Carlo Collodi’s beloved novel is about to get its own video game adaptation, though it’s not quite what you might expect. Instead of a touching story centered around a wooden puppet wishing he was a real boy, the core narrative has been contorted into a twisted Souls-like, titled Lies of P, where ol’ Pinocchio has to overcome a murderous dictatorship.

Developed by South Korean Outfit Round8, Lies of P will be the studio’s follow-up to 2019’s open-world free-to-play online RPG, Bless Unleashed, and is set to launch on Sept. 19, 2023. If you’re in pursuit of something cut from the same Souls-like cloth, then here are ten games like Lies of P if you’re looking for something similar. Let’s get straight into it!

Ashen

We’re not talking about that rubbish FPS on the N-Gage. (Extra points if you remember that game!) Nope, instead we’re setting our crosshairs on A44’s bleak and gloomy lo-fi action-RPG that plonks players in the middle of a desolate world jam-packed with shadowy monsters that are hellbent on plunging the land into an everlasting, sunless world.

While the title features no traditional dialogue per se, the fantasy lore is incredibly deep and evokes poetic and wordless online experiences like ThatGameCompany’s Journey. On your adventure, not only will you bump into other online players, but you’ll also be able to work together with them, and develop camaraderie with your companions. Combine this with familiar Soulsborne systems, like an evolving hub area, open world exploration, grinding and leveling, and you have an underrated Souls experience that feels a lot like Lies of P that may’ve flown under your radar.

Mortal Shell

Speaking of Souls-like games that may’ve flown under your radar, a low-budget title from Washington-based outfit Cold Symmetry wants to introduce itself and get in on the Lies of P action. Indeed, this offering is so tonally in keeping with its inspiration that if you glanced at a Dark Souls and Mortal Shell screenshot side by side, you’d likely be hard-pressed trying to distinguish one from the other.

Still, while it cribs liberally from FromSoftware’s signature brand of risk-and-reward gameplay, it does bring a few neat ideas to the blood-splattered table. Namely, from the off, all players are given a handy manoeuver known as Hardening. This turns your playable character to stone mid-swing, enabling you to tank a hit from an opponent and give you a cheeky opening for a free strike. Talk about two birds, one stone, amirite?

Lords of the Fallen

Whether it’s the 2014 original or its upcoming 2023 successor, frankly, either works for us as both are mechanically in tune with Lies of P. Naturally, while the OG title is a known quantity, we’ve got a hunch that its fast-approaching follow-up will be even better. Despite some naysayers who weren’t too taken with Deck 13’s first offering, I just want to go on record and admit, well… I was quite enamored with it.

Personally, I always considered Lords of the Fallen to be a fun — albeit slightly shallow — take on the Soulsborne formula. Granted, it doesn’t really try anything particularly new, as opposed to, say, the aforementioned Mortal Shell. But it’s a solid and capably crafted action-RPG that’ll undoubtedly satiate that Lies of P itch.

The Surge

Another offering from the talented folks over at Deck 13. Indeed, The Surge — and its 2019 sequel — eschews the fantasy backdrop of Lords of the Fallen and swaps it out for more of a newfangled sci-fi setting. In a dystopian future which sees the population of earth reduced by 95% due to self aware robots and tech gone awry, the new hip and cool thing to do is to lop off your own limbs and weld high-powered buzz saws on as a replacement. I mean, why the heck not, huh?

Sure, despite a lack of original ideas of its own, it does feel like a joy to play as you master your very own overpowered exoskeleton and stomp your foes to kingdom come. Boasting slow and methodical combat combined with some seriously gory finishers, The Surge is an entertaining sci-fi Dark Souls clone that’ll indulge all those out there with a penchant for punishment (read: Lies of P devotees).

Nioh

Stepping into the real-life boots of English explorer-cum-samurai warrior, William Adams, Nioh throws players headfirst into a world chock-full with lumbering Yokai beasts, flesh-eating giant spiders, and enough ghastly apparitions to make the Ghostbusters do a runner.

Set in ancient feudal Japan, the way the game blends fiction and history is reminiscent of Lies of P, though its story isn’t where it shines the brightest. Instead, much like its genre counterparts, the moment-to-moment action gameplay is its strongest asset thanks to an incredibly refined free-flowing combat system. Add in a few welcome tweaks to the Souls formula, like Stances and powerful Living Weapons which are basically summons that spawn powerful allies into the fight, and you’ve got yourself a pretty creative entry into the genre. Come for the bonkers history lesson, and stay for the hard-as-diamonds yet deeply satisfying supernatural scuffles.

Hellpoint

Cradle Games’ interstellar action-RPG is pretty much the mirror image of From Software’s long-established formula, but with one major difference: it’s set aboard a derelict space station as opposed to a dark fantasy world. Still, the bleak and gritty tone of its inspiration permeates these celestial hallways in more ways than one and elicits eerie Lies of P vibes in its monstrous adversaries, taut atmosphere, and twisting and turning corridors.

While Hellpoint may not be on the same S-tier level as its influences due to some polish issues and some inconsistent difficulty spikes, it does feature some welcome verticality and platforming in the level design that is largely amiss in most modern action-RPGs of this ilk.

Code Vein

It may sound a bit reductive, but calling Code Vein a Souls-like experience with an anime art-style isn’t too far off the mark. Yes, Bandai Namco Studios’ tough-as-nails action-RPG evokes the classic manga from yesteryear, while ploughing the typical From Software-inspired furrow.

Events take place in a futuristic dystopian version of Earth where monsters have emerged following a mysterious, society-shattering disaster. Drop in some blood-sucking beasties known as Revenants, who develop into even more monstrous creatures known as the Fallen if starved of blood, as well as a cast of likable characters intent on putting an end to the turmoil, and you’re left with a solid grind ’em up with a slightly convoluted narrative.

Steelrising

Another title that combines history and fiction effectively — much like the tale at the heart of Lies of P — Spiders’ first crack at a Soulsborne-like experience may be a little rough around the edges, but for what it lacks in polish, it more than makes up for with its ambitious and compelling alternate history world.

In essence, Steelrising is the result of a butterfly effect-esque variable in our timeline where the French Revolution was fought by killer machines instead of regular Joes. You assume the role of Aegis, an automaton designed to protect Queen Marie Antoinette as Paris undergoes a deadly civil war against the robotic uprising. With its alternate history setting, automaton enemies, and Souls-like gameplay structure, this is a really great pull if you’re looking to whet your whistle before Lies of P drops later this year.

Dark Souls

Launching at a time when beating AAA games felt like shooting zombies in a barrel, Dark Souls stormed onto the scene, flipped the script and reminded us what we’d all been missing: Exacting, methodical, challenging combat that is oh so rewarding once you’d finally put that overgrown monstrosity six feet under.

Reminiscent of the old-school games of yore, it’s a thoughtfully designed experience that boasts a marvellously grotesque bestiary, an intricate maze-like interconnecting world, and some of the most rewarding heart-in-mouth gameplay in the business.

Yes, it’s no secret that Lies of P is inspired mechanically and thematically by From Software’s beloved classic, but there’s actually one other title by the same developer that is even closer in DNA than this one, and it’s undoubtedly… *drum roll*

Bloodborne

Easily the biggest influence over Lies of P has to be From Software‘s esteemed PS4 exclusive, Bloodborne. From its Victorian era setting replete with shadowy gothic architecture to its fluid, free-flowing combat to its smorgasbord of horrifying bosses hellbent on seeing you pushing up the virtual daisies, it’s clear that Round8 Studio has its creative crosshairs set on Sony’s acclaimed IP.

And, why the hell not? I mean, I can’t be the only one who is still waiting patiently and restlessly twiddling their thumbs for the announcement of a certain sequel, right? Well, with that Bloodborne 2-shaped hole in our hearts, it’s very much a smart move from the South Korean outfit to capitalize on our unfulfilled desires. And that’s one of the many reasons Lies of P is one of my most eagerly anticipated games of the year.

In the meantime, what say you? Are there any titles like Lies of P that we missed? Are there any on the list that you’re particularly smitten with? Sound off in the usual place down below to let us know!