Vipre Security Group was originally founded in 1994 as 'Sunbelt Software', so it's safe to say in the thirty years or so they've learned a thing or two about cybersecurity and endpoint protection.

Vipre EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) is one of their flagship products. The main website describes their platform as 'easy to use' and 'resource sensitive'. Has Vipre produced one of the best endpoint security software platforms, or is this snake oil security. 

Vipre EDR: Plans and pricing

When we visited the main product page for Vipre EDR, we were pleased to see that there's a basic pricing model of $60 per seat, for up to 10 seats, billed annually via automatic subscription, unless you email to cancel .This makes Vipre EDR one of the more competitively priced EPP (Endpoint Protection Platforms) we've reviewed.

Sadly there's no option to pay monthly. Organizations who need more than 10 seats also need to contact Vipre's sales department for a quote.

Interested parties who want to try out the platform can request a demo via the main website, to test out the interface and simulate attacks. You can also request a trial of Vipre EDR in order to run your own tests, as we did in order to write this review. 

Vipre EDR: Features

Vipre develops a number of cybersecurity products, so we were grateful to find a dedicated page on their site comparing the features of their Vipre EDR (the focus of our review) with Vipre ESC (Endpoint Security Cloud) and Vipre Endpoint Security Server. 

The Vipre website also has an excellent overview of the platform, which clarifies that Vipre EDR has all the anti-malware capabilities contained in their ESC platform. This includes AI-driven malware detection, network intrusion detection, DNS protection, web exploit detection, and anti-spam engines.

Vipre also claims the platform has additional security measures, including correlation engines that combine raw events, security events, and contextual data to identify zero-day, "living-off-the-land", and gray zone threats not detectable by regular antivirus.

These are bold claims, which we were eager to explore in our tests. During setup (see below), we were able to confirm the platform's other advertised features such as application scanning, a remote shell to allow network managers to perform operations on endpoints, as well as patch management tools. 

Although it didn't form part of our tests, the platform also supports deploying agents with firewall and email scanning features.

Vipre EDR: Setup

There's a dedicated trial signup page for Vipre EDR. The website requires a 'business' email address in order to receive a link which caused issues for our reviewer, who's a long-time GMX user but the good people of Vipre were happy to help us to set up a trial account.

Immediately upon logging in to the main dashboard, we saw a notification that no endpoints were set up and clicked the handy link to 'Deploy Agents'.

Currently agent software is available for both Windows (from Windows 7 SP1 onwards) and macOS. We were sorry to see that Linux and mobile devices weren't listed, though we later learned the console has an excellent mobile interface (see below).

When downloading the installer (in MSI format) for Windows, we had a slight comedy of errors, as Microsoft Edge warned us that the file wasn't "commonly downloaded". We imagine Vipre will want to speak to Microsoft about this false positive, as the agent is legitimate software.

Although the installer told us the process would take several minutes, the agent was up in less than 30 seconds. We say 'up' rather than 'up and running', as upon launching we tried to run updates to threat definitions, only for the update to fail. We tried several times more, disabled our VPN and even used a cellular connection with the same result. 

After removing and reinstalling the agent, we next attempted to manually update the threat definitions by downloading a data file directly from Vipre's dedicated page. In practice this feature exists for security reasons e.g. to update air-gapped networks but we felt it was the best way to run the update. Once again, however, the update failed. This meant we were unable to run any security scans, as this required an updated threat database. 

We were also surprised to see that the agent claimed that Vipre's "Active Protection" feature wasn't switched on, as the policy supposedly used by the agent ('VSM Laptop'), should have had this enabled.

We put these bugs down to the fact that the platform is currently in beta, so hope they'll be ironed out in future. 

Fortunately after removing and reinstalling the agent software again, the third time was the charm. The Vipre agent did update itself and enabled 'Active Protection'.

Vipre EDR: Interface

Having lamented the Vipre Agent's inability to update itself or scan for threats, we can't praise Vipre EDR online portal enough. As readers have learned, the main dashboard provides an excellent broad brush overview of endpoints. 

The top pane is devoted to vital information like the number of quarantined threats, infected devices and those which need attention for other reasons e.g. to run updates. The 'Protection Summary' is also displayed via a helpful graph, which shows both scan and threat counts.

The left hand pane provides easy to understand menu options, broken into sections: for instance, the 'Monitor' section from where you can access the Dashboard also contains options for 'Quarantine' and 'Reports'. 

You can access 'Devices' via the 'Manage' Section. From here you can filter devices by platform, operating system, status or active policy. Users can also click in to a device name to view a clear, well laid-out summary of relevant data such as the device status, scan, threat definitions and when the device was last seen.

Vipre were also keen to point out to us that they've gone to great lengths to make their UI smartphone friendly. We fired up an iPhone 14 Pro Max and were so impressed by the more compact version of the interface, not to mention the fast loading times.  

Vipre EDR: Performance

When reviewing endpoint security platforms, our first test is to attempt to download a fake computer virus, provided by the good people of EICAR. 

We were particularly eager to do this with Vipre EDR, as the agent supposedly contains features for blocking malicious URLs. 

As we mentioned, we were unable to update the Vipre Agent's threat definitions, so were unable to scan for threats. Nevertheless we opened Microsoft Edge on our test machine and attempted to download the fake virus in compressed (ZIP) format.

The Vipre Agent immediately detected the threat and displayed a pop-up notification to say the file had immediately been quarantined. We clicked to view more details and received a detailed rundown of the file itself, which programs had tried to launch it and actions taken. 

Our next test was to try to copy a new, real trojan virus that we'd caught in the wild to the test machine's 'Downloads' folder. We do this to make sure that endpoint security platforms can detect and prevent threats based on a file's behavior, not just by comparing it to known threats in an online database. 

The Vipre agent once again didn't let us down, showing another notification that the threat had been detected and immediately quarantined. 

Vipre EDR: Final Verdict

When reviewing this platform, we tried to bear in mind that we were reviewing a platform in a beta environment, so it shouldn't be judged on the same terms of a final product. To Vipre's product, they did offer to showcase a standalone demo of Vipre EDR to us, to simulate detection and prevention of real threats. 

We decided against the demo, as we believe it's fairest to run our own tests on all endpoint security solutions we review but are sure that we'd have had a fewer setup issues and a better experience of all Vipre EDR has to offer if we'd gone for a singing, dancing demo.

Agent installation and updates aside, Vipre can be very proud of the interface they've created. Not only is it easy to navigate but it's punctuated with colorful infographics which detail exactly the right amount of information about devices, threats and much more. We were also very impressed by the mobile version of the console website, allowing admins to manage endpoints on the go. Still, if the agent software needs to be installed three times on every endpoint to get it running, this could cause extra hassle for network managers. 

Our best advice at this stage is to take this product for a test drive yourself, both via the free trial and arranging a product demo to experience its full functionality to decide if it's a good fit for your organization. 

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Neowiz’s third-person action RPG soulslike Lies of P is full of puppets - that are very much not toys. These gone-bad mechanical enemies are creepy, often disgustingly half degraded, and violent, yet still toy-like and superbly mechanical. There’s something deeply unsettling about violently smashing up and dismantling enemies that, in some form, might have been in many of our toyboxes growing up. However, the satisfaction - even to me, a relative stranger to soulslikes with bad reflexes - of landing everything from a standard blow to executing a fatal attack has a tangible feeling of metal on metal that’s weighty and moreish. 

However, there’s much more here. A gorgeous but dark steampunk nightmare of a setting, a deeply intriguing reimagination of the story of Pinocchio, and an arsenal and level of customization options that would make even Elden Ring’s protagonist, The Tarnished, look twice means Lies of P has a lot going for it. 

No strings attached

Don’t let the children’s fairytale-inspired setting fool you: Lies of P is unadulterated soulslike action that’s cut from the same cloth as Sekiro and Bloodborne. Its rapid and weighty combat strikes a balance of aggression and patience - a la Bloodborne - with Sekiro-style parries being thrown in for good measure. Parrying doesn’t keep you totally safe and knocks off some health, but you can regain this by quickly striking enemies. Time a block well enough, and it’ll be a Perfect Guard, not depleting your stamina and potentially staggering the enemy. It’s something that’s hard to master in Lies of P’s combat, but easy to love. Such fine margins are present throughout the combat, as you’d expect, and while this is largely unforgiving but fair, there were points where things were somewhat out of sync and timings weren’t perfect between me and my enemies.

What makes the tools at your disposal for this combat unique in Lies of P is the composition and exceptional skills that each weapon has. Every weapon has its own damage characteristics and heavy and light attacks, but also present are two ‘Fable Arts’. These are special offensive (on the blade) or defensive (on the handle) moves unique to each weapon that uses up small meters of Fable (like stamina bars). Simple stuff. But disassembling weapons means you can blend two Fable Arts and two weapon types together to create all-new puppet-crushing tools - the combinations are unhindered by weapon type, so you can mix and match across all weapon types to create new movesets and combos. One of my favorites has been attaching the handle of a greatsword sword onto an electricity-instilled club. This provides a layer of creativity and customization to perfecting weapons and allows you to build to and augment specific playstyles. You’ll just have to be careful that your weight limit doesn’t tick over into ‘Heavy’ as a slow-rolling P will mean you can’t avoid incoming attacks as easily. 

Spare parts

Layer on top of your arsenal the upgrades and enhancements for P himself; a fulsome, deep, and varied customisation system is offered. From supporting weapons and abilities that go on your legion arm - P’s mechanical left arm - to magical cubes with fight-saving attributes, and from equippable rings, amulets, and armor, to being able to alter your weapons handles with cranks, you can build P to suit any approach. Extra bonuses can be had by attaching quartz to P’s core, known as a P-Organthat offers strangely tiny buffs (like additional damage after healing) that are tied, a little strangely, to major skills or bonuses (such as carrying more vials or amulets). 

The inevitable experimentation this leads to isn’t all rosy either. You might find that you’ll chase and enhance a weapon you like with certain level-ups, then maybe move to another weapon later that doesn’t take full advantage of those previous level-ups. This can then paint you into a corner that you’ll need to level up your way out of and somewhat stifle the specialist vs experimentation balance. It can feel like many moving parts are on the go at the same time and need to be mastered despite the excellent options.

Speaking of which, a slightly irksome process is returning to the hub to level up. While much can be done at each stargazer (Lies of P’s bonfires), having to return to your base, the Hotel Krat, for every level up and to then run around a large hotel to each vendor or NPC for upgrades and chat is a small but persistent nuisance.

A well-oiled machine

The nightmarish Belle Époque Era-style city of Krat is a dark and mysterious but beautifully realized setting, rich in a sense of place. Each area is distinct and has a layout that’s broadly simple but includes intricacies and shortcuts for ease of navigation, and the right balance of explorable and dangerous routes per stargazer. And you’ll have to explore so as to find Ergo - the game’s ‘souls’, and currency for leveling up, upgrading your weapons, or buying things at vendors. While you can get Ergo the usual enemy-bashing way, there are side quests from open windows (sound familiar?) and NPCs hiding in tunnels, and also secret rooms locked by a riddler who speaks to you with street telephones, and cryptic cyphers that only a genius in your base can decode for you to solve that lead to rewards and loot.

Finding these quests and NPCs also gives the game’s lying system a chance to shine. While the law of Krat states that no puppet is allowed to lie, P, as a special puppet boy, can tell fibs like a human. This changes him subtly, as does listening to collectible vinyl records and performing gestures with characters at your base of Hotel Krat that seem to increase P’s level of humanity. Both of these make it feel like P’s internal gears are changing, somehow. 

The enemies that inhabit Krat and its environs are stupendously varied and imaginative. Given the toy-based source of their inspiration, the creativity of the game’s enemies results in multiple ‘WTF moments’, and each area’s enemies will surprise and delight - but also terrify and annoy. From exploding jesters to rolling clowns, and from brutish thugs to crawling dolls, all the way up to skilled human survivors, to grotesque (and multiphase) boss fight  - I’m looking at you, The Archbishop - the foes are brilliant. And while the puppets take centerstage, they aren’t the only bastards trying to mess you up, so you’ll need to deploy all of your arsenal and know what extra status attacks will help you from enemy to enemy.

However, even for a Souls game, there are some inconsistencies and over-powering of enemies mainly in the mini, optional, and main bosses. Yes, the challenge is strong in all of them, but there’s a bit of a haphazard difficulty curve woven between them. While variety is the spice of life, such wild fluctuations can put a dampener on progress and learning - especially if said learning can’t then be translated to the next area and boss. Often, it didn’t feel like you were an improved fighter by the time the next boss came around, as the change in difficulty was so fast it’d give P whiplash. For example, the likes of Kings Flame, Fuoco, and The Survivor can absolutely get in the sea. 

It’s just as well, then, that your, Pulse Cells (read: Estus Flask), replenish when you reset at a stargazer but also offer a carrot during combat even when you run out. When your cells are all used up, you can regain your last one but successfully striking enemies, encouraging you to persevere and not lose hope, while also teaching you that there’s little point holding on to your last one - you may as well use it and try and regain another by landing a few blows.

Other tweaks and features help to complete Lies of P’s featureset and own take on the genre. For example, while there is no map of Krat to consult, or list of quests to check, these are offset a bit by handy tips and hints built into the HUD and menus. For example, if you’ve got something that you need to talk to someone about, a profile shot of that NPC’s face will be next to the location in the menu, and if you don’t know how much Ergo you need to level up, fear not as the counter in the top right of the UI will turn from white to blue. 

The game proudly wears the blood, oil, and rags of its inspirations on its sleeve and will scratch the deepest of itches for fans of soulsborne games. While such strong and almost overt influences do mean that there’s not a whole lot of groundbreaking innovation here, Lies of P executes what it sets out to do incredibly well. All its mechanics are greased the right way, its decorative features buffed to a gleaming shine, and its complex bosses are as challenging as you’d expect for a machine so well made and highly tuned - Lies of P is a very well-made, smooth, and sleek soulslike game.

Accessibility features

There are only quite basic accessibility features in Lies of P. While subtitles are present, and you can change button mapping, and a few common camera settings, there are no extra accessibility features or options present. The majority of the options are grounded in the typical audio, visual, and settings found in games (pictured).

How we reviewed

I played Lies of P on PS5 and I have clocked up more than 30 hours. I tried stints with both its performance and quality mode, the former being far superior and more appropriate for the flow and combat of Lies of P. There were no performance issues at all during my playtime, and I played the game on a Samsung 4K HDR TV with a soundbar, and a headset at times too. All of my Dualsense controllers I used to play the game have remained intact despite the traditional effect of soulslike games and bosses.

If soulslike titles like Lies of P aren’t your single-player games of choice then head over to our upcoming games list to see what else is on the horizon.