#neowiz

Lies of P: Complete Edition - Step Into What Remains

I've seen a lot of people harassing them on their tiktok page- could we come together to do something similar, like starting some kind of petition?

It's been some time since Neowiz made the controversial announcement that they're looking for an AI creator for their art department, and while they emphasized that the role won't be involved directly in the production of the Lies of P sequel, this entire controversy has brought some old, iffy feelings I had about certain pieces of LoP concept art back to the forefront of my mind.

The Bluesky thread that @thighsofp linked in their post about the use of AI-generated imagery in LoP actually prompted me to go through the entire art book again, so I took pictures of the concept art in question:

St. Frangelico Cathedral chapel (p. 98)

St. Frangelico Cathedral main hall (p. 99)

Estella Opera House staircase (p. 139)

Elysion Boulevard house interior (p. 52)

Upon my first flip through of the book, I already noticed that these images looked weirdly blurry in a few places (e.g. head of the statue in the chapel, top of destroyed pillar in the cathedral main hall), and upon giving them a closer look, some of the details do seem kinda nonsensical (e.g. light coming from above the statues on the pillars in the chapel, the beams in the house being partially transparent).

Back when I first saw them, I simply chose to believe that they were kinda badly photoshopped - however, with all the stuff that has surfaced now, I can't help but wonder if gen AI was used for them.

While the pieces above are those where you can see it most clearly, there are several others I have under suspicion:

Krat City Hall (p. 52)

Krat City Hall boss area (p. 65)

Venigni Works sewers (2x, p. 76)

St. Frangelico Cathedral boss area (p. 111)

Rosa Isabelle Street + Rosa Isabelle Street house interior (p. 140)

Grand Exhibition outdoor area (p. 152)

(Basically, what I'm talking about are all these pieces of weird-looking "photo-realistic" concept art.)

At the same time, I have to say I'm not an artist, and I'm not an expert for identifying AI-generated images, either. (Whenever I see something that looks suspicious, I usually give it a wide berth.) Therefore, I would be glad to hear other people's opinions on this!

However, if my suspicion is correct and Neowiz already used gen AI during the creation of Lies of P, their credibility would suffer immensely from this - because, well, if they already used AI for the concept art of Lies of P and put AI-generated images in the art book without labeling them as such, who is to prevent them from doing so again? And despite the assurance from Neowiz that "all final assets for the upcoming game will be created by experienced artists", it does appear as if gen AI assets were already used in LoP, judging by the images thighsofp shared - so, how believable is that statement, really? (See also: "A liar will not be believed even when they speak the truth.")

NEOWIZ will publish Wind Up Deadman, a retro pixel art-style CRPG set in a “cassette futuristic” world, developed by South Korean developer SaneNuts Studio, the companies announced. It will be available for PC via Steam.

“Wind Up Deadman meshes branching narratives with a powerful character-building system in a way we haven’t seen in other games, aligning with our story-driven philosophy and making it a perfect addition to our publishing catalog,” said a NEOWIZ representative in a press release. “We’ve seen SaneNuts Studio’s ability to grow an IP with their previous work, and we hope our partnership further elevates this new CRPG to a wider, more global audience. Whether it is first-party or third-party, we want to develop titles that push the envelope of modern narrative experiences.”

Here is an overview of the game and studio, via NEOWIZ:

Wind Up Deadman takes place in a world where survivors of a bio-disaster live in a solitary tower in the desert and rely on cassette tapes to preserve their memories. Players assume the role of an archive runner named Zephyr, who entrusts his soul to a robot as they track down his lost memories. Erased, implanted and reinterpreted memories dynamically influence the game’s narrative and shape Zephyr’s personality on the hunt to uncover the legacy of the past.

SaneNuts Studio is a Korean development team with extensive experience in the RPG genre and a vision of emphasizing the joy of role-playing while offering unique worlds and narrative depth. Their debut mobile title, Metro Blossom: Choice and Dice, was recognized as a Korea Game Award Indie Sector Finalist and placed in the TOP 10 at the 2021 Google Play Indie Game Festival. They demonstrated the potential for IP expansion with the publication of the spin-off novel ‘Coffee of the End of the World’, set 13 years after the game.

Watch an animated trailer below.

Animated Trailer

Publisher NEOWIZ and developer Round8 Studio will release Soulslike action RPG Lies of P: Complete Edition for Switch 2 on August 6, the companies announced.

Lies of P first launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, and Mac via Mac App Store on September 19, 2023, and has sold over four million units.

Lies of P: Complete Edition includes the base game and the downloadable content expansion “Overture,” which is already available on existing platforms.

“Finally, we are able to share Lies of P will be coming to Nintendo platforms for the first time with Lies of P: Complete Edition coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year,” said Lies of P director Jiwon Choi in a press release. “We’ve wanted to share our beautiful, dark take on Pinocchio’s story with Nintendo players for a long time and are excited to have them join the passionate and enthusiastic player community that have flocked to the game since its original release in 2023.”

Here are the latest details, via NEOWIZ:

With over four million cumulative units sold globally, Lies of P and Lies of P: Overture have been well received and created a passionate player community that has resonated with the adventures of Gepetto’s Puppet and the characters who reside in the city of Krat. Developed by ROUND8 Studio and published by NEOWIZ, the game and its accompanying DLC have come to be known as best-in-class and award-winning experiences in the Soulslike subgenre, and have grown NEOWIZ’s position in the global games market.

Lies of P: Complete Edition will be available for $69.99 on Nintendo Switch 2. Players can pre-order the game now on the Nintendo eShop (North America, Europe) digitally. In addition to the digital version, iam8bit is releasing a physical version that includes the full base game and downloadable content on the cartridge. NEOWIZ has also partnered with iam8bit on a collection of special Lies of P releases available now for pre-order. Leading the lineup is the Lies of P: Complete Edition iam8bit Edition for Nintendo Switch 2, featuring the full Lies of P: Overture downloadable content and six Boss Lore Cards highlighting the strange foes P encounters on his journey, available at retailers worldwide. Fans can also pre-order the iam8bit Exclusive Edition, which includes all Retail Edition contents plus a stunning o-sleeve showcasing artwork from the NEOWIZ team.

Also available for pre-order is Round8 Studio’s evocative music from Lies of P and Lies of P: Overture with the Lies of P three-disc CD set and the Lies of P: Overture two-disc CD set, both packaged in premium digipaks featuring original artwork by Dan Zollinger. Additional collectibles available for pre-order now through July 13 include the Butterfly Brooch ($14.99), Amulet Keychain Blind Bag, Boss Rush Pin Set, and a handcrafted Marionette Puppet, each inspired by the world of Lies of P. For hardcore Lies of P fanatics and collectors looking to own it all, iam8bit is offering three tiered bundles: the Amulet Keychain Blind Bag Bundle, which includes all five amulet keychains; the Lies of P: Complete Edition bundle, which includes the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive edition along with all five keychains, the Boss Rush Pin Set, and the glow-in-the-dark Butterfly Brooch; and the Lies of P: Complete Edition Marionette Bundle, which includes everything in the Complete Edition Bundle plus a specially handcrafted, wood-carved Marionette Puppet made by the Czech artisans at Rici Marionettes.

Watch the announcement trailer below.

Switch 2 Announce Trailer

The Wild West 'aesthetic. ' I know that Pinocchio is based in Italy and LoP is based on Belle Epoque which is French, but I don't care about that, I just want to see Dorothy on horseback. I wanna see rural Kansas deserts with the fantastical vibes of the Wizard of Oz. It would be magnificent!!

To add onto my previous statement, I kinda hope Dorothy has a strong southern/Midwestern accent. Realistic? Probably not. I doubt they'll do it. But still...

Listener Lore. I just want to see more cool stuff relating to Ergo! I'm not sure if the sequel is going to have a new type of 'souls' leveling materials, but if it's Ergo, I'd love to see more expansions on the Listeners and where they came from.

Giangio. I think this is a given based on the secret ending of Lies of P, but I NEED him to be a boss fight or something.

Lea as the tinman. Delusional? Maybe. But I think it'd be cool. There are a couple of other candidates (i.e. the puppet, Camille Geppetto, maybe a secret third option) but I miss Lea already.

No 'super girly' aesthetic. Souls-likes are usually super gritty and gross, and I'm honestly PRAYING that they don't make the game into some sort of anime esque girly game with a lighthearted tone and bikini armor just because Dorothy is a woman. Lies of P has done an excellent job of writing women so far, and I'd hate it if they switched up now.

On the flip side, I DO want cute dresses. I just want the game to be gross and gory and soulsborne WITH pretty gowns I can kill people in. That'd be great.

Lots of girls. I feel like this is just a personal thing, but I'd love it if Dorothy wasn't the only girl in the story like she is in the book.