2023 has been a great year for soulslike enjoyers, with games like Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen coming in and carrying the torch for the genre. While neither quite matches the mastery of Elden Ring when it comes to delivering a perfect blend of visual splendor, narrative nuance, and good ol’ rough ‘n’ tumble gameplay, both tweak the formula in ways that you won’t find in any of FromSoft’s offerings. Now, as part of Black Friday, both soulslikes are on sale, marking the perfect time to get your chops up to scratch on PlayStation or Xbox.
As two of the best soulslike games to come out of 2023, both Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen have brought unique gameplay elements to the table, helping them stand out from the games they take heavy inspiration from. With Lies of P, developer Neowiz has taken the beloved tale of Pinocchio and turned it into a horrifying Belle Époque adventure, with the puppet protagonist becoming increasingly human or puppet-like throughout the game, based on the decisions you make.
In our 8/10 Lies of P review, we note that, while it “borrows heavily from a tried-and-tested formula indicative of the soulslike genre […] it still has combat mechanics and secrets that set it apart from the rest of the pack. Despite difficulty spikes and some muddied story beats, it is an excellent soulslike worth checking out that isn’t completely reliant on ideas from other places.”
If you’re in the US, then you can pick up one of the best new PS5 games and new Xbox games for $49.99 on Amazon – that’s a respectable 17% off. If you’re UK-based 20% off can be had, also on Amazon. This is the lowest we’ve seen it go so far, and we don’t expect any further reduction as we head into Black Friday itself. As such, now’s an ideal time to dive in and beat those Lies of P bosses.
Lords of the Fallen, meanwhile, is an eponymous sequel to the original 2014 game, though this time helmed by HexWorks. While it had quite the tumultuous launch, only managing a 6/10 in our Lords of the Fallen review, the studio has truly put the work in to bring it up to par – the Lords of the Fallen 2023 roadmap has already seen a patch drop with over 100 fixes within the last few weeks.
This is really great news, as we were originally disappointed by a “litany of issues, from performance drops and overtuned fights, to poor storytelling and annoying mechanics that mar exploration and immersion.” At launch, we certainly would’ve recommended waiting for a Lords of the Fallen sale such as this to pick it up, and now’s a great time to do so. But long term we can certainly see it becoming a game that’s well worth paying full price for, so even if you pass up this time your caution will still be rewarded.
Gloom and doom aside, during our review playthrough we were enamored with the game’s “creative ideas, truly disturbing atmosphere, and exhilarating combat” – something HexWorks is clearly polishing with every update. If you want to get an idea of what you’re in for, then check out our guide on the Lords of the Fallen bosses.
Once again, if you’re US-based you can snag the standard edition of Lords of the Fallen from Amazon for 29% off right now, or 25% off if you fancy the Deluxe Edition. Right now in the UK only 17% has been shaved off for the PS5 standard edition, while a zestier 28% has been knocked off the Xbox version – team green favoritism if we ever saw it.
With two exciting candidates for our best RPG games list now (possibly) nestled in your basket, be sure to maximize your experience with these soulslike bangers by divulging in some of the other best Black Friday PS5 deals and best Black Friday Xbox deals – these include an FC 24 sale, an Assassin’s Creed Mirage sale, and even a Mortal Kombat 1 sale. Needless to say, there are absolute bargains everywhere.