With how innovative and influential many modern games have become, it has become more difficult to pigeonhole certain games into a rigid genre. Souls-like games such as The Surge, or Metroidvania games such as Ori and the Blind Forest, are oftentimes much more than the sum of their parts - yet the classifications they are dealt appear to identify them as purely derivative.
It is perhaps true that fans have grown too accustomed to making quick comparisons between games that exist in a similar genre classification, though it is admittedly easier to define titles that have comparable visuals or gameplay characteristics. Nonetheless, some games that have earned such labels may not have intended to support such mimicry, as is apparently the case with Round8 Studio and Neowiz's Lies of P. The game has been heavily compared to Bloodborne recently, though it sounds like the similarities could be a coincidence.
As reported by Kotaku in an email exchange with Neowiz, the developers have set the record straight and claimed that while they are "greatly honored" to have evoked fans' comparison of Lies of P to FromSoftware's Bloodborne, it "definitely wasn't intentional" on their part. But Ji-won Choi, Neowiz's lead producer, reportedly added that "Souls-like titles are certainly inspirational, and almost everyone in our team is a hardcore Souls-like fan."
Choi's email exchange interview continues to compare its features with that of Souls-like games, referring to a similar "death penalty and difficulty level." As such, it does seem like this information conflicts with previous statements, though perhaps Choi only considers Lies of P to be inherent of a Souls-like with FromSoftware's general blueprint, and not necessarily a one-to-one template ascribed from Bloodborne. However, Lies of P's official gameplay trailer would have fans believe otherwise from a mere visual standpoint, as there are some obvious parallels between the two games.
While Lies of P's Belle Époque environments and aesthetics are unique to Round8's fantastical iteration of Pinocchio, the nearest FromSoftware or Souls-like comparison then falls to Bloodborne, which also has a definitively Gothic aesthetic and atmosphere. Pinocchio's reimagined effort, rather, is wholly unique in-and-of itself, and seems to be the heart of Lies of P's mystique.
Unfortunately, Lies of P may not be able to convincingly shake its Bloodborne comparisons. Still, these comparisons may assist in Lies of P's emergent popularity as a Souls-like due to how beloved Bloodborne is, especially in the wake of rumors and desires for a Bloodborne PC port or wholesale sequel.
Lies of P is currently scheduled to release in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Kotaku