature after walking through the city and a factory. But most importantly there's just nothing that annoyed me whatsoever in Moonlight Town. For every single other area I could think of something that I disliked or that annoyed me but not Moonlight Town. Also, it's a bit confusing for me how many people had problems with the jester in Lorenzini Arcade. He feels easy to perfect block and his weapons break really quickly. In that area alone the elite in the room flooded with wine is already like 5 times as difficult as the jester for me.
i feel like Arche Abbey drags on a bit too long. i get it, massive tower to scale, and actually scaling it feels incredible, but i think the final stretch between Sophia and Simon should have been cut or made into an elevator instead. the final meeting with Sophia gave me so much drive to kill Simon, but by the time i got to Simon, that drive was nearly all gone
Whilst i personally didn't like the levels as much as you did, I did really like them, with the Barren Swamp and the Grand Exhibition being my favourites. The levels are visually stunning and the overall design is really good, but my only problems are that i didn't like a lot of the enemy placements and how a lot of the fights were in cramped spaces (I also hated the cathedral's platforming section). I don't think it ever got as bad as some of the worst enemy placements in the Fromsoft games, like the 5 Harald knights in the Ringed City or the gank sharks in Bloodborne, but it definitely did lower my enjoyment of the areas quite a bit. Still, its an amazing game, and a very solid 8.5 or 9/10 despite my gripes. By the way, for the shield enemies, you can just use the left arm of steel Legion Arm to stagger them immediately when they're guarding (if i remember correctly).
When you mentioned how some areas feel more “lived in” in this game you are absolutely correct. Dark souls and bloodborne feel like the world dying was a long time ago. While lies of p feels like the middle of the world dying. Almost like you can still save it. Almost. (I’m like 3/4 of the way through the game so I could be way off)
I feel like people should separate areas from their bosses more. Like yeah, bosses are a big part of these games, but I prefer to let the level design speak for itself. I totally get if Green Monster wasn't anyone's cup of tea. Probably my 2nd biggest challenge in the game.
In my opinion from all my experience from poison swamp areas in soulsborne games Lies of P has the easiest to naviagate so in my opinion barren swamp is a walk in the park compared to ds1 or even nioh
Did you notice that the apartment on Elysian Boulevard was an homage to Sherlock Holmes, take note of the Address on the door and the letter, 221b, sound familiar?
You don't have to be pixel perfect with the electric spheres in the cathedral. You can take shelter from them behind the wooden pallets on the RIGHT side of the ramp.
Venigni Works is my favorite level. Seeing that Puppet of the Future for the first time was quite a "holy crap" moment for me, even though he ended up being a pushover.
40:29 You can stand to the right side of the hallway here to avoid getting hit by these electric balls. You don't have to sprint all the way up in one go.
I beat this game for the 1st time yesterday and loved nearly every area I do have a question about difficulty though how did people do against bosses? because everywhere I look I see people saying this game is harder then other souls like games and I don't really understand why
Thanks for this video. I’ve just platinumed the game but didn’t pick up on half the lore you talk about. The balls rolling down doesn’t require pixel perfect timing. All you have to do is stand on the right side and it won’t hit you.
I do wish the alcove to avoid the balls was more pronounced though. To me, it just looked like another part of the track where the hitbox would get you.
My favorite area is the opera house. The way the very cool enemies fit the theme of the level along with the dueling male and female opera singers in the background. Mwwwwaaahh!!!
Im glad i wasn't the only one that thought the arcade reminded me of Silent hill! My personal favorite area, but youre right an actual boss would have been cool .
I'm just watching these videos because I finished the game 4 times now and have no reason to play again anymore, but I'm not ready to let it go. Can't wait for the DLC! P.S. they really changed a bunch of things with patches. I hadn't encountered breakable bridges in the scrapyard and could hide mid-slide from the rolling balls in the cathedral, f.e.
finally, another Swamp and Arche conneseur! I've seen people complain about both (especially Arche, saying it was too long), but I really love both levels, although Swamp is number 1 for me. Agreed on this being the best swamp level in any soulslike game As a side note, when I first played through Lies of P, I felt like the level design was a bit bland, with few noticable exception. Now I'm playing through Lords of the Fallen and I've come to appreciate LoP levels so much more, compared to incredible tedium of LotF's infinite hordes of enemies everywhere
arche abby was such an awful experience for me (not difficulty i just thought it was boring and had cringe troll design) that it brought my ranking of the game down from a 8.5 to a 7. No enjoyment from that area besides laxasia
Could always be DLC of some kind? The Isle of the Alchemists was on an Island so maybe they had it covered there? My Pinocchio knowledge is actually not that great, so I have no idea lol
You put my least favourite area of the game at number 1 haha. I beat this game 3 times for the platinum and dreaded the final area every time. Just annoying level design from a gameplay perspective and annoying enemy combinations. Visually it's cool though, and it has the final bosses of the game which are excellent.
Top 5 for me 5.lorenzi arcade and grand exhibition 4.Venigi works 3.Krat central station 2.Rosa Isabelle street 1.Arche abbey And I always found chapter 10 to be a demo for chapter 11 If that makes sense It’s basically the shortest area in the game and is just used to finish up some plot points like the reveal with geppetto and Alidoro and finishing off the black rabbit brotherhood
Hotel Krat has a cat whose behavior changes as you gain humanity
10/10 perfect area
THE CAT! I FORGOT TO MENTION THE CAT! FUUUUUUU-
@@BillySYTthat cat have the bad habit to disappear every time i used the big stargazer at the center of the hotel
A fun fact about the mad dash over the roofs of Elysion Blvd. is that while youre in the portion where the puppets are throwing cells at you, if you look in the direction of City Hall, you can see lightning explosions emitting from its courtyard, hinting at the Scrapped Watchmen.
Rosa isabelle street is my personal favorite because of atmosphere. Loved the new enemies and the french music adds a lot
Plus you knew it was coming since you first explored the hotel and saw that locked door
By the way it was inspired by pleasure island from the original book
I just hate the enemies there. Like the babies who dont stagger, the spammy female puppets, and the stretch before the puppet clown
The level design in this game is so damn good. You could rearrange this list into almost any order (just keep Relic at the bottom) and I wouldn't be able to diagree. Every area feels just as great as the last and the next.
Genuinely so impressed given this wasn't even a Triple A dev team that made this. Some of the level design is absolutely genius, and I like that they were liberal with their shortcuts due to the more linear nature of the game world ^^
Idk I felt it was small and repetitive but again with their budget , I understand why , I wanna see what they do with an actual BUDGET
Arche abbey was such an amazing level, I just kept thinking “it keeps going?!” in a pleasant way. I never wanted it to end.
There’s a note where the Brotherhood mentions that attacking the hotel was their last resort and maintaining a low profile and being unnoticed in taking the gold coin fruit was their best means of keeping their operation with the alchemist going. Or so that’s what I took from it.
Aha, now that you mention it, I recall that note. I still think it's a bit of a weird plot device though that Antonia wouldn't know about that passage in her own hotel, especially when Gemini is shown to be wary of the Brotherhood from the first moment in Elysion Boulevard.
@@BillySYT there’s definitely some story/logic inconsistencies in this game. The reveal of the hidden path to the Trismegistus/Alchemist Isle in the hotel kinda had me perplexed too. Like you mean I had access all along. Same for the fruit too, I believe Antonia said they sealed off the tree to protect it from outsiders. But like I need it. Lol.
@@foosbooze263Antonia says its locked on the alchemists side so even if they opened it earlier they wouldn't have been able to get in allegedly. Which unfortunately just doesn't make sense with the level design down there.
This game is a masterpiece.
Relax there buddy it’s good but no masterpiece , ELDEN RING IS A MASTERPIECE
@@Diabeticninja90yo pierre dont come out here errrrr
Nah pierre's right its a good game just stop calling everything a masterpiece it ruins the impact of the word
@@harryhazza626very subjective to call something a masterpiece. So let them call it a masterpiece if thats how they feel about the game
@@fbn7683 yeah
So i just completed my NG+3, and as I was watching your video I had a small "Aha!" moment thinking that Belle and her partner is a reference to beauty and the beast. Because hes literally a beast, and well shes named Belle
🤯
If you pay attention on the street leading to the opera house, the businesses are named after the living furniture from beauty and the beast as well!
The exhibition was my favorite area. Didn’t think the boss was that special but it was so cool
I love hearing how much people enjoyed that area. I can't really verbalize why it didn't click for me in the same way, but I'm glad people enjoyed it ^^
I’m going to be honest, Arche Abbey was probably my least favorite part of the game. This isn’t anything against the level, because it is genuinely one of the best areas in the game and is visually amazing. The only problem I had with it was I was sooooooooooooo bored of a lot of the basic areas. I don’t know what it was, but at that point in the game I think I just wanted to get to the next bosses lol.
I think if there's one issue I could say Lies of P has, it's a sense of fatigue as you progress. The bosses took so much out of me that sometimes I'd get to a new area and just be exhausted. Replaying the areas on NG+ & NG++ really changed a lot of my opinions, which helped shape my thoughts in this video though.
I kinda felt a similar way. It starts off really strong with the memories on the beach and the view of the Abbey while you approach but then it just drags on and on and on. Doesn't help that the music playing the whole time clearly indicates "You're in the endgame now" and made me anticipate the final boss around every corner which over such an extended period of time just ruins the hype.
this. i really like the area. but at the same time id rank it the lowest because it took too long!
The area is so huge that make it seem like you should be exploring and take your time, yet the story and music ramps up like it wants you to hurry up. Thats what it felt for me at least.
I feel the same way. I feel like carving off certain portions of it would remedy that "it feels too long" feeling. Like that maze area with the 2nd coming of the clown puppet and the jumping puppet could've just not been there imo
My fav part about the levels in LOP are that they demand combat, spacing, and parkour all at the same time. They demand respect from the player.
The only problem I have with the level design in this game and one of the few problems I have with the game is the lack of secret areas. It has some secret rooms of course, but the biggest secret area is the cave in the swamp area and it only contains a single stargazer. It isn't a major issue and yet it is one of the biggest in the game to me.
Yeah this game was very linear. I don't mind cause it's great but finding secrets was lacking
I actually quite enjoyed the linearity, if only because I'd just come off of Elden Ring being my last Souls game. And having something I could just dedicate a weekend to without worrying too hard about missing content was very nice. That being said, they totally could have made an entirely optional portion for the Relic of Trismagistus and I'd have been eating it up.
I prefer a game that is fun to replay and the level design is so good that you don’t need to look at a map or have a mini map. It’s great. There are plenty of “secrets” to find, but sure maybe in the next game there could be more things to explore.
I tend to prefer linear games to any other type of game because that means the developer meticulously crafted every bit of scenery we're seeing (that being the reason why I don't really like Elden Ring that much and pretty much prefer every other fromsoftware souls like and even lies of p compared to it, while the world is really beautiful and the areas are pretty to look at I find the walking thru the map part horrendous, and couln't really do a 2nd playthrough of the game, and not because of lack of trying), that said, yeah, I get it, Lies of P could benefit from some exploration like ds3 with some secret areas, bosses, npcs, etc...
One thing that stood out to me was how, as you've said, there are no bad areas. On the several playthroughs for the plat, there was nowhere which I dreaded having to go back to
While I’m not a huge fan of the Barren Swamp (I don’t hate it or anything I just didn’t feel like it was anything special personally), playing through the Hermit’s Cave really made me wish there were more optional areas like it. I don’t hold the game’s linearity against it, I think the fact that it’s so linear is one of the reasons they were able to make the level design so consistently good, it really made me wish that there was more optional areas to explore and bosses to fight. I think as it stands it’s one of my few gripes with the game.
I'm glad this game is getting the attention it deserves. It's genuinely fantastic, and I think it can easily be compared to FromSoft games.
I actually find it to be better than Demon's Souls and the first two Dark Souls games, and equal to Dark Souls 3.
I think I'd have it somewhere in the middle for now. I want to see how I feel when I play it in a few months/a year to see how the replayability is long-term.
Turns out the rolling electric boulders in the cathedral are evadeable. You just gotta hug the wall midway through the upward hill.
Welp, this video made me realise how many npc quests i have missed throughout the game 😭😭
On the part about the rolling ball section in the cathedral, you can actually stand to the side where there are those two wooden planks and avoid the balls entirely and not have to worry about racing to the top before the balls drop down
W H A T
You sure? I know i tried rolling into there and absolutely got hit by the ball. Is it specifically only standing?
@@kain1799 on the right hand side you can hug the wall and not get hit
my reaction when I found out
@@BillySYT
It's true. I have tried it...those two wooden planks saves lives believe me. Discovered in the first playthrough though because as linear the game is the devs would never make a game that required pixel perfect gameplay mechanic. ( except for that God awful laxasia 2nd phase shield rush😞)
The rolling ball trap in the cathedral, you could stick to the wall on the right to avoid balls.
My man loves to roll his r’s. I knew it was coming in “Alidorrro” but “brrriefest” and “grrrrand” even impressed ME.
Also, I want to take over /under bets on the boss ranking video for “How many times Billy says the word Bloodborne” I’m putting the number at 5. I figure with some of the boss similarities the absolute minimum is at least 3. Gotta reference Paarl with Scraped Watchman, Laurence with corrupted parade leader, and Maria with Nameless Puppet. So I’m going with over. Place your bets!!!
You know the funny thing. I can't roll my R's. I live in Spain, and have a Spanish bf who constantly rolls his R's and it drives me up the wall lmao. Also 100% here for the Bloodborne mention tally lmao
OH MY GOD IT'S LORENZINI ARCADE, I NELSON MANDELLA EFFECTED MYSELF! I REPEAT, LORENZINI, NOT VENIGNI, FUUUUUUC-
Wait, you like the Brotherhood Boss fight??!!
You might be the first UA-camr/player that I've seen liking them. (Because I've seen other Lies of P Boss Rankings and spoiler, they pit the Brotherhood/Human Bosses last)
I believe it’s called lorenzi or lorenzini arcade not venigni arcade. Simple mistake just mentioning it
"Venigni" made me laugh every time you said it.
And I will very much continue to say it. Gotta find the fun in these scripts where I can xD
Never really played a Dark souls style game, but Lies Of P was an absolute masterpiece of a game.
Haven’t finished the game yet but I’m coming back for your rankings.
Im back.
First of all: really nice video. Great ranking and great reasoning behind all placements. Personally I loved the Rosa Isabelle street in its entirety and would’ve placed it in the top 3 while removing the Arche Abbey from it because that last area disappointed me in two big ways.
1) the overall theme was awkward in comparison to the rest of the game and changed from robot stuff to ancient temple out of nowhere. But my biggest problem with that area is the aesthetic itself. At the top it looks beautiful but everywhere else it’s just dark and foggy. It looks like one of these lower budget souls where they put stone walls and fog everywhere to not having to design a proper background. From a final area I expect stunning visuals but to me it’s probably the ugliest area in the entire game before fighting Laxasia and making the weather change.
2) Then there are the enemies. I didn’t like how there weren’t any new one expept, again, for the pretty good top part. In a finale I expect sensory overload but instead got older enemies we’ve already seen a dozen of times before, making the first half rather boring. Also placing puppets from the trainstation and clown ones there didn’t really make sense to me. It’s probably because the Romeo made them attack the island but to me it didn’t feel like a war but rather randomly placed enemy types.
Also not another argument but an random thought which I think would enhance the finale where if you’d somehow be able to rebuild and recruit former bosses to fight against the alchemists. I imagine a scenario where the war in front of the castle doors would be way way bigger. You fight together with first phase Fuoco against the big monster. I think this would work at least technically because his attacks were rather basic. A scenario where you would team up with the puppets by having certain story requirements would be amazing.
This game is so fucking good. Genuinely enjoyed this game more than some of the from soft games. It has some of the most fun to explore areas in any souls likes imo. The only issue is that the game is very linear and there aren‘t that many secrets. But even that isn‘t nearly enough to bring the game down for me
I think the linearity was refreshing for me, especially after coming off of Elden Ring. Do I wish we had one extra optional area, maybe? Hopefully we get a little DLC down the line, or if that end credits scene is to be believed, we get a little more branching paths in the sequel.
@@BillySYT I think we likely will get DLC, based on that overgrown stargazer you can interact with back in the Pilgrim's Path that seemingly has no purpose yet.
I loved this game from the moment I started playing it, but Arche Abbey is what made this my favourite game this year. The whole island experience was AMAZING, the music was so fitting. Laxasia is probably the best boss in the game. I couldn't stop playing by that point until i finished the game. I cant wait for the DLC!
I went into a hypnotic trance and subbed when you asked because you played "feel," ya cheeky bastard well done
The only problem i have with this game is I need more of it , hoping for that DLC or sequel soon.
Thank You! I love the Barren Swamp so much. Seems like people generally don't love it but i adored it.
We can hold down the fort - We know good level design when we see it ;D
when i found the gold coin tree and i heard the hotel theme start playing, then walked back into the hotel from there, i had to stop and collect my thoughts because my god that was such an amazing circlet. I didn't know what to think - I thought I ran so much further than what I did and was AGES away from the hotel.
I wish the sequel has a hub area that's more like the center of the town.
I'm LoP, areas are more sprawled out that you only loop back to the hotel once you finish Malum.
Could have use the Scrapped Watchman arena as a cross road to other areas out of order.
I think that goes against Lies of P's main design philosophy though. The level-design & world design showed that they were going for a linear experience. They didn't want players doing things out of order, and ramped up the challenge to accommodate with each new area. For the sequel, I think they have more opportunities to go with a more open-ended level design/world design given what they're potentially adapting next.
Ch. 11 is my fav area/part of the game. I'm slighty surprised they didnt split it into Ch.11 & 12 considering how long it is but I enjoyed the whole chapter except for the guardian boss who gives you the key.
You see, IGN, with a positive disposition and being able to distinguish between design choices and design failures you can appreciate the "linear" level designs of Lies Of P. Great stuff, Billy. I genuinely enjoyed your narration. Subbed.
The only weird thing about Lies of P’s areas is how they would give you shortcuts and hidden paths but they seemingly would all be pointless as there would either be a closer by stargazer or just a shortcut you would never need to use again
I'd say it's an accessibility feature for the shortcuts. They're not really for experienced players, moreso for casuals who are getting into Souls-likes and need an easier time getting around the game world.
Can't wait for your LoP Boss Ranking
40:22 You can hug the wall in the electric ball hallway and avoid the balls the same way you avoided the fire balls in the puppet factory.
Grand Exhibition was done dirty smh. Easily in my top 2. Chapter 7 is the peak of the game to me.
Mehhhh
44:26 I found it much easier to kill pupets of the future before disabling balistas since they deal massive damage to puppets.
Pinocchio told me this game was garbage...
Not sure if I should believe him...
🤣
I'm slightly disappointed that Lorenzini Arcade and Grand Exhibition were ranked so low. For me, that was the point where I really started getting into the game, as those areas gave me strong BioShock vibes. It was fun to wander through those places and imagine what they probably looked like during better times. I agree with the swamp being one of the best, though.
Plus Lorenzini is a great place to farm Ergo mid to late game. I spent too much time there to admit. Haha😂
Personally, I found a lot of the abbey ascent a slog more than fun
I mean, what I love isn't what everyone in the world is gonna love, so makes sense
You can also bribe the merchant in the maulum district.
The Archie Abby had to be one of the longest yet greatest last level deign I've seen/been in for a good while
St. Frangelico's cathedral the rolling ball part has those planks on the right side that you can stand beside and the ball will miss you
This was a great list and video, Billy. I loved the analyses of all the different areas and how it felt to traverse them. This game’s level design and overall feel reminds me so much of Code Vein, which to me was one of the first truly successful, on the nose soulslikes despite some of its wonkiness in some areas. Its levels were quite linear but had a lot of winding pathways and interconnected sections of levels with shortcuts and side paths here and there.
It had really cool visuals and a theme of crystallized giant thorns protruding from the earth, while you explore the deranged and destroyed remains. The story was very in-depth. The character creation system and blood code system in it were also 👌
seeing her like that after the Laxasia, really hits. I stood there for a good half hour displaying every kind gesture displaying love and remorse. Really wish we could’ve saved her.
21:56 You can also give ergo to the merchant in the Malum District if you haven't beaten the boss or gotten the Smiling Bunny Mark. You just need to have Ergo fragments in your inventory. There are different options depending on what Ergo fragments you have in your inventory, but I don't know what the different options entail. Great video!
40:28 you can hide behind the planks on the other side of the hallway there to let the ball roll past you
Barren swamp is hand's down my favorite area in the game, i couldn't get enough of it
About the breakable bridges complaint and especially the one in the swamp over a death pit:
There are two types of breakable bridges/floors. The first type is the type that drops you into a new or secret area, where you'll find a chest or item or something. This type of breakable floor/bridge will break under you, causing you to fall.
The other type are the breakable bridges that have either a death pit or a previous area under them, meaning that falling in them will be bad for you. The thing is, this second type is programmed so it only breaks after you cross it. But there's what I can only assume is a bug: if you suspect that the bridge wil break and you jump, the bridge will break as soon as you jump, creating the illusion that the bridge would have broken under you and killed you. But that's not the case, you can test it yourself. Go to that bridge over a death pit in the swamp and just walk over it. It will not break until you have crossed it. But if you jump, it breaks immediatly, even causing you to die if you jump too early. So, that bridge was never meant to kill the player, but a bug with jumping causes it to sometimes do just that. If you don't want to test it, there's a video example in my channel of how this kind of breakable bridge works (you can skip to 0:30)
Hmmm... I still don't know how I feel about that. Even if it doesn't kill the player, it still gives the illusion that it could have killed the player, and as you've seen with my thoughts in the video, it left a negative impression on me. The level design already speaks for itself with it's quality and it's danger, without needing to resort to breakable floors throughout the game.
@@BillySYT Yeah, I agree that it's unnecessary and overdone. But it wasn't meant to be as cruel as it would seem, since these traps were never meant to kill the player, just scare them. Well, the game doesn't have mimic chests, so I guess they made mimic bridges, in a way lol
the last level really is great. this game was surprisingly good and super polished. it really goes to show that not only from soft can make these games
Fromsoft is king
I'm glad people are talking about this game's level design. It's something I find really makes or breaks these types of games. Soulslikes are not just bosses and bonfires. Luckily the areas in this game are very satisfying to traverse, and they all surprisingly correlate naturally to the world. That big moment where you get back to the Hotel from the Malum District is super satisfying, but it wasn't until my third playthrough that I spent time trying to piece out where every stage was in the world and if it made geographical sense. Turns out it did! This game's great
If I remember correctly, Relic was originally supposed to be longer but it was cut down for pacing considering how close to the end game you are.
I had absolutely no idea you could lock on to the puppet hanging from the Alchemist Bridge after getting the first cryptic vessel. I've spent like 4 playthroughs Kobe-ing gears at it.
Btw on the electric balls in the cathedral you can hug the right wall and avoid it. I'm not sure if you are meant to so you have to keep walking into the wall I think.
I, for one, liked your King of Riddles imitation. It was cute and called for, lol. 😂
Moonlight Town might actually be my favorite area. It has great atmosphere, a great introduction to carcass enemies and it's a fresh breath of air to see some nature after walking through the city and a factory. But most importantly there's just nothing that annoyed me whatsoever in Moonlight Town. For every single other area I could think of something that I disliked or that annoyed me but not Moonlight Town.
Also, it's a bit confusing for me how many people had problems with the jester in Lorenzini Arcade. He feels easy to perfect block and his weapons break really quickly. In that area alone the elite in the room flooded with wine is already like 5 times as difficult as the jester for me.
Nope.
i feel like Arche Abbey drags on a bit too long. i get it, massive tower to scale, and actually scaling it feels incredible, but i think the final stretch between Sophia and Simon should have been cut or made into an elevator instead. the final meeting with Sophia gave me so much drive to kill Simon, but by the time i got to Simon, that drive was nearly all gone
Whilst i personally didn't like the levels as much as you did, I did really like them, with the Barren Swamp and the Grand Exhibition being my favourites. The levels are visually stunning and the overall design is really good, but my only problems are that i didn't like a lot of the enemy placements and how a lot of the fights were in cramped spaces (I also hated the cathedral's platforming section).
I don't think it ever got as bad as some of the worst enemy placements in the Fromsoft games, like the 5 Harald knights in the Ringed City or the gank sharks in Bloodborne, but it definitely did lower my enjoyment of the areas quite a bit. Still, its an amazing game, and a very solid 8.5 or 9/10 despite my gripes.
By the way, for the shield enemies, you can just use the left arm of steel Legion Arm to stagger them immediately when they're guarding (if i remember correctly).
When you mentioned how some areas feel more “lived in” in this game you are absolutely correct. Dark souls and bloodborne feel like the world dying was a long time ago. While lies of p feels like the middle of the world dying. Almost like you can still save it. Almost. (I’m like 3/4 of the way through the game so I could be way off)
i Think i hate too much the swap due to the green monster but the secret cave in this zone is an amzing location
I feel like people should separate areas from their bosses more. Like yeah, bosses are a big part of these games, but I prefer to let the level design speak for itself. I totally get if Green Monster wasn't anyone's cup of tea. Probably my 2nd biggest challenge in the game.
I don't intend to play Lies of P but your videos are always entertaining with great commentary, so I'll be watching them anyways! 😅
I love this game, but I just suck at it.
The electric balls are easy, just get on the side and they will roll right past you.
Somehow in three NG+ cycles, I never once realized that x_x
Rosa Isabelle attest is my favorite area in the game
I totally get it. The vibes there are immaculate
In my opinion from all my experience from poison swamp areas in soulsborne games Lies of P has the easiest to naviagate so in my opinion barren swamp is a walk in the park compared to ds1 or even nioh
“You’re in bloodborne” got a really nice chuckle out of me lmao
"There isn't a bad area" okay may I introduce you to the cathedral leading up to fallen archbishop
Did you notice that the apartment on Elysian Boulevard was an homage to Sherlock Holmes, take note of the Address on the door and the letter, 221b, sound familiar?
You don't have to be pixel perfect with the electric spheres in the cathedral. You can take shelter from them behind the wooden pallets on the RIGHT side of the ramp.
Venigni Works is my favorite level. Seeing that Puppet of the Future for the first time was quite a "holy crap" moment for me, even though he ended up being a pushover.
You did great on this video
40:29 You can stand to the right side of the hallway here to avoid getting hit by these electric balls. You don't have to sprint all the way up in one go.
Dual-shield robot: "I'M F*#&$^#&## INVINCIBLE!!!" I'm just glad his shields weren't reactive.
About the carcass enemy’s my first encounter with them actually made me jump because I wasn’t expecting it to run at me all crazy the way they do
I beat this game for the 1st time yesterday and loved nearly every area I do have a question about difficulty though how did people do against bosses? because everywhere I look I see people saying this game is harder then other souls like games and I don't really understand why
I have a series of boss related Lies of P vids on the channel that go into the topic. The community ranking especially
Thanks for this video. I’ve just platinumed the game but didn’t pick up on half the lore you talk about.
The balls rolling down doesn’t require pixel perfect timing. All you have to do is stand on the right side and it won’t hit you.
I do wish the alcove to avoid the balls was more pronounced though. To me, it just looked like another part of the track where the hitbox would get you.
Ah.. non-Playstation exclusive bloodborne
After watching the video I'm definitely gonna play this game
The irony is it plays nothing like Bloodborne. It's way more defensive in it's gameplay.
My favorite area is the opera house. The way the very cool enemies fit the theme of the level along with the dueling male and female opera singers in the background. Mwwwwaaahh!!!
Im glad i wasn't the only one that thought the arcade reminded me of Silent hill! My personal favorite area, but youre right an actual boss would have been cool .
W Billy S countdown looking forward to the boss video
I'm just watching these videos because I finished the game 4 times now and have no reason to play again anymore, but I'm not ready to let it go. Can't wait for the DLC!
P.S. they really changed a bunch of things with patches. I hadn't encountered breakable bridges in the scrapyard and could hide mid-slide from the rolling balls in the cathedral, f.e.
Can’t wait for the Disney live action remake
What a fuckin awesome game
They really blew it with the finalevek
Freaking sick video billy i love you
21:50 don't know i its NG+ feature, but you can also give him ergo chunks as a bribe and he will open shop for you
11:06 this is exactly what I tell my girlfriend
omfg
finally, another Swamp and Arche conneseur! I've seen people complain about both (especially Arche, saying it was too long), but I really love both levels, although Swamp is number 1 for me. Agreed on this being the best swamp level in any soulslike game
As a side note, when I first played through Lies of P, I felt like the level design was a bit bland, with few noticable exception. Now I'm playing through Lords of the Fallen and I've come to appreciate LoP levels so much more, compared to incredible tedium of LotF's infinite hordes of enemies everywhere
at least in first playthrough having the hotel spread out allows for listening to records while actually doing things
arche abby was such an awful experience for me (not difficulty i just thought it was boring and had cringe troll design) that it brought my ranking of the game down from a 8.5 to a 7. No enjoyment from that area besides laxasia
29:39 You forgot the best character in the hotel! Spring the cat
21:48 my favorite npc he gives you unlimited consumables (if you have enough ergo of course) and has the best ones without a doubt.
I actually think they transferred what they learned from mobile games well into making this game slowly get better and better
For me the venigni arcade is way to low. its a top 3 area imo and its also criminal to have a swamp that high.
I'm a swamp defender though :
Bro you're obviously supposed to use the doors leaned up on the wall to avoid the rolling ball in St Frangelico
I’m surprised there isn’t a pleasure island area, how can you have a Pinocchio story without pleasure island?
Could always be DLC of some kind? The Isle of the Alchemists was on an Island so maybe they had it covered there? My Pinocchio knowledge is actually not that great, so I have no idea lol
I subbed, good stuff
You put my least favourite area of the game at number 1 haha. I beat this game 3 times for the platinum and dreaded the final area every time. Just annoying level design from a gameplay perspective and annoying enemy combinations. Visually it's cool though, and it has the final bosses of the game which are excellent.
Top 5 for me
5.lorenzi arcade and grand exhibition
4.Venigi works
3.Krat central station
2.Rosa Isabelle street
1.Arche abbey
And I always found chapter 10 to be a demo for chapter 11
If that makes sense
It’s basically the shortest area in the game and is just used to finish up some plot points like the reveal with geppetto and Alidoro and finishing off the black rabbit brotherhood