TheBloodborne-esqueLies of Phas quietlyremoved the anti-tamper DRM Denuvo, as indicated by the changelog on SteamDB. The reasons for the change are currently unknown, though there probably won’t be any complaints about it.
The DRM was added on September 15, just a few days before the game’s official release which resulted in a bit of controversy. Fingers have often been pointed at Denuvo for affecting the performance of games that implement it, though the company itself hasrepeatedly denied these allegations. At the very least, it doesn’t seem to be the case withLies of Pwhich runs smoothly on PC.
There are a few reasons why Denuvo has earned itself a bad reputation. In addition to being blamed for the poor performance of games such asResident Evil VillageandTekken 7, it also has the potential to leave games unplayable whichhappened in 2021 due to “domain issues.”This impacted several games, includingShadow of the Tomb RaiderandGuardians of the Galaxy.
Denuvo or not,Lies of Phas earned itself an ardent fan base despite the game’s difficulty. With over a million copies sold, it’s an undeniable hit for Neowiz Games, and it also has the honor of having been nominated for several awards, including the Golden Joystick Award and The Game Awards.
The praise isn’t universal, however. Our own Zoey Handleygave the game a rating of 6.5, pointing out that it’s rather unoriginal, though she does add that it “pales only slightly in comparison to FromSoftware’s titles, and that’s a feat in itself.”
The removal of Denuvo may draw in more players interested in the dark reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s timeless tale of the lying puppet. If you’ve been curious, now’s a good time to give Neowiz’s game a chance, as it is currentlyon sale on Steam as of February 19.
For those who have been playing already and are looking for more action, on February 14,Lies of Pgave players new weapons and armor as part of the free Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty DLC.A sequel is also in the works, though no details regarding what to expect have been officially shared yet.
