I just started NG+4 and have a little over 150 hours. I stand by my initial few posts here - this is the real deal. It just happens to not be made by Fromsoft. Neowiz and Round8 deserve accolades. They studied and they did their homework.
This isn't a great souls like, it's a Souls game.
Here are some thoughts - spoilers marked obviously - but I will try to use as few as possible.
Visually the game is fantastic and incredibly well optimized. I have it maxed out on a 1660 and get 60 fps. It may go higher - my laptop is capped at 60. Long story less long - it looks great and you don't need bleeding edge tech to run it. There are also a shit ton of QOL improvements the team made like elevators that
reset upon death
. There are others, but that's a big one.
The game starts off good, the first two levels are a nice intro. It really picks up in chapter three and especially four. By early mid game the levels really find their stride and get better and better. In my humble opinion the final stage is grand in scale and truly fitting of a final stage. The game's pacing is on point.
You'll hear the word linear used to describe Lies like it's a con, but stealing some stuff from BIL here - the linearity is one of the game's greatest strengths. It is a tight, concise experience. That said the level design is brilliant, especially from mid game on. And there are some seriously amazing moments with the scenery - both indoors and outdoors. The art direction is top notch and I think they are up for an award. No bullshit getting in the way of what the game does best, which brings us to -
Combat is fast and brutal. The weapons (of those I've used) feel good. Everything feels like it should - Technique (dex/skill) weapons are quick and light though some actually pack a punch usually reserved for strength weapons. Motivity (strength) weapons feel massive and weighty. When you act in combat you're doing one of four things: attacking, guarding, parrying, or dodging.
Attacking deals the obvious damage to the enemies life, but also builds stagger ala Sekiro.
You can choose to parry. It is a seemingly tight eight frame window, but once you learn which attacks you are comfortable parrying it starts to click. Parrying also builds the stagger window. When the enemies bar glows white you can stagger them with a charged r2. This will let you do a fatal/visceral. You can also smack them around a bit during the stagger window. This can lead to huge damage once you figure things out.
Guarding will take recoverable damage which you can rally back. Does not build stagger. Dodging. You know what this is: ) Quick step lovers rejoice.
Combat feels best when switching between all options on the fly. Even if it is a five or six hit string - you can parry some, guard some, and dodge at the end. It flows really well.
Enemy design is really good. I don't want to spoil anything. They look and animate wonderfully and are fun to fight - especially elites/bosses. I love the boss encounters in Lies. Each one is designed to test different mechanics and play styles. Without giving anything away in my first and second run I got hung up on the same boss for three hours. 3rd run took him down in three tries and in NG+3 first try. Another boss in NG+ for three hours again I got in one try in +2 and a few tries in +3. They are one of P's highlights. A proper gallery of rogues.
Weapons are plentiful and as you have probably heard can be split to handles and blades and combined to make some interesting things. There are a lot of weapons I haven't touched cause I'm that guy. They're all viable though. Boss-weapons cannot be split. Three of my five favorite weapons are boss weapons. I assure you there is something for everyone here. Boss Ergo (blood echoes) can be traded for either a weapon or an amulet.
Weight does come into play as a stat called capacity. Level capacity.
Ah I knew I was forgetting something - the legion arm. These add a wonderful layer to combat and there are a variety that perform different functions. You have your standard arm - which when leveled hits very hard. Puppet string turns you into a certain Shinobi from a recent game. You also have electric, acid, fire - which cause status ailments. Each enemy type is weak to one. There is also a cannon and one that lays land mines. haven't really used that one. That said they all look pretty cool in addition to their functionality.
Lastly - Lies has some top tier NPC's. Well written and excellently acted. The story is solid and while the main story is explained there is still plenty to lore dive on.
I don't think I can add much else without giving anything away.
GO PLAY LIES OF P
You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it.
Nah, I really dig it! If I had to find flaw I'd say the p-organ system is a little over-engineered for my tastes, but that's because I prefer fewer choices and to not feel like maybe I've hamstrung myself by making poor ones. After totally burning out on ER (to the extent I probably won't go near another open world game for a while), it's refreshing to be back in a world with a more linear design and faster pacing. I can see myself diving straight into NG+ when I finish this run. So yeah, it's definitely ticking some boxes. 
+
