Lords of The Fallen | the Best Soulslike Ever [Review]

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring today's video. Go to strms.net/hellofresh_se6165437, use my code POGSMOUGHOCT16 and get 16 free meals plus free shipping! UPDATE: Since writing the script, the Devs have released a patch that directly addresses the mob density issues: www.reddit.com/r/LordsoftheFallen/comments/17ehrff/patch_v11224/

[@Troupe_Master]

I cant wait for a full lore breakdown of this game...

[@lazygenie5616]

You really need to play Lies of P, Lies of P is honestly the best Soulslike game including Fromsoft games. Controversial take maybe but it just clicks with me

[@LordNeltharion]

@@lazygenie5616 Honestly after watching a fair amount of reviews on both and hearing two of my friends play Lies of P I think people are kinda comparing them in an incorrect way. While things like polish and gameplay are clearly at different levels the best comparison I can make is that LoP is more like a love letter to Bloodborne's style with the main change being it's MORE story driven then fromsoft's usually indirect fashion and instead of Eldritch Horror they went the Steampunk/Mad Scientist route. where as with Lords of the Fallen it's become more and more clear that it's a love letter to DS1 and even 2 to an extent, Cranking up the dark theme to an 11 and adding a more Dante's Inferno style to the classic Dark Souls formula but still shooting for that interconnected world feel everyone got with DS1, over all it sounds like they shot too high on something (Enemy density which has now been addressed) and simply seemingly ran out of time before they could put the finishing touches given both how fast they responded and how much the dev team still deeply cares. The first thought that comes to mind is DS2's launch with how unfinished it felt to players to almost being false advertising compared to what they wanted to make. DS2 became an overly ambitious project that landed dramatically short of it's goal due to development issues while LotF fell short by a handful of feat thanks to less development conflicts internally but ultimately falling short of the deadline, I'm excited to play both games once I can get the chance to but from what I've seen, LotF is no masterpiece as that is a reasonably high bar but it is shapping up to be a very good game that is getting the polish it deserves.

[@voidnihl]

My uncle, Lord John Fallen, once said: "The bigger the Lords- the harder they of the Fallen".

[@SmoughTown]

Lmao

[@thefreshestslice4105]

The absolute dichotomy of opinions on this game is something else.

[@SmoughTown]

it is wild - to be fair if the performance is so bad on your pc that you cant play it, I think it's fair to mark it down. But as an actual 'game', performance aside. It is a good game, made by people who clearly care

[@danielled8665]

​@SmoughTown yeah, more and more now, games are going to be made for high end solid state drives and multiple large capacity Ram. At least the prices on good graphics cards are coming down now that bitcoin mining doesn't need them.

[@SmoughTown]

@@danielled8665 I've been looking to upgrade recently (my graphics cards are old) and yeh they are looking WAY more affordable now.

[@thrashhhhh]

It’s not just pc. It’s unplayable on consoles it claims to be “optimized” for. That’s unacceptable.

[@michakolaska6954]

​@@thrashhhhhwell i finished it on series x with barely any problems after day 1 patch, so it is not unplayable

[@arobotarmy9878]

As a fan of the genre since the OG Demon’s Souls - I am loving LotF. It even managed to pull me away from Lies of P, which I have been thoughtfully enjoying as well. We’ve been blessed in 2023. So many good games this year.

[@FSVR54]

I thought Armored Core 6 absolutely wrecked both games, much better. Baldur's Gate 3 too.

[@girthatbirth]

@@FSVR54Baldurs Gate 3 is in another league lol

[@arobotarmy9878]

@@FSVR54 I beat AC6 four times. Fantastic game but of course - it’s direct from From Software. BG3 is my GOAT.

[@RTristanBanks]

2023 has been nuts between ac6, bg3, LotF, Phantom Liberty, and Lies of P have all blown my expectations away.

[@arobotarmy9878]

@@RTristanBanks Seriously! I’ve got two play throughs of CP2077 before PL came out. Trying to let the memory fade a bit before I jump into a third.

[@Soulliquor]

As much as I like the game, it also has some issues I would definitely categorize as funkillers and I'm not talking about the performance. Want to lock on an enemy in front of you that tried to ambush you? Game straight up refuses to lock on at all until the enemy goes 'active'. Got surrounded by two or more enemies? Press lockon and it *will* lock on any enemy but the one in front of you. 9 out of 10 times you die not because of enemy difficulty but because you are fighting the game itself from beginning to end. The hitbox is also very iffy at times

[@thetricksterpill]

I know that feeling. I try locking on enemies but it doesn't respond fully but locks on smaller things instead of a big or ranged enemy

[@Soulliquor]

@@thetricksterpill or worse: anything else but the one who is attacking you. Sometimes it even switches to a different target the moment the engagement starts! Baffling.

[@Filip_Agrippa]

With the lock on, I have to heavily agree. The lock on got me killed more times than the actual monsters I was trying to lock on overpowering me. :D

[@sedivh0]

the first thing i recognized as a way to not be able to avoid ambushes, but the second thing has not once happened to me

[@Soulliquor]

@@sedivh0 it was a very big problem when the game came out. i assume it got fixed if you havent experienced it even once.

[@baines803]

easily my favorite thing about this game is the ammo system holy shit its amazing

[@Skegfromcraigslist]

Yeah really deserve credit for the various systems they’ve incorporated. The ammo system, throwables, dual world, one-hand/two-hand switching mod combo. And while not an innovation, the graphics are stunning. Unreal 5 engine really shines here

[@barsham7881]

spells as well

[@JohnDoe-pu5gk]

​@@Skegfromcraigslistyeah and it's still medicore and runs like shit on all platforms, also feels like a chore most times.

[@Skegfromcraigslist]

@@JohnDoe-pu5gkoh well. Back to Spider-Man 2 ya go

[@BayonneJoe35]

Agreed. There are som many ranged options as well. Loving it.

[@ignatiuspennyfeather232]

The best umbral eye is easily the eye of loash, gaining invulnerability and hyper armor for charge attacks literally carried me through the game.

[@monsterboomer8051]

I had holy Guts sword with this. Total annihilator.

[@oscaroska7613]

Nope, the one with 25% stun durations with weither build you can one-shot any elite enemies also the stun so long

[@thenomad8732]

Losh rule, specialy on a paladin build. Buff to defence, regen and you are ready to unleash the holy fury

[@phrozac]

Yup. My first playthrough I slapped that puppy onto my Ravager Gregory UGS and went to town. EZ mode. On my 2nd playthrough I went spear/bow and felt the pain lol

[@don_campos]

Soo happy to hear the passion for this game ! Really looking forward to all the lore videos !! In Light We Walk !

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend - super excited to cover the lore

[@LawfulBased]

In Radiance... edgyness. 😏

[@drakensgreed2350]

The Lore is so good. Once I pieced out the connection of a certain prisoner and two bosses, I was in awe.

[@commandernomad2817]

Same, once i realized the connection it was awsome. The lore and story are genuinely interesting. I hope we get some lore videos.

[@SweartoSpivak]

what connection? i finished the game 3 times but i still have no idea whats going on

[@commandernomad2817]

@@SweartoSpivak you have to read the lore and pay attention. The spurned progeny is the son of the queen and king of Mournstead. The tortured prisoner in the queen and the sundered monarch is the king and the spurned progeny is their son.

[@Insp.CountMortisWinshipKlaw]

Really enjoying the lore but the combat sucks.

[@SweartoSpivak]

@@commandernomad2817 Thanks! The problem for me is that the lore is in the items description. I liked the wy skyrim did it, leaving books explaining everything

[@Future_Doggo]

This is probably the most divisive game I've seen since TLOU2. I've seen several people call it a masterpiece, and other people call it mid/bad. I haven't played it myself yet so I'm really interested to see.

[@Budd631]

I haven’t seen anyone call it a masterpiece. That’s fine if it has but I feel like the term is very much overused.

[@brucepreston3927]

I've played close to 100 hours already and I can say it is not a mastetpiece...But it is a really good game! The Devs are working hard on fixing stuff though, they have literally put out a patch on PC almost everyday since release...I'm not super picky about stuff though, and I had a blast with this game! If you enjoy interconnected worlds and exploration then you will love this game...I would dare say it does a better job at this than Dark Souls 1 did and that is a true compliment! The main issue I had with the game is that the lock-on is finicky and the mob density can get a little overwhelming in certain spots...It is by no means game breaking though, and if you go in with an open mind you will have a blast! Also make sure to use throwables/ranged weapons because than can be really OP and make alot of areas less frustrating!

[@oscaroska7613]

​@Budd631 it is a masterpiece 😊

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

The praise for the game is much more legit and honest than tlou2

[@namnoc00]

It’s a masterpiece.

[@MarceloSoares-sp4gc]

I dont know why the lies of p fans are hating on this game so much, like he have problems but bruh chill out, just play the two games or only lies of p

[@SmoughTown]

yep - I think the hate for this game is overblown. People who can't play it performance wise excluded of course!

[@danielled8665]

​@@SmoughTownpeople dramatically overblowing hate for something in a crowd minded rage? That never happens. Just don't ask Kirsten Stewart, or Rings of Power, or Nickleback, or people with blue hair...

[@porkwhisperer3050]

I absolutely do understand why and it’s because these games have completely different strengths. The combat feel and movement once adjusted feels a decent chunk better in lies of p. The weapon balancing and the general combat complexity along side the intricate boss and enemy design with many ways to approach them what will range in effectiveness dependent on your weapon and build is just incredible. It doubles down on bloodborn and sekiros strengths. Not to say the level design and or world building is bad. But it definitely doesn’t focus on it like lords of the fallen does. Honestly they both feel like an exaggerated version of dark souls 1 for lords of the fallen and bloodborn for lies of p. As in they both double down on their strengths and weaknesses. I do think the average fromsoft fan currently plays more for the action than the rpg mechanics and immersive fun to explore and non linear world. So I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be a lot hate for this game. It generally seems the average souls like fan does not care as much or hardly at all about the elements that lords of the fallen focuses more on. Not to say there isn’t an audience for this game. I mean all you have to do to see how little people care about these elements is to see how many people are saying the demons souls remake art direction was faithful lol.

[@seabassleak6797]

I came from lies of p and absolutely loved it. Prolly a 9/10 for me. And then I jumped into this game and also enjoy it a ton 🤣🤣🤣 ain't gotta find things to complain about, just enjoy a couple awesome games 😎

[@Psychotoxic86]

I did not hater the new LOF and had finished it on "good" ending. After 60 hours in LOF, I can tell Lies of P much better in a lot of things and game was polished well at the start.

[@mcjibbo6100]

I had to choose between Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen cause my financials doesn't allow buying both. In the end i bought Lies of P cause i'm a Bloodborne addicted. Been playing now in NG+2 and really enjoying it. The fact that it's like a child from Bloodborne and Sekiro makes it even better. But i'm looking forward for Lotf.

[@SmoughTown]

Next on my to play list

[@blodiaaa6990]

Don't insult Sekiro and Bloodborne like that

[@BurnishedKnight]

There are a lot of horror elements in LOTF, very lovecraftian as bloodborne setting aside.

[@Donovarkhallum]

​@@blodiaaa6990in terms of atmosphere lies of p is the closest souls like to bloodbourne. To say otherwise is delusional

[@same24]

Honestly, as someone who 100% LoP, don't buy LotF right away. Try to forget about LoP, because LotF is a massive downgrade in almost every category.

[@Meleoker]

I absolutely agree that LoTf is the closest soulslike to date. I love that its so much darker than the souls games as well. Love the world and the asthetics. I just wish there was a little more NPC interactions based on your choices, there isnt a single npc that gives a shit if you clense a beacon or not.

[@jessemiller3108]

Good point. I always come back to the NPC's after something I've done in the world expecting them to say something about it, but they never do

[@commandernomad2817]

Yes there is? Demerose cares a _lot_ if you cleanse beacons. She becomes a boss fight.

[@Rajoovi1]

@@commandernomad2817 I can *sort of* understand why OP thinks that. Assuming you're cleansing the beacons, you only see her twice, at both ends of Pilgrim's Perch. If you cleanse the first beacon, she just moves to the bossfight area and you don't see here until then, which, if you're going through the intended path, is all 5 beacons later. Dude probably got to the fight going "Damrose the Marked? Idk who that is".

[@TheNemesis442]

uh......lol, there are 2 whole endings related to not cleansing them.....there is even a merchant who turns into a boss fight after you cleanse them. you don't know what you're talking about.

[@TheNemesis442]

@@Rajoovi1that's really the fault of the OP. the first time you meet damrose, she tells you not to cleanse the beams.

[@mvbrown25]

If I had to choose between Lies of P or this for game of the year, I’d pick Lies of P. More polished and the combat is much closer to Bloodborne. However, AC6 takes it over all. I’m thoroughly enjoying this game, like legit, but the performance is a major problem for immersion. I’m constantly paranoid I’m going to lose my save(already had a corrupted save once which I barely salvaged) or the game stutter out during a busy mob fight. I’m on PS5 btw.

[@sindraalthewolf9256]

I adore this game but the split in opinions is baffeling to me. Having played souls for over a decade now its easy to see how good this game is, and im surprised at that feeling of wonder from DS1 coming back to me, along with the feeling of dread. Its not perfect but neither was Demon Souls, DS1 or 2. I hope this clash of opinions doesnt kill our chances for a sequel for this game.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh, I understand people not clicking with it - but the visceral hatred of it is a bit strange to me

[@DuggyDarko]

Most souls fans never played Demon Souls or Dark souls. They just jumped onboard with Elden Ring and have no appreciation for world building, lore or level design. This game captures the feel of DS1 and that's why I love it.

[@wolfiemuse]

@@DuggyDarkoI would disagree. It’s probably about half and half now. If you go onto any of the communities like Reddit etc, it seems like there’s just as many first gen fans like me (and presumably you) who fell in love with Demon Souls in high school or college and have been a fan since.

[@DuggyDarko]

@@wolfiemuse mate I'm 40. I was playing DeS as a grown ass man 🤣

[@wolfiemuse]

@@DuggyDarko I was a senior in high school if I remember correctly. Me and a buddy played DeS, DS, and DS2 together

[@Jaden-Ring]

Settings, atmosphere, and lore are what defines my favorite from software games. My favorite non from software souls like was nioh 2 for its combat but in the areas that matter to me personally a bit more it was lacking. This game looks to me like it delivers on what matters more to me from these games and im excited to get around to it. Also I'm gonna count this video as a bday present lol 🎂 thanks smough.

[@SmoughTown]

Happy birthday James! Have a great day

[@Jinxyoutoheaven]

This is super important to me as well. Lotf keeps grabbing my attention because there is just so much stuff going on visually. Love it. I’m still going to wait a while before it get it though. Performance is important to me as well. Lies of p even though it didn’t kept me playing because the combat was not fun. The game was super smooth when I played it.

[@ShabririChirugh]

Fun fact that I think you have missed (or I missed it in the video), but there is a third way to enter the Umbral world. If you hold up your lantern and then get attacked or touched by one of the inhabitants you will be pulled into it.

[@SmoughTown]

I do mention it though very briefly But it's a cool part of the game defo

[@sikevillain]

Great review. As a huge soulslike fan i really love this game.. its definitely the closest ive felt playing a actual Dark Souls game. What i appreciate most is how it resembles DS1-3 in a way.. DS1 brilliant interconnected world design, DS2 combat but way more improved with challenging mobs of enemies, & graphical fidelity that rivals DS3. I will definitely be spending alot of time with this game.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend, glad you enjoyed my take - especially how contentious it is! But yeh im gonna get alot out of this.

[@coolworldstufff]

If you look at DS3 now compared to lotf, it actually looks quite bad

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

Glad this and Lies of P came out pretty close to one another. I do enjoy the whole “souls-like” games, so it’s a welcomed bundle. Haven’t been able to get my hands on TLotF, but I have been playing Lies of P and I gotta say - I’m loving it. I keep hearing bad reviews with TLotF, but it’s still tempting to buy. The characters and their designs honestly pull me in. I wanna learn their stories and about the world they inhabit, especially the Dark Crusaders and the Hallowed Sentinels 👄 until then, Lies of P is something of a work of art, completely. It’s quite original with how it takes from the source material, but at the same time, makes use of some of the better souls mechanics. Lovely story and art direction. Am hoping you do content for both games 🫣

[@terrythegnome2408]

don't get it on PC. It is still very hitchy and frame droppy in bad spots. I am on a veritable super computer so it aint my rig! Maybe its better on console but the melee feels extremely floaty and just clunky in comparison to most soulslikes. I really kept trying cuz I loved the art but goddamn its just hitchy as hell and the melee knight character feels like hes moving in sand, so slow and hard to maneuver.

[@ViciousKell]

21:10 you can equip up to 5 on some catalysts, or use a ring + a 4 spells catalyst to equip 5 spells

[@lunar_arcus]

My hype for Lies of P was immeasurable and I couldn’t get into it. I was so skeptical about this one and I’m absolutely in love with it.

[@SmoughTown]

I was SO skeptical of this game, can even find comments of me on twitter criticising its marketing. But honestly i've fallen in love

[@otakuofmine]

same. LotF is the superior game it seems. It uses its potential, why LoP wastes its sadly

[@mikeredding4667]

I really wanted to like Lies Of P, but man, it's just so clunky, the dodge mechanic is terrible, and the parry timing feels like crap. I haven't gotten to play LOTF yet, but it looks amazing, so I'm hoping to be in the love-it crowd

[@otakuofmine]

@@mikeredding4667 exactly my problem too with it.

[@Minima0]

@@otakuofmine funny, i heard so many opinions stating the exact opposite. cant say anything about lotf since i havent played it, but lies of p wasting potential? where when how?

[@ConnorGraham-f5g]

Great as always Smough! I love this game (clocking around 50+ hours on multiple characters). The world, art direction, lore, atmosphere, builds, magic system and combat are fantastic. I also have it on PS5 and have had very few performance issues - a few crashes and nothing game breaking. I know PC folks have had tons of issues, but I can’t speak to that. I do have some gripes like enemy placement and no action cancelling, but that didn’t stop me from absolutely enjoying this game. It’s a shame the review scores for this are getting tanked; a lot of the criticism seems unfair, especially considering the hot garbage larger studios are putting out these days. Some are saying LOTF is “soul-less Dark Souls” and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

[@SmoughTown]

I think it's very unfair and I just wonder if people have played the same game haha. I understand it may not click with you, but the visceral hatred it is getting is odd

[@johnhuddleston1986]

This is one of the best games I have ever played. The exploration, build variety, and replayability are all top notch

[@djpsykosis376]

The moment he said "I didn't get around to playing Lies of P" I immediately understood why this is ur best souls like of all time cuz it would be that if LoP didn't exist

[@uzuvibe5420]

I played both and I prefer lotf but they’re 2 different type of games I just really don’t like lop skill tree but I enjoy the lore of that game but it doesn’t fit that freedom I want that lotf gets.

[@RebelOfTheNorm242]

I like P, but honestly LOTF is just better in my opinion. Its cool to have different opinions

[@stinyg]

My guy LoP doesn't remotely compare to the scale of Lords of the fallen. Lies of P is a much smaller and less ambitious game than Lords of the fallen

[@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290]

Not gonna lie, Lies of P felt kinda like Bloodborne from wish, which makes sense, but it feels like maybe a 04/10 for me. LOTF(2) wasn't too much better, maybe a 06/10, but slightly better from the perspective of someone who wasn't the greatest bloodborne fan.

[@stee1curtain341]

This game is an absolute gem! I’m 25hrs in and I’m loving it! I think a lot of people have a ‘dark souls’ supremacy to where if a souls like doesn’t feel exactly like fromsoft made it, they call it trash. I mean the combat might not be on par to elden ring, bloodborn etc, but it is far from bad, it is actually fantastic, if elden ring is a 10 for combat, lotf is an 8, but people treat it like it is a 1.

[@amwazdraws6890]

Elden Ring doesn't even have good combat! It's just R1 and Roll Spam. It's very bad compared to this game imo

[@amwazdraws6890]

in Elden Ring blocking is worse than in LOTF, parrying is useless, unless you are very skilled and it doesn't have an ammunition system as good as LOTF

[@azuredream9032]

Exactly this. Anything that's not fs or fs lvl in their opinion gets immediately bashed and it's not fair especially when other studios don't have nearly the same amount of exp as fs. YET IMO it's those same studios that tends to make the most unique and enjoyable souls games that aren't fs titles because they try implementing different things instead of beating the same dead horse. ONLY fs game i give credit to for being extremely good and deserving of it's praise is sekiro but otherwise there are better souls games out there that aren't fs imo.

[@user-pn4px5lr8w]

​@@amwazdraws6890you literally described DS3, and even in DS3 you can strafe around some attacks to get swings in without having to roll, but the roll is so free on most encounters.

[@Andy_Paris]

What!? Elden Ring combat is better? I completely disagree. If anything, Elden Ring combat is 7.5/10, whereas LotF is 8.5/10. I dual wield in every souls-like, and LotF is *a lot more* intuitive! In Elden Ring, jump attack and R1/RB spam is all that was needed to beat it. In LotF, I'm using every moveset depending on enemy position, and it feels so much better to play too! I'm enjoying LotF way more than Elden Ring. The world, story, and combat are fantastic in comparison for me.

[@Morrov]

My biggest gripe with this game, though admittedly without playing it yet, is how visually busy everything seems. The textures seem busy, there's so many enemies, so many particle effects, it's all a bit much. Seems quite cool otherwise. I have been playing Lies of P for a few days though, and while I definitely have some issues with the game, the positives massively overweight them. It really scratches my souls itch while waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree.

[@patataeve]

That's exactly what I think about Lies of P without playing it, haha. But it honestly doesn't feel like that, and playing it coop is a LOT of fun. I love LotF so far.

[@Mohobofo]

That's with a lot of new engines. Unreal 5...final fantasy 16 is like that too. The newer particle effects look great but they're a lot on the screen. Even ac6 had a ton of visual noise without newer engine that induced migraines

[@Morrov]

​@@patataevethat's interesting, Lies of P has been pretty visually "tame" for me with the darker Bloodborne-esque setting and relatively realistic looking areas. Some building interiors seem a bit overdone, but it seems purposeful to show how rich and prosperous the city is supposed to have been. I guess it all feels different when you actually play the game, I'll definitely have to give LotF a go.

[@Morrov]

​@@Mohobofoyeah AC6 is very particle heavy too, but I guess that didn't bother me as much when the particles come from car sized guns and cannons that could be used on warships, it feels quite appropriate.

[@commandernomad2817]

This is something that looks a lot worse on KZbin then it does on game. KZbin compression makes everything much blurrier and messy. Its genuinely not a problem in game. And I played Lies of P after this game and lies of p was _incredbly_ boring to look at in comparison.

[@reapernekrs4871]

-Pros (imo) Stunning visuals Good level design Good world building Ok bosses Awesome weapons and armor 3 Great endings Nice lore/story -Cons (imo) Unrewarding and weak parry (when you parry it sound weak, you get withered, and it takes up to 3 perfect parries at the least for an enemy to get stager and even you manage to stager the enemy you get 1 second to react before you hit the ropost) Clunky combat (sometimes it launches you forward and you can fall off a cliff) Too many enemies that ruin exploration and make be constantly on edge both on umbral and normal world The parasites on enemies and bosses are annoying Slow spell casting Some of the spells are too weak and have almost 0 use Vestige seeds are kinda useless Not many heals Bad optimization Some places have narrow paths that make combat very hard and annoying Heavy attacks most of the time are not worth it The lamp is slow (slow equip, slow soulflay) Getting back your souls is slow Low variety of enemies Many reskins (which shows lazy development) Personally I didn't enjoy the game! I believe it needs way more work than people give it credit for! I only pray some good modder finds this comment and find a way to help the game and remove some of the cons and limitations I listed above!

[@draw2death421]

While i have some issues with the game, mostly enemy variety in basic enemies, major enemies like knights and beasts are good but Minor enemies feel very reused. I do love how we can get any enemys armor set we meet too. Itches my Fashion Hunter itch

[@wolfiemuse]

Oooh… that sounds nice

[@RazelleLockwood]

When he says any enemy, he means it too, like those umbral monsters you can get their faces as a mask.@@wolfiemuse

[@mkv2718]

the armor tincts are a godsend, and why it’s taken a dev this long to think of that is beyond me. nearly every piece of armor has the potential to match with every other piece.

[@Serpentaxuk]

I'm utterly loving this game, by far the best soulslike i've played.. The duel wield system, the thown weapons.. The mob density making you think about how to engage a pack.. Love it all.

[@ungabungacaveman9021]

This game definitely has issues but I think the peaks are high and low. Finding a secret area in the umbral with a giant Cthulhu esque monster resting at the bottom of it after a secret boss is a 10/10 experience. Fighting through the tightly packed corridors in a second secret area right after the first swarming with like 30 enemies a lot of which have an insane amount of poise and there’s no checkpoint after the boss is a 2/10 experience.

[@YEY0806]

Then there's no vestiges in ng+ making it a 0/10 experience

[@TheL0ngbeard]

You can create you own checkpoint after every boss as far as I remember

[@redemption7249]

This game is outstanding. The world design of DS1 is finally matched again. The bosses are always presenting some clever way of tilting the odds in your favour if you use your wits. It often reminds me of Demon’s Souls, which to me is an amazing thing. There is more to this game than just pressing the roll or parry button at the right time. The art design and visuals are so captivating and inspired. The exploration is actually next level with the Umbral Lamp, the Vestige Seeds offering risk vs reward, just so so much clever stuff they really went all out. Glad this game exists and a shame it does not get the reviews it deserves, although the reception is not bad by any means. Very excited about what this studio does next!

[@SmoughTown]

Couldn’t agree more - the combat has way more to it than people give it credit for. The feeling of exploration and discovery is class. Very pleased with my time with the game

[@00bmx1]

I'm deeply concerned.

[@kaic5225]

Personally Salt and sanctuary and Lies of pi still my favorite soulslike game, LoTF have the same design problems that DS2, sometimes a bit worse but i love ds2 so i rlly enjoyed my time with this game too.

[@Imminent_Wrath]

the mobs are the part i despise... thousands of mobs in every tiny corridor and it gets old and repetative

[@Filip_Agrippa]

I didn't have issues with it, because I used Pieta's lightsaber, which has wide swings and high dmg, but I get it. They should have made the game more action oriented if they wanted such mob density.

[@dakotadeering7615]

Game is great! Variety of weapons, spells, and builds. Fun world to explore with great enemy design. Grinding in the umbral realm is awesome. Only gripe I have is the forward lunge movement for simple attacks, and the few crashes that can be patched out.

[@SmoughTown]

More or less my thoughts! The postives massively outweigh the negatives

[@dakotadeering7615]

@@SmoughTown absolutely, I think people just compare souls-like games to souls titles and then can't appreciate a great game. This game has a far better multiplayer aspect compared to even Elden ring, making it that much more fun to play with friends over ER.

[@malcolmkhummel3]

Yeah...I hated that as well. You don't need to inject more action "feel" or whatever they are trying to do with that. It is a big gripe for me but I got used to it. Also...no unique movements among the different weapon classes which is a bummer. Every weapon should have a difference, other than what class it would be good for. Also, they nerf your character in coop too much...

[@alwaysask]

In June 2024, after many great patches, I bought the game and had the time of my life. Reached all 3 endings, played over 150 hours... Huge fun, fantastic aesthetic experience.

[@alter6243]

Thank you so much for this review. Decided to pick up the game last night based on a the things you described during this video. I absolutely love the game far. I see why you compare it to Dark Souls 1 so much. Dark Souls 1 was the last game in the franchise I tried and it was the game that got me to fall in love with the genre. From the combat to the way you traverse the areas, it really does feel like a modern Dark Souls. I would even argue the controls feel more fluid than Eldin Ring.

[@SmoughTown]

That's genuinely so awesome to hear my friend - so glad you liked it, especially afthe the divisive opinions on it. But I agree, the game is magic - even with its flaws.

[@pvpeet9374]

I can’t wait for your lore videos!!! Honestly, so far the plot seems very flat: bad demon king is about to return, we must stop the demonic army. Good god demands sacrifices, so also not really good. I most likely just didn’t get it, but more details would be appreciated extremely! You changed my perspective of the umbral world - I don’t like it, but if I take your approach that’s the whole point of the world of the dead. Thanks for this! I’m about level 75 now, cleansed 3/5 beacons. It’s a blind playtrough and I’ll admit: the visuals are stunning, the bosses feel great so far and the interconnected world is amazing. I have some gripes with it tough: A) strength weapons feel weirdly weak and nobody cares about getting a Zweihänder in their face, they just keep their attack going (can’t really interrupt enemies) B) the lock-on mechanic sometimes straight up ignores enemies directly in front of you C) you have to scale Inferno or Radiant to read the items, which excludes a large part of the lore for me D) it feels largely edgy for the sake of being edgy (e.g. the displayed corpses everywhere in the starting village, the burning village) E) when I enter the hub, my Xbox doesn’t show a game, but a very violent PowerPoint presentation I played Sekiro, Elden Ring and the Jedi parts (if you want to include them) and this definitely keeps up well. Lorewise I can’t say so far, but the gameplay is overall great (especially the bosses).

[@phaedrus12134]

This game has some hidden cinematics in trailers that really help connect some of the dots. One shows Paladin isaac, derva, and exactor dunmire being given their mission to cleanse mournsted. I have a feeling we are going to get some crazy dlc that has more to do with the church of orian radiance. Also if you don't like the umbral - socket items with dread resistance in your lamp. Reduces how fast the dread bar fills in umbral. With 3 items socketed, you can be in umbral for a loooooong time stress free - like 30min or more.

[@thebombdiggity3941]

Im so happy other people get it. Was worried seeing all the bad reviews. Gives me that 1st playthrough vibes

[@SmoughTown]

Same - I feel people REALLY prioritise polish...and thats fine but for me Aesthetics and feel are MILES above everything else.

[@rijadsabic]

@@SmoughTown That's why your lore videos are so on point and why I personally follow you. Story and feel above everything else, polish, gameplay, mechanics are always welcome but damn it all goes in the back when story, lore and feels are on point.

[@SmoughTown]

@@rijadsabic Too kind my friend! 100% agree and I think people can't comprehend or accept that!

[@rijadsabic]

@@SmoughTown True that. I think that original Lords of the Fallen is perfect example, while it did have so many problems, it hooked me so much. From my recent experience Darktide did the same, it had problems but it delivered with the feeling of W40k universe. Anyhow thank you very much for your work.

[@CrystronHalq]

@@SmoughTown People prioritize quality, polish, execution and production. Wich LotF has all failed at. It has poor fundamental design problems. It has optimization problems. Its simply just not a good game for $60-70. Its janky, messy and inconsistent. The unreal engine 5 graphics and beautiful art arent enough to win your consumers over. You gotta do alot more than that.

[@BaldOmniMan]

There are a lot of small things that make this game a miss for me. (At least until it’s heavily touched up) The game ISN’T bad. At all. Lots of things from the aesthetic, flow of combat (when you’re not fighting massive mobs), let me know that they definitely care about making a solid game. Enemy variety, level design (exploration wise, not aesthetically), sound design, and the bosses being very easy (reminiscent of Demons Souls bosses) The way vestiges are set up is weird too. I would say that it’s probably about on par with Demons Souls, which would have been amazing 15 years ago, but in today’s meta of Soulslikes, it’s missing a lot of the modern improvements. I don’t care about performance because the best Soulslike (Bloodborne) runs at 30 fps at best. Lords of the Fallen just misses the mark on many of the things that makes a good soulslike. It’s a good game though, in the way DS2 is a good game. Some of the negative reviews are from scrubs/overly negative people, but a lot of the common criticisms are very valid. There’s a ton of potential here though with patches.

[@jorisbonson1443]

The prophet of Mogging watches smoughtown? Badass

[@OptimumSlinky]

There are valid criticisms to be made for sure, but some of the critics are hammering this game meanwhile Elden Ring recycled dungeons and enemies over and over and over and yet gets a pass? I’m biased because I adore DS3 and did not enjoy ER much at all, but I feel like people are giving FS a pass for doing the same things LotF does.

[@avelonzx]

Level design? It is on the level of Dark Souls 1. If you think this game has poor level design then I don’t know if you even played Dark Souls 3 or Lies of P. Those games are legit linear hallways from one end of the map to the other with no choice of direction or interconnection. LOTF has stellar level design, it alone carries this game.

[@liisahmanni]

Too bad Sony locked FromSoft's best soulslike behind exclusivity. No surprise they fought so hard to keep Activision Blizzard. I fear the day Sony runs out of exclusives, because that means they just might have to refer back to

[@Mohobofo]

Whst meta of souls likes lol pretty much every souls likes suck. Team ninja is the only one who makes them good butbits hard to even call them souls likes since they have such a unique identity...which is something other souls likes can't do

[@ChrisHavok]

Lords of the Fallen is my least favorite soulslike. It's as if they took the worst elements of DS2 and built an entire game around it. The umbral world mechanic felt like a forced gimmick and was a tedious chore to explore. Comparing this game to Lies of P feels wrong. Lies of P has masterful level design, combat, and storytelling. It borrows some of the BEST ideas and elements from games like DS1, Bloodborne, & Sekiro, improving and expanding upon the foundation that FromSoftware built. Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen are not on the same level.

[@GregKarras]

This game highly rewards paying attention and slow, methodical play. It's a giant maze, filled with jerks hiding everywhere. I pumped health, stamina and equip load, wore the heaviest armor I could find and used the high base damage axe. The hardest part was accepting I had to dodge instead of relying on shields. Even though I kind of suck at hard games, this strat made the game so much easier after the first few hours.

[@SmoughTown]

haha those jerks kept pushing me off the edge

[@GregKarras]

@SmoughTown I learned to assume there was always a bad guy behind every corner, every shiny was bait, and to dodge after every kill or 2 or 3 attacks because there's someone behind me. You're not paranoid if everyone IS out to get you. With high armor, resist, stam and health, you can afford to make a lot of mistakes and still recover. I like games where you get to design your own easy mode!

[@ALANMAXTV]

Really loving the game, not understanding the wild criticism, the bugs and performance issues are disappearing day by day with daily patches. Really amazing world with lots to do thanks to the lamp feature.

[@Zlatan32289]

I’m obsessed with this game, only from soft games can pull me in like this. This feels like Dark souls 1 mixed with bloodbourne and sekiro in a demon souls remake on PS5 package. Last time I was this obsessed was Elden ring.

[@paulhenri5902]

Lies of P is the best Soulslike every, by 100 miles Lords of the Fallen is probably the most annoying one, Dark Souls 2 II

[@Angina272]

120 hours in game so far and only now i realised why there is bleed build up when i cast radiance spells :) makes so much sense now, thanks a lot mate, fantastic video, sub added.

[@SmoughTown]

Much appreciated my friend! Haha yeh it’s a really nice detail eh?

[@mayhem5235]

I love the hell out of this game. If it weren't for technical and skill issues, it would have scored at least a 9 out of 10. It was released a bit early, but at least they are actively patching the hell out of it. Just wish they weren't nerfing it already, but after ac6 and lies of p it's just become expected. I'm a proud member of the pre-nerf master race for all three, though.

[@ni9274]

I don't really understand how people can say it's the best interconnected souls game since DS1, like the interconnection isn't really useful in the first playthrough cause you can just teleport. The Elden Ring world for example is interconnected but there is literally no reason to go walk anywhere, and when you do NG+ without vestige it become extremely tidious since the map was clearly designed with Vestige in mind. What made DS1 interconnection so good is the lack of fast travel and the fact that the world isn't big and that it doesn't take 20 minutes to go from one side to another, since LOTF levels are very big it doesn't make sense to force the player to walk everywhere.

[@gimmedataids]

You're right. The inability to fast travel at the start of Dark Souls was crucial to making that map feel so special. Devs are now afraid to even attempt it, I guess. Even Fromsoft

[@toddbrimstone]

Lies of P seemed far better to me. Much more polished, slicker combat, nowhere as much BS difficulty through nothing more than sheer enemy numbers that makes exploration a complete chore as you are chased down by hordes. I do like it though, just Lies of P seemed so much better.

[@SmoughTown]

totally fair - think it is a preference thing

[@toddbrimstone]

@@SmoughTown I think I would be enjoying Lord's of the Fallen a bit more if I have would have played it before Lies of P, that's purely because of how good that felt. It's the closest to a Fromsoft game I have ever played. Mind you, the fashion in LotF is pretty top tier 🤩

[@SmoughTown]

@@toddbrimstone Truth! The fashion is fire

[@mirahgirl01]

Yeah I am trying to put everything behind me and enjoy it as it's own unique experience. It's fun if you just get on and play it keeps you wanting to play and that is all that matters!

[@jacobantis7014]

The amount of patches and feedback response is phenomenal. Also helping people in this game is rewarding and fun; it's how I farm my vigor and materials at a steady pace. As well as get combat practice.

[@blakebailey22]

My biggest hang-ups with the game were the mob density, the withered health from blocking/parrying, the lack of vestiges on NG+, how often you have to stop what you're doing to use your lamp, and how often you have to go into umbral. I'm glad to see that the devs are making quality of life changes, but there are still fundamental hang-ups that I have that I don't think the devs will ever be willing to change.

[@SmoughTown]

Theyve addressed 2 in the latest patch: NG+ will be getting a vestige mode and mob density patching has begain, by nerfing leashing.

[@blakebailey22]

@@SmoughTown Indeed, those are both big quality of life changes that are very welcome. That said, I'm still not sure how much I would enjoy having to go into umbral, and the withered health penalties for blocking and parrying really irk me

[@SereTheDoggoUwU]

@@SmoughTownfr?! Thank god

[@SmoughTown]

@@SereTheDoggoUwU Yep! Patch is live on PC and coming to consoles in the coming days

[@HArrowsmith]

​@@blakebailey22you really don't "have" to go into Umbral that often. Once Or twice per area for forced progression, at which point you can leave right after since there's always a statue. Parrying getting withered health is strange, but really not a big deal, and would you rather take straight health damage for blocking? There has to be some cost to doing it

[@CrowScareify]

Really excited to try this game. I’m about half way through Lies of P and I adore it. It’s so beautiful to see people approaching FromSoft style games and succeeding. Like some games before this year were fine… but I feel these two games are astoundingly good.

[@phaedrus12134]

Totally agree, my favorite game of the year so far. I can't get enough.

[@Quantumact2908]

as someone who doesnt have a good enough internet connection to engage with any of the online except the revenge and shrine mechanics, had little to no graphical issues, and was really wanting to enjoy this game before release... i just cant really understnd what it is that people like about it. by the time i got to the end of my run of the game (still debating a second playthrough to do a different ending) i had put in about 57 hours, and just felt miserable for at least 48 of them. so the more that i hear and see people enjoying this game so much, the more i just start wondering if im missing something, or if i really was just miserable with the choices they made in the design. i had good expectations for this game before release, admittedly not high, but they werent low either. i even pre ordered it to get the extra customizations for armor... kinda regretting that though since i ended up pretty much ignoring those three tincts. but even just halfway through the game i was just miserable and wanted the run over whenever i booted it back up to make progress in the radiance ending. and there were two bosses that just felt weird to be mandatory ones to me. the sundered king since he just seems to be grieving over his wife or something, like... why not just ignore him and go up to the effigy. and the hollow crow, i mean... the things kinda just chillin with his daughters spirit or something. do we *need* to kill them? but boss nitpick aside, alot of the stuff just really didnt make sense to me. the really thin platforms everywhere, like why do i have to traverse a 5 inch thick rope? the shrines being online only, yet being good sources of some incredibly important/good to have stuff, the enemy density (granted, they are fixing this one apparently), vestiges being nonexistent in new game plus, and a few others. theres a few nitpicks i could bring up, like one really agriegious placement of a fire effect for a torch somewhere, but that would just be being annoying if i started pointing them out. so whenever i see people prising it so highly, due to how miserable i was when playing the game, it confuses me immensely. like, did i do something wrong when playing the game, is it just something i shouldnt play, or am i missing something crucial to understand when playing the game. and why id i have such a bad time with the game?

[@potatopoker2141]

I would recommend Lies of P if you havent played it yet. Imo it recaptures Fromsofts d design philosophy n gameplay mechanics (while still adding onto the formula in a fresh way). Thanks for the review

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks bud - yeh it's my next game to play

[@takrayz]

I started the game 2 days ago, sure know i believe many things got fixed, but im playing on the ps5 and the game is SO good! Its like dark souls on steroids. The combat mechanics are great, the world is amazing and how the map connects! the details of the map, the dodging is better for me here than in dark souls, the umbral world is amazing too, and the fact that death is literraly watching you and the reaper comes after a while is wild xD. The graphics are top notch .Im loving it. If it was made by fromsoftware it would be praised by everyone. The fact that you dont feel alone in the world because there are many npcs that make the game feel alive is great too, the way you improve your sanguinarix is cool. The dual weapon system work great. there are so many good things in this game! Elden ring for exemple still has performance issues even on performance mode on next gen consoles. This is the closest game to dark souls to date so as a dark souls fan im loving it.

[@Boss_Fight_Index_muki]

The Meta Consensus is about 7.4ish for LotF, might give it a go when it's $40.

[@SmoughTown]

I think that's probably fair - up to an 8 if fixed

[@Skegfromcraigslist]

7.4 is crazy low for the quality of this game. I’d say it’s an 8 absolute minimum. For me currently it’s a 9

[@landenx]

This game looks awesome! Are you planning on making a Lies of P video?

[@SmoughTown]

Yep! When ive played it

[@SpaceDoggy777]

I’m so glad creators like you appreciate this masterpiece! I’m about 12 hours in, and I am absolutely loving this game 🎉 May the Light of Orius sustain yee! 🙌🏻

[@SmoughTown]

Me too! 60 hours later and I still want to play more. Enjoy your first playthrough!

[@ChrisUchiha7]

Gonna pick this game up maybe next week.

[@don_campos]

In Light We Walk !! 🙌🏽

[@SpaceDoggy777]

@@ChrisUchiha7 Just be prepared to say goodbye to all of your free time and possibly strain your relationships haha

[@ChrisUchiha7]

@@SpaceDoggy777 As long as the game is good i don’t mind spending 100+ hours on it, Btw how is exploration? That’s one of my favorite things about these games.

[@blackfish1753]

Ok the game is beautiful and it's obvious that the artists behind it put a lot of love into their work. BUT the game have many problems that can't be fixed : 1/ Bosses are really bad with a move set of 4 moves max 2/ Lore is poor and friendly npcs have no personalities 3/ Ennemies are always the same 4/ There is no difference between weapons of the same type and the move set is poor I played this game for 30 hours and went back to Elden Ring. The difference between those two games is immense in terms of gameplay.

[@netterz3411]

This game is so much fun I've been playing non stop since it came out

[@PleasantLeech]

Lies of P was absolutely amazing and I'm someone who has bounced off of basically every souls like I've played. Wild to see two absolutely amazing souls likes come out so close to each other. This video has pretty much sold me, but unfortunately there's too many good games coming out right now. I might check this out after Alan Wake 2. If not im sure i will eventually, it looks really great.

[@brandondoane332]

I'm sure someone already said it, but I want to point out that the primary effect of bleed in lotf is to cause physical damage vulnerability for a time. Ignite, and smite work the same way for fire and radiant damage. Burn and poison do damage over time, and frostbite weakens posture and halves stamina. Side note: you can put out burn and ignite by rolling lol. Haven't tried water yet.

[@RagnarWarteeth]

I’m glad to see someone’s appreciates everything this game is doing well. Not just what’s wrong wit it. That said I can wait for them to get it working well

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks dude - and agree there is defo work to be done

[@rainbowbabyblog5995]

I’m a huge souls nerd,I like the genre head and shoulders above almost all others yet I still waited almost a year to buy this because of all the negative reviews; here I am 10-15 hours into the game and I can tell this is criminally overlooked and given an unfair shake.

[@ROBALHC]

It's not fair to say LotF is best souls like if you dont play Lies of P imo.

[@wolfiemuse]

Not gotten it yet because I’m in the middle of some other games (including my first run of Bloodborne, somehow I’ve missed that, DS3 and Sekiro) but I’m almost assuredly going to get it. It probably needs an opening patch, just like Lies of P did (and some could argue still needs, but I’m sure that goes both ways) but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. 🤷‍♂️ that boss footage from pre release that looked like a Cleanrot Knight really sold me

[@joshuapaul592]

Lies of P is literally just better…in every way I can think of other than boss moves being better telegraphed…it can be irritating that the attacks are countered only by muscle memory…however even that honestly is better because you spawn outside the bossroom instead of running through the same five types of enemies over and over on ridiculous ds2 run backs… Lop has more of the good less of the bad…I’m tired of typing.

[@NoisieBastrdd]

At last! a positive review of this gem! i just can't get why people are hating this game so much. Every main aspect of the game (technical issues aside) is outstanding. Lore, bosses, level design, and mainly, combat is superb. Of course it's not perfect, it has some issues, like the locking system, which could be improved. But this game, at least for me, had the same vibe i got playing DS1 for the first time. Getting lost, exploring, finding new paths, hidden areas, figuring things out, and getting fucked by ambushes. I loved it all. My favorite Non-FS soulslike so far.

[@EldenLord.]

As a longtime soulsborne and soulslike fan I cant agree with this one. To me it has too many issues. Ranging from severe sound issues and confusing level design to floaty combat and clunky animations. Also bosses are too easy. Love your videos though.

[@SmoughTown]

Fair play bud! Appreciate that, and sorry it didn't work for you

[@xaahd]

I'm glad people are enjoying this game for the most part. I hope they fixed the performance issues a lot of people had. I personally had trouble getting into this game - think I'm just too used to Fromsoft games at this point so the gameplay felt a bit floaty for me but I can understand why people enjoy it. Definitely felt like a fast game. To be honest, I think part of the problem I had with the game was that the lantern mechanics felt like they weighed me down a bit.

[@SmoughTown]

Totally fair mate - sorry you couldnt get into it!

[@patataeve]

I've been playing it in coop and it's been a blast. Yes, it has some minor bugs (that's my experience in ps5) but just very small things. I love all the small surprises and gimmicks of the world, the characters are interesting, the combat is good, the enemies look great... it's one of my fave game I've played this year. It's so strange to see people shi* on it. I'm sad it launched with so many bugs for other platforms, otherwise maybe people wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. For me, definitely way better than Lies of P.

[@lewis18051]

Wow! he really felt the need to praise the fact that the cleansed beacons were the right colour in the sky

[@LuciferMorningstar-fq9bw]

The game isn't bad but its very mid.

[@commandernomad2817]

Im so happy you "get it" in the semse that this game harkens back to Dark Souls 1 more then literally any other souls game out there, especially in its world design.

[@biglad6749]

Nioh 2 gotta be my favorite soulslike although idk if its even considered one.

[@TheTacRat]

I really liked Lies of P, and I enjoyed this game. They are both Soulslikes and are great for there own respective reasons. Lies of P didn't have a rocky launch and it ran smoothly from day 1 for me. Unfortunately Lords of the Fallen had a rocky launch and I had several issues getting the game to run. Both have some bugs here and there, Lords of the Fallen had a few more that I noticed in Lies of P. But both games were really good, they did an awesome job taking the souls genre and putting each theirown take and elements in it

[@pachi9065]

My opinion after 2 Playthroughs (40 hours), One coop with my brother, one solo: TLDR: First half is FUCKING AMAZING - second half KILLS THE FIRST 3/10 The game feels like it was not done, the story falls apart at the final arch is sooooo bland you can pretty much guess what's going on after the second beacon. On top of that the enemy verity in the final arch is just reused ones from previous areas with the only addition mini-boss style enemy that you have to kill to progress the room. AND THERE IS NO FINAL BOSS, it FEELS like there should be, three's an arena a giant boss model, but he just monologues' for a bit and then you get to pick an ending based on your actions, AND then you get a paragraph of exposition explaining the ending. Also one of the THREE gods vying for power, Oris, a parallel for bible-god is only ever mentioned even though he is the PRIMARY force in the world, like he only 'appears' in an item description and in a few dialogue lines...

[@SmoughTown]

That's interesting! I personally really liked the last areas; Manse and Abbey in particular. But I agree the actual 'final bosses' are possibly the least interesting mechanically.

[@Jackleby]

Babe wake up, smoughtown uploaded

[@manab787]

Finally someone who also considers this to be GOTY worthy! For real, I almost felt like I was playing DS1 again for the first time.

[@beetroot_chutney]

I'm loving the game (on my second playthrough), but they really need to fix the target lock. It's such a crucial thing and it's holding the combat back big time.

[@ChadFromSpace]

Best non mainline souls game, souls like, 100% agree. This game feels so much like a mix between DS1 and DS3. When I finally got the pilgrim's perch key and finally ended up coming back up on Skyrest from the back side... mind blown. It was a such a DS1 exploration like moment. Love it.

[@TheKhoener]

Interesting take Smough. I respect all the work you put into your videos so rank your opinion higher than most other content creators. I have been on the fence with this game as I am of the camp that the movement seems too floaty for me and the whole "difficulty by swarming" idea seems tedious. Seeing the devs are addressing that and your nice comments in this video I may well check it out. I will echo the need for you to play Lies of P. Similar to you I am a fantasy (medieval) guy but I absolutely love Lies of P. On my 3rd playthrough but may well pick this up after the Thursday update if they deliver what they promised.

[@GTsvetkovski]

Glad you enjoyed it so much. It was my most anticipated game for the year, but fell flat on its face. The biggest disappointment were the visuals. The promo material sold me a dream of next gen Dark Fantasy, but instead felt rather unpleasant looking at

[@SmoughTown]

Im sorry you didn't enjoy it bud

[@jankbunky4279]

At least on ps5, it looks wayy gorgeous sometimes, even if it looks flat other times.

[@thrashhhhh]

It looks like N64 on Xbox whenever the textures fail to load, which is easily 50% of the time.

[@jankbunky4279]

@@thrashhhhh yep, the technical issues of this game suck, and I can only vouch for the ps5 version on performance mode working, and looking awesome about 60% of the time.

[@michakolaska6954]

​@@thrashhhhhit only happened to me day one on xbox, didn't happen since, and I have around 50 hrs of gameplay

[@chadwolf3840]

Can’t wait to try this one out. I think it got a raw deal being released alongside Lies of P.

[@OptimumSlinky]

I’m so glad someone in the Souls community is finally sticking up for this game. Is it perfect? Nope, it has some big creases that need to be ironed out, but the devs have been on it and responding to feedback. More importantly, for the first game out of a brand new studio to even get close to capturing the feel of greats like Dark Souls III is a serious accomplishment and I hope we get DLC or a sequel to keep it going.

[@SmoughTown]

Exactly - im just not someone who puts polish over the core of what a game is. People writing it off because theyve heard it has bad performance or gameplay? I'd rather have a rougher game that is ambitious and has this aesthetic imo.

[@MrBedZeppelin]

Great Job Geoff! Though I have not played (same situation as you), I have watched a bit of the first area and my first impression WAS the same. I commented on Fighting Cowboy's Let's Play the same. It DOES (visually, for me) seem to have that true Dark Souls 1 experience (similar NOT the same OR better). The mechanics and the Unreal 5 engine might make it a bit more open to more possibilities. Too many naysayers out there trashing it already, I am glad to have another person with an open mind about the state of games these days truly give an optimistic opinion, so do opinions go. I believe, the fact this game is not a month old, there will surely be lots of attention given here to ensure this game gets 1-2 sequels, IMO. I would certainly NOT diminish what From Soft has done and in this space and time, let's face it they ARE the original OG, however instead of looking at new Soulslikes as copies, we must allow new developers to improve off of what has been created. This is HOW humanity progresses forward. Your views and mine align, (mostly) so hearing your experiences with this game is positive I am almost guaranteed to purchase this game once I get an Xbox X. Thanks once again for your hard work!

[@ni9274]

In DS1 you can't fast travel and you're forced make use of the interconnected world, in LOTF you don't have any reason to use it more than one time. Imo it's more a mix between DS3 (big levels but fast travel) and DS1 (interconnected world) in a good way.

[@SWITCHNSTEAM]

@@ni9274 You can fast travel in DS1 once you get the Lord Vessel from Anor Londo

[@NeedsContent]

It's nice to see a review that is thoughtful, insightful, and level headed. Especially in light of all the weird bemoaning I've seen online surrounding this game. Keep up the great work!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks my friend! Really appreciate that

[@TheNemesis442]

the LoP devs feel threatened and so they're paying people to review bomb this game. edge lord > femboy

[@jsrobert20]

Glad you loved it. I really wanted to. The enemy density is just getting so annoying for me, just find myself frustrated constantly fighting groups of trash mobs. Maybe just getting old...

[@serjofcinder8925]

Hey Smough, I hope you play Lies of P. I honestly think you'll enjoy it, and in my humble opinion it's miles over LOTF. I'm happy people are enjoying that game, wish I did as well as it was the game I was looking forward to the most, but unfortunately the experience is below average. Lies of P is actually my game of the year in 2023, full disclosure I did not play Baldurs Gate 3 yet, so this might change

[@SmoughTown]

I'll defo give it a go bud, so many people have recommended it - I cannot ignore that

[@BayonneJoe35]

This game really grabbed me. The same way DS1 did when I first played it. But smoother combat and newer mechanics. They really did a great job with this game.

[@deliriushunter]

While i really like this game despite its flaws, my goty goes to ac6.. one of my new favorite game of all times... also imo Lies of P is the best soulslike, its up there with fromsofts finest

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh it's a real close one - so many good games for me; Dead Space Remake, Blasphemous 2, AC6, Baldur's Gate 3 and this!

[@andrewpowell3723]

Hahaha. Bro, I literally just finished watching another review video, titled along the lines of “it’s bad”-don’t want to say the full name since I don’t want to put the reviewer on blast and I actually appreciated their opinions. It’s just wild how divisive this game is. I personally love it, more so than lies of p, but I’ve seen a lot of polar opposite takes (again, all valid opinions).

[@SmoughTown]

Hahah - I also appreciate their review, just differing opinons!

[@1984Bergeron]

I'm convinced that people who like this game are unable to discern/care about the difference between rewarding, satisfying difficulty and artificial difficulty - and the recent patches are evidence that the devs themselves don't understand it either.

[@commandernomad2817]

Hope we get lore videos! I actually cant get enough. I actually made a character with a 100 in every stat NOT because i wanted to cheat the game but because i wanted to read all the lore. There is some great stuff in there.

[@SmoughTown]

Defo going to make one soon, after I wrap up this Elden Ring lore video

[@Gungrave123]

Lies of P puts that trash garbage unfinished janky "game" straight into the dirt.

[@mkv2718]

this game is so weird…. not the game itself, it’s fine. pretty dandy, not the greatest thing since sliced bread (certainly has its jank), but what’s weird is how people seem to either enjoy it, or absolutely hate it. like… really, reeeeeeally hate it, and then they hate anyone who likes it. it’s really odd. tho, a lot of that is coming from reddit, and reddit it pretty trashy 🤷‍♂️

[@waydemotichka7256]

Love this game, it's like Ds1 and Blasphemous came together. Lies of P is an amazing game but this has that DS1 nostalgia.

[@Tgruss]

They need to do a better job with enemy design and placement. There was more of a disconnect between enemy types, their appearance, and the environment you find them in. To many of the enemies had a single model, with no variants, that have an appearance that seems to unique to be repeated. As in, the Rohgar berserker with the two axes. Its a cool design, but every one of them being the same size, having the exact same "rags", mutations, and weapons doesn't make a ton of sense. They could take the same mesh model, but make some variants for the chest, head, legs, etc, mix and match them, and add enemy variants that uses a spear, one a 2h axe or mace, maybe a crossbow, etc. Doing this would make the level feel like its full of an army of individual Rohgar militants moving as a force, and not the same enemy repeated. I would feel more in a world and less in a game.

[@MasonTheStoryteller]

You can't really say at around 2:32 "I haven't gotten around to playing Lies of P" and simultaneously say this is the best souls-like ever without invalidating the entire rest video, though I suppose by your metric the only qualifier of a good souls game is whether or not it captures that "Dark Souls 1 Magic", as if that is the standard despite all of the other elements that define the genre. That is to say nothing of all of the other Souls-likes you likely haven't touched since you didn't mention any. That said, I'm glad you admitted to not knowing what your talking about so early in your video. Try playing the Team Ninja games, they are mechanically far better put together than LotF (Even Wo Long looks like a mechanical masterpiece compared to how janky LotF is), but they lack in satisfying narrative execution. I really love the narrative elements of LotF but gameplay wise the combat loop is generally the same regardless of what kind of build you do, the weapons don't have any unique moves within the same archetypes (though I'm aware the Devs are planning on doing a free update that gives Boss weapons some exclusive attacks), the mob density is a mess with enemy aggro distances that are nearly comical in how far away they detect you and how far their range is, plus an over dependence on ranged enemies being thrown into every encounter for difficulty instead of enemy diversity, and how despite that it's easier to run past most encounters and nearly encouraged with how time consuming and meat spongey some of the enemies are due to how the game scales enemies to your own level regardless. It's still fun, but it gets boring and dull much quicker than other souls titles because there is so much less to learn/master in LotF, I'm on my 2nd playthrough and I feel like I haven't learned anything new gameplay wise in how to respond/react to enemies this run despite trying a totally different "build", I engage enemies the same way I did when I was using all the heaviest weapon and shield and heavy armor despite now wearing super lightweight armor and using dual wielding with light weight weapons on a status build. It's literally the same despite totally changing the build stats and weapon types. LotF is not nearly as well put together as other souls-like games I've played (except for Deck 13's which is REALLY RICH), but it's fun and I want it to reach it's potential so I'm glad the devs are working hard to do that. I just worry their entire design philosophy is wrong (enemy level scaling to your own for example, or the absurd enemy spawn mechanics while in umbral with no limits alongside other tedious issues with Umbral in how its executed that affect pacing of the game and make exploration less rewarding rather than more rewarding, Ranged enemies being able to snipe you from across the map regardless of what area of the game you are in and how much damage they do, Mimic Moths....etc). If the game didn't do so much right, all of the frustration from what it doesn't do right would have driven me off completely. I can barely push myself to get all of the endings after doing the Radiance ending on my first playthrough and then realizing I'd already screwed up my chance to get the Umbral Ending halfway through my second. That said, I like LotF, but I also recognize I have a biased towards liking it because it's a Souls-Like Game and all of it's ideas are scratching an itch, even if it's execution is lacking. I'd never put it on a pedestal as "The Best Souls-Like", it's not even close in terms of its execution, it's just good.

[@RebelOfTheNorm242]

I got 115hrs in the game at rhis point, with a lv170 character....im addicted.... On the tail end of mt second playthrough, and going strong into my second