Highlights
- Lies of P adapts The Adventures of Pinocchio in a Soulslike style, infusing dark elements and transforming the original characters and locations.
- The game explores the relationship between P and Geppetto, with lying playing a crucial role in unlocking the best ending.
- The best ending requires P to lie, show mercy, make difficult decisions, and ultimately reject the lessons of the original tale, showcasing a complex humanity.
WARNING: Major Lies of P Spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.Lies of P adapts Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio for the Soulslike genre, infusing it with the dark and twisted elements popularized by titles such as Bloodborne. The title does an excellent job of transforming the original tale's characters and locations, with even minor characters paying homage to their role in Collodi's classic. At the heart of Lies of P is the relationship between P, the title's Pinocchio, and Geppetto, who created P with the unique ability to lie. In their initial playthrough, fans may assume that following the original tale's example will result in Lies of P's best ending. However, the title quickly teaches players that lying has its benefits. To unlock Lies of P's best ending, players must go against the Pinocchio narrative, resulting in a conclusion that breaks its fairy tale mold.
Lies of P follows P as he navigates the city of Krat, and attempts to put an end to a mysterious event called the Puppet Frenzy. For an unknown reason, all of Geppetto's puppet creations have viciously attacked the city's human population, leading the master alchemist to create P in the hopes of ending their assault. At the title's start, P is awakened by Sophia, Lies of P's Blue Fairy, and tasked with rescuing Geppetto. However, to do so he must use the distinctly human ability to lie, an ability that he alone possesses. While fans know Pinocchio as a cautionary tale about lying, Lies of P sees the titular puppet face dynamic situations in which lying is both a kindness and a means of survival.
Lies of P's Best Ending Requires P to Find His Humanity
Lies of P's Geppetto created P to end the Puppet Frenzy. However, the journey towards that goal sees the puppet fundamentally changed through a series of diverse interactions. While exploring Krat, P happens upon humans struck with a mysterious Petrification disease, who end up asking for his assistance. Completing these requests often forces P into a final decision in which he must lie to the quest-giver or tell them an unfortunate truth. In order to unlock the best ending, P must lie every single time.
What's interesting about these interactions is that the majority of the titular lies of P see the puppet showing distinctly human mercy to an ailing character. Examples include telling a man that his deceased wife left a final message in which she professed her love and telling a blind woman that the doll she believes to be her baby is truly adorable. In addition to lying, the best ending requires P to mercifully end an ailing Sophia's life and absorb her Ergo, rather than let her become a monster, listen to all records in the game, and give Geppetto a painting of his son. Making these decisions has an immediate effect on P, resulting in the message that his "springs are reacting", seemingly transforming the puppet into something altogether different.
Lies of P's Final Act Shatters its Fairy Tale Concepts
Upon defeating Lies of P's mandatory final boss, P reunites with Geppetto in a location called "Under the Abyss". Geppetto reveals that he is not planning to make P a real boy. Rather, he asks P to give up his life so that his heart can be used to revive Geppetto's dead son Carlo. In order to unlock the best ending, P must refuse, leading Geppetto to unleash Lies of P's Nameless Puppet and attempt to take the heart by force. In a twist, Geppetto sacrifices himself before the Nameless Puppet can destroy P's heart, and apologizes for deceiving the puppet and putting him through the title's hardships.
With Geppetto dead, P is free to create his own future. However, the puppet now possesses a significant amount of humanity and has learned through his journey to care for others. In one final act of service, P brings Sophia back to life, using her Ergo to revive her consciousness in a puppet doppelganger. As she awakens, it is revealed that the act came with a significant price, as the final shot reveals a lifeless P slumped in puppet Sophia's arms. While P never becomes a real boy, he demonstrates a complex humanity, rejecting the lessons of the original novel and shattering its fairy tale conventions.
Lies of P is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
