Scoring genre clarity...

Lies of P capsule

Lies of P

Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era.

$59.99Very Positive(810)
Souls-likeDark FantasyAction
NEOWIZSep 18, 2023

Lies of P scores 82/100 — better than 89% of Souls-like capsules (n=507).

Very Positive (810 reviews) · $59.99 · Released Sep 18, 2023 · By NEOWIZ

Explore:Souls-like capsulesDark Fantasy capsulesAction capsulesSteam page optimisationCapsule design best practices

Quick text summary

Lies of P scored 82/100 on Steam Analyzer — Good for a Souls-like capsule. Top priority fix: [contrast_color] Add a subtle rim light or halo separation behind the character's dark hair to improve silhouette clarity against the dark background at tiny size

Capsule scores by dimension

  • Genre Clarity: 7/10 — Dark soulslike action implied. The pale, sharply dressed humanoid character with intense blue eyes and the gothic lettering of the title strongly suggest a dark action RPG or soulslike tone. At tiny size the character reads as a brooding, elegant protagonist which aligns with the soulslike genre expectation, though the specific Pinocchio twist is not visually communicated. The Belle Epoque styling is subtle at small sizes and could be mistaken for a generic dark fantasy.
  • Title Readability: 8/10 — Strong logo with stylized P. The 'Lies of P' logotype uses a distinctive blood-drip stylized P and high-contrast white gothic lettering placed over a controlled dark left region, making it readable at full and small sizes. At tiny size the word 'Lies of P' is still parseable due to the clean letterforms and strong value contrast against the dark background. The decorative drip on the P adds character without sacrificing legibility.
  • Contrast & Color: 8/10 — Cool palette separates from Steam dark BG. The predominantly cool, desaturated palette with the pale face and white jacket creates strong luminance separation against Steam's #1b2838 dark background. The character's illuminated face acts as a natural focal highlight, drawing the eye immediately. In grayscale the face silhouette and white collar remain clearly distinct from the background, though the dark hair blends somewhat into the upper dark region at tiny size.
  • Uniqueness & Polish: 9/10 — Premium AAA-level craft and identity. The hyper-realistic portrait of Pinocchio as a doll-like humanoid with visible freckles and vivid blue eyes is a genuinely distinctive visual hook that stands out among soulslike capsules. The production quality of the character rendering is AAA-tier, and the gothic logo treatment with the drip P is memorable and proprietary. Compared to genre peers like Armored Core VI or Black Myth, this capsule leads with a unique character identity rather than an action pose, which differentiates it effectively.
  • Brand Consistency: 9/10 — Iconic character and logo are memorable. The pale doll-like protagonist with blue eyes and the stylized drip-P logo form a cohesive and recognizable identity that carries across store screenshots and promotional materials. The dark, elegant Belle Epoque aesthetic is internally consistent with the cool desaturated palette and gothic typography. The capsule would be immediately recognizable in a sequel or DLC context due to these strong identity anchors.
  • Composition: 8/10 — Portrait right, logo left, clean hierarchy. The classic portrait-right, logo-left split composition creates a clean two-zone hierarchy with no clutter, allowing both elements to breathe. The character face is positioned in the upper right as a dominant focal point, while the logo occupies the lower left on a controlled dark area ensuring legibility. At small and tiny sizes the face remains the primary read and the logo is still visible, though at the smallest sizes the composition becomes slightly edge-heavy on the right.

What works

  • Distinctive character portrait. The hyper-realistic doll-like face with vivid blue eyes is immediately arresting and unique among soulslike capsules even at small sizes.
  • Logo placement on controlled dark region. Placing the 'Lies of P' logotype against the uncluttered dark left zone ensures readability at all viewing sizes without fighting background texture.
  • Strong luminance contrast against Steam background. The pale face and white jacket create a bright focal point that pops clearly against Steam's #1b2838 dark UI at a glance.
  • Memorable stylized P with drip motif. The blood-drip P is a proprietary logo element that makes the title instantly recognizable and adds dark thematic flavor without sacrificing legibility.

What hurts the capsule

  • Dark hair blends into upper background at tiny size. The character's dark hair merges with the dark upper background at tiny thumbnail sizes, slightly softening the silhouette separation.
  • Genre subtype not immediately obvious. The soulslike or Pinocchio-twist concept is not communicated visually at tiny size; a viewer unfamiliar with the game might read it as a generic dark RPG or action-adventure.
  • Right-side composition becomes edge-heavy at tiny size. The face is positioned close to the right edge, which risks awkward cropping on non-standard Steam display contexts and reduces compositional balance at thumbnail scale.
  • Limited warm color accent. The small red gemstone brooch is the only warm accent in an otherwise entirely cool palette, which could add more contrast energy if amplified slightly to help the capsule pop in a warm-heavy genre row.

Priority fixes

  1. [contrast_color] Add a subtle rim light or halo separation behind the character's dark hair to improve silhouette clarity against the dark background at tiny size
  2. [genre_clarity] Introduce a subtle environmental or prop cue such as a mechanical arm or puppet string element in the background to hint at the soulslike Pinocchio concept without cluttering the portrait
  3. [composition] Shift the character face very slightly inward from the right edge to improve crop resilience and compositional balance at small capsule sizes
  4. [contrast_color] Slightly amplify the warm red brooch or add a secondary warm accent to create a complementary cool-warm tension that increases visual energy in a quick-scroll context

Store copy priority fixes

  1. [feature_communication] Add one sentence below the first paragraph describing progression systems (e.g., 'Upgrade your puppet's abilities, craft powerful weapons, and unlock new Legion Arms to overcome increasingly twisted horrors') to clarify the gameplay loop.
  2. [audience_targeting] Explicitly call out 'Includes adjustable difficulty and save-anytime options' within the detailed description to signal accessibility without sacrificing challenge, reassuring both genre veterans and newcomers.
  3. [feature_communication] Expand 'BATTLE WITH TWISTED INSTRUMENTS' to include 1–2 concrete examples of combat mechanics or boss types (e.g., 'face towering puppet constructs and maddened nobles') to give clearer mental model of encounters.
  4. [uniqueness] Add a sentence articulating how the moral lie/truth mechanic uniquely shapes the narrative or world state compared to other soulslike branching systems (e.g., 'Your choice to lie or tell the truth alters which NPCs aid or oppose you, reshaping the path to salvation').

Related guides

Steam app ID: 1627720 · Tags: Souls-like, Dark Fantasy, Action, Singleplayer, Story Rich