WARNING: Major Lies of P Spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.Lies of P, the highly anticipated Soulsborne from developers Neowiz Games and Round 8 Studio, was released to largely positive reviews earlier this week. The title, a dark adaptation of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, features a unique and macabre twist on many of the classic German fairy tale's characters, settings, and major events. While a majority of Lies of P employs environmental and in-game storytelling, some of its biggest plot points are hidden within pre-boss cutscenes, and post-mission debriefs with Geppetto. One such cutscene from the Estella Opera House stands above the others, as it secretly reveals one of the title's most sinister secrets. Specifically, the scene leading into The Estella Opera House's main boss battle directly foreshadows Lies of P’s darkest twist.
Lies of P puts a twisted spin on many of Pinocchio's most memorable elements. Playing as a puppet named P, the creation and "son" of powerful alchemist Geppetto, players explore the fictional city of Krat. Krat has been struck by a terrible calamity, which has led humanity's puppet servants to violently attack while turning its residents into horrifying monsters. However, the city of Krat hides a much deeper secret, and it is up to P, and his unique ability to lie, to discover the sinister truths behind the city's downfall. As P progresses beyond the limitations of his puppet programming and frees the city from the Puppet Frenzy, Lies of P sees the character transform into something altogether different. Whether P, Geppetto, and the residents of Krat live happily ever after is up to players to decide, and their decisions along the way may have unexpected consequences.
Lies of P's King of Puppets Boss Battle Features a Strange Introduction
About halfway through Lies of P's narrative, players will be tasked with ending the Puppet Frenzy by defeating the King of Puppets in Estella Opera House. Upon reaching the boss arena, players likely expect a short boss introduction cutscene, like those that came before it. The King of Puppets is not introduced in this manner. Instead, players are presented with a short, and seemingly out-of-place, stage production, featuring puppets that depict P and Geppetto within the Hotel Krat.
Upon springing to life, the puppet of Geppetto approaches the puppet dressed like P, who is sitting, lifeless, in a replica of the P-organ upgrade chair from Geppetto's Office. The puppet Geppetto then removes the puppet P's heart, after which the puppet apparently dies. The Geppetto puppet then places the heart into a mysterious, human-like husk, seated across the room. Upon receiving the heart, the husk springs to life and strikes a victorious pose. This flourish leads Geppetto and an unseen audience to clap for the husk as the camera pans out, revealing a group of bodies strung up from the stage's roof. Directly following this scene, the King of Puppets drops in from above, abruptly beginning the first phase of the Opera House boss battle.
The Estella Opera House Foreshadows Lies of P's Darkest Twist
At first glance, the Estella Opera House's stage play offers little substance. However, fans who have pursued an "all truth" path in Lies of P will find that it foreshadows an incredibly dark surprise. Upon defeating Simon Manus, Awakened God, P will rendezvous with Geppetto in an area called Under the Abyss. Following a brief discussion, Geppetto will ask P to offer up his heart so that he can revive his dead son, Carlo, though P will die. If P agrees, players will unlock the "Real Boy" ending, which many fans likely expect to be the "Good" ending.
Unfortunately for truthful players, Lies of P's "Real Boy" ending is anything but a fairy tale. Geppetto removes P's heart, much like the stage play, before the scene jumps to some time in the near future. A resurrected Carlo emerges from the Hotel Krat, after which Geppetto praises him for a job well done. Then, much like the stage play, the camera begins to pan out.
As the camera pans out, the true nature of Lies of P's Geppetto and Carlo is revealed. Glancing inside the gates of Hotel Krat, players learn that Carlo has massacred all remaining survivors in the Hotel, on Geppetto's orders. The two then embark for an unknown location. However, reloading the most recent save reveals even more horror, as the Hotel is now filled with puppet replacements of its original characters, who constantly praise Carlo. By doing this, Geppetto and Carlo effectively string them up, creating the clapping corpses from The Estella Opera House and completing the events foreshadowed during the King of Puppets' introductory scene.
Lies of P is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
