Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Lies of P may be most glowing Dark Souls tribute yet. Built on Unreal Engine 4, From Software fans will feel right at home with Lies of P's mechanics, its focus on learning attack patterns and timing parries. While developers Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio are hardly playing coy about their inspirations, they've delivered a well-executed recreation of a core blueprint that we know works - while arguably surpassing recent From releases in terms of technical polish.
Lies of P's unique setting deserves a few words before we get to how the game performs in its various modes on PS5 and Series X/S, as it represents the biggest twist on the Souls formula. The ruined gothic world of Krat is loosely inspired by the 19th-century, pre-Disney story of Pinocchio; it's a game universe where mechanised puppets have risen up against their human rulers. You'll face deranged creations, from mannequin policemen wielding stop signs to robotic dogs and rogue circus masters. Perhaps the biggest draw of Lies of P is letting that familiar Soulslike blueprint play out while exploring a brand new world.
With that said, what's the best graphics mode to employ on your visit to this curious land of puppetry and pageantry? No matter which console you're playing on, PS5, Series X or S, you have three modes to choose from - each with a slightly different blend of fidelity and performance. There's a 30fps quality mode, a smoother 40fps quality mode for those using 120Hz displays, and a 60fps performance mode. It's rare to see Series S in particular get a full spread of three modes - often, Microsoft's three-litre console has only one or two options.