Lies of P

Lies of P is an action role-playing game. Drawing loose narrative inspiration from Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, the game reimagines the titular character in a dark, Belle Époque-inspired world. The player controls a humanoid puppet named P as he navigates the plague-stricken city of Krat, which is devastated by both a mysterious disease and a violent puppet uprising. The game is set in a grim alternate history and features thematic and aesthetic influences from the Soulslike genre, including challenging combat, environmental storytelling, and moral ambiguity.

Played from a third-person perspective, Lies of P centers on melee combat and character progression. Players select one of three combat styles at the outset, influencing starting weapons and attributes. Combat features light and heavy attacks, dodging, parrying, and blocking, with additional mechanics involving weapon durability and modular weapon construction. Most weapons are split into blade and handle components, which can be combined to produce unique Fable Arts—special abilities powered by a meter that fills during combat. P also utilizes a mechanical arm called the Legion Arm, which grants access to tools such as grappling hooks and flamethrowers. Boss encounters often unfold in multiple phases and allow summoning AI companions called spectres for assistance.

The game incorporates traditional role-playing systems such as leveling up, equipment customization, and skill trees. Ergo, a resource collected from defeated enemies, serves as both currency and experience. Players manage various stats, equip armor-like Defense Parts, and unlock Wishstones that offer temporary buffs. Weapon enhancement and other upgrades are conducted at Hotel Krat, the player’s central hub. The game world includes fast travel points, optional side quests from non-player characters (NPCs), and hidden items such as Trinity Keys and Cryptic Vessels. Exploration rewards players with additional lore, outfits, collectibles, and customization options. A post-game New Game Plus mode enables replay with retained progress.

A key mechanic in Lies of P is its morality system, which presents players with binary choices—typically between truth and lies—that affect story progression and ultimately determine the game’s ending. These decisions are often time-sensitive and influence P’s evolving “Humanity,” which in turn impacts how NPCs respond and how the narrative unfolds. The game features multiple endings, including branching outcomes based on the player’s moral decisions, degree of humanity, and treatment of key characters.

The narrative follows P as he searches for his creator, Geppetto, and seeks to understand the causes behind the city's descent into chaos. Krat was once a prosperous city, powered by puppets animated through a substance called Ergo. These machines were bound by a Grand Covenant forbidding them from harming humans. However, the outbreak of the Petrification Disease and a mysterious event called the Puppet Frenzy caused societal collapse. As P investigates, he uncovers dark truths about Ergo, Geppetto’s experiments, and the alchemists who exploited the mineral to pursue twisted visions of human evolution. The story explores themes of identity, grief, artificial life, and sacrifice.