Lies of P and Cocoon
Pinocchio meets Dark Souls, Bug meets Ball
I wasn’t exactly surprised that a Pinocchio game would win the hearts of Dark Souls fans, but it’s an unlikely story nonetheless.
Lies of P, by Korean developer Neowiz, has your Timothée Chalamet-esque avatar battling puppets gone wild in a fantastical 19th-century setting. It’s got Sekiro-style body modifications, killer wardrobe options, and more difficult combat than you could shake an elongated nose at.
I’ve enjoyed the challenge, though I’ve admittedly had a better time after a recent patch made its most forbidding combat more manageable. It’s enough to entertain Elden Ring diehards until its rabidly-awaited DLC (though out of the FromSoftware canon, its quick fights and modular weapons smack most of Bloodborne).
I spent the week venturing through Lies of P, switching to Sea of Stars or Cocoon when I got stuck. Both are refreshingly chill, but Cocoon is brand new and deserves more explanation.
Designed by Jeppe Carlsen, the Danish wiz behind atmospheric puzzlers Limbo and Inside, Cocoon drops you into its bright, polygonal world without fanfare or dialogue. Your character resembles a moth, and will spend most of the game shuttling orbs through an increasingly elaborate, layered multiverse. You see, each orb is actually its own world that you’ll jump in and out of to defeat bosses and uncover secrets.
It’s a neat concept (reminiscent of an old Jason Rohrer project, Inside a Star-filled Sky, though much less violent) and it deserves the acclaim it’s so far received.
Highlights
Video game actors voted to authorize a strike against the industry for many of the same reasons SAG-AFTRA members are picketing Hollywood, including concerns that AI could kill jobs.
Meanwhile, Epic Games, maker of megaton hit Fortnite, cut over 800 employees — another shakeup in a tech industry rattled by layoffs.
Cyberpunk 2077 dropped its new Idris Elba-headlining DLC, Phantom Liberty. The game has come a long way since its disastrous 2020 launch — winning over many a former skeptic.
I’ve been all over the news with Here & Now — whether it be on oil prices or on Russian state-media rebroadcasting Tucker Carlson’s new show — but if you want some Friday fun, I’d recommend my WBUR colleague Laura Hertzfeld’s reporting on U2’s weekend concert at The Sphere. The new Las Vegas venue can be seen from space, features the highest-resolution LED screen on Earth, and cost Madison Square Garden over two billion dollars to build.