Highlights
- Lies of P's fairytale-based setting combined with Soulslike gameplay has been a hit with fans, potentially creating a new market for fairytale-inspired action roleplaying games.
- Fans have started to imagine similar games based on other folk and fairytales, such as The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, although licensing rights and potential reboots may pose challenges.
- Other Soulslike developers like Team Ninja could follow Neowiz's lead and create their own fairytale-inspired games, potentially adapting well-known Japanese folktales like Momotaro or Urashima Taro.
It's arguably never been a better time to be a Soulslike fan. The original Dark Souls trilogy is loved for its challenging action roleplaying gameplay and has served as a blueprint for many different games. Some successful Soulslike examples include Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Mortal Shell, and Lords of the Fallen.
Developer Neowiz recently launched a new title called Lies of P that is loosely based on the story of Pinocchio, the fictional character created by Carlo Collodi in 1883 that is probably best known from various film adaptions. As it turns out, the fairytale-based setting combined with Soulslike gameplay is a hit with fans. Neowiz might have struck gold with Lies of P, cornering an entirely new market of fairytale-inspired action roleplaying games.
Lies of P Has Created A World Of Possibilities
Fairytales are often based on folklore and contain fantasy elements such as magic, wondrous creatures, powerful heroes, and various other elements that have captured humanity's imagination since time immemorial. With the release of Lies of P, many fans have started to imagine similar games based on other folk and fairytales. For example, a follow-up to Lies of P could potentially be based on The Wizard of Oz, the children's story written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. The post-credits scene in Lies of P confirms that such an adaption is in the works, but it is likely DLC for Lies of P rather than a sequel.
Another popular story that might make a good setting for a Soulslike game is Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. There have already been games based on this story like Alice: Madness Returns which was supposed to get a sequel called Alice: Asylum before EA shut it down, much to the disappointment of fans.
A Soulslike game based on Alice in Wonderland could pay homage to Madness Returns but would probably have to do so carefully since EA owns the rights to the franchise. While EA has shown absolutely no interest in continuing the Alice series, the company could very well reboot the franchise and incorporate some of the familiar Soulslike mechanics that millions of gamers around the world have grown to love. Doing so may alienate fans of the original games, but it is an interesting (if unlikely) possibility to think about.
Other Developers May Be Taking Notes
There are other well-regarded Soulslike developers that could emulate Neowiz and create fairytale-inspired games. Team Ninja is one such developer; it has released several popular Soulslike games such as Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Team Ninja also collaborated with Square Enix to create Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. At the moment, Team Ninja is occupied with developing the upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin which is set in 19th century Edo, but there is nothing stopping it from creating its own take on a fairytale as its next project.
If Team Ninja were to develop a fairytale-based game, it would very likely adapt a Japanese folktale. Momotaro, the story of a hero that was born from a peach is a good candidate. It is probably one of the best-known Japanese folktales that dates all the way back to the 1600s and has been retold and adapted countless times, with English translations appearing in the late 1800s. Another popular Japanese fairytale is Urashima Taro in which the titular hero saves a turtle who happens to be dragon god Ryujin's daughter and is whisked away to a palace at the bottom of the sea.
It's fun to speculate about which fairytales would make great Soulslike games, it seems that the two go together like peas and carrots. Another interesting candidate could be Little Red Riding Hood, With the success of Lies of P, Neowiz is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this combination and make a name for itself as the premier developer of Soulslike fairytales.