The darkest version of Pinocchio ever made
Image credit: Official art of Lies of P (NEOWIZ) on PlayStation.
Source: PlayStation - Lies of P
Summary
- Name of the game: Lies of P
- Launch date: September 19, 2023
- Developer: Round8 Studio
- Publisher: Neowiz
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
- Genre: Action, Soulslike
- Context: Freely inspired by The Adventures of Pinocchio, The game reimagines the classic tale in a dark, decadent and violent steampunk world.
History and narrative
The story is based on The Adventures of Pinocchio, but in a darker and more challenging version. We are P, the name given to our character, who is a puppet, but not the typical wooden ones controlled by strings; these puppets are machines with their own capabilities, without dependence. We are set in the city of Krat, a place devastated by a rebellion of puppets that destroy everything in their path and, in addition, by an unknown disease called Petrification.
The narrative and main message focuses on what it means to be human. During the game there are key moments where our character, who is a puppet, is put to the test with human challenges, where he must either tell the truth or lie. Sometimes the truth hurts and lying doesn't hurt, but it hits the conscience. In both cases there are always consequences, and you can't always tell the truth or lie; that's a completely human thing.
As a player you can decide whether to lie or not; depending on your decisions, the development of the game may change a little, especially with some side quests and their NPCs. Certain actions can lead to a different ending, as this game brings us 3 different endings: a good one, a neutral one and a bad one. I loved this mechanic, since for a soulslike game it gives more presence and strength to the story and characters. The narrative is dark and melancholic, with a philosophical charge about lies, identity and morals. I liked how they combine what Pinocchio is and transform him into a more interesting and appealing version for adult audiences, only this time P doesn't grow a nose, but rather his heart is affected depending on whether he lies or not: he becomes more human or remains a puppet.
Much of the game is told through the environment, notes, short dialogues and side quests, but like almost all soulslike, you must pay attention to these details to better understand the lore. Now I must say that understanding the story of Lies of P is easy, and I loved that it's not necessary to look for a video of a guy who read all the descriptions of the objects in order to understand it. This one is much more clear and balanced, where there are cinematics in the moments where they are needed and dialogues with NPCs that give you more context.
The secondary characters have a lot of weight and they do contribute to the story; each one feels part of the world and not just NPCs that appear to chat for a while. They are part of your path and that makes them more memorable, despite their limited participation. This game shows you that they don't need much presence to be memorable, as each one represents something human: sacrifice, attachment, lying and selfishness. There is a main villain, but it's not very clear according to how the game sells it to you, until at the end there is a twist where you realize that the real villain is Gepetto, the criminal mind behind everything in order to bring his son Carlo back to life in a particular way.
The 3 endings are very interesting:
- Rise of P: Considered the good ending. P develops his humanity and practically becomes a Carlo 2.0. We accept our identity; humanity is not defined by origin, but by our choices, and it's the one that for me closes with a flourish.
- Free from the Puppet Strings: This is the neutral ending, where you end up neither human nor quite a puppet, but you have a conscience. It is the most common ending if you lie and tell the truth at different points in the game. It has less symbolic messages and feels colder.
- Real Boy: This ending is a complete blast. A ruthless, heartless, cold P, where you fulfill the role that you never humanize. You fulfill Gepetto's wish, but slaughtering everything; everything we wanted from P is worth it to him.
Unlike other souls games, Lies of P has a much clearer and understandable narrative and story, which makes it easy even if you are asked: “Hey, what's Lies of P about?”. With many other souls you do not know exactly what to answer.
Gameplay
The best thing about the game is undoubtedly the gameplay; this game is pure satisfaction, replicating much of the soulslike concept, but adding its own identity.
Combat is demanding, technical and, if you don't measure the enemy's timing and patterns well, the punishment is high. Each confrontation forces the player to read patterns, manage stamina and decide when to attack, block or dodge. To take into account: the game has a strong focus on a mechanic called perfect locking, which in short is parrying. Personally I'm not good at parrying, I've always been more of a dodger, so adapting was a challenge, since the game rewards perfect blocking over dodging. Dodging, sometimes, the game punishes it.
It takes the concept that, after taking damage, part of the life can be recovered by attacking immediately, which encourages a more aggressive and calculated style of play. In my case, I am more of an aggressive player.
A unique detail of the game is its weapon assembly system. Although I have never used it simply for personal taste, as I like to use weapons as they are, it is a very interesting mechanic. Weapons are divided into blade and hilt, allowing you to combine different weapons according to your taste and get varied special abilities, all this through the use of Fable Arts.
Legion's arm is another important point. P has a mechanical left arm that can be changed and, depending on which one you equip, you get a special ability. In my case, I used the shield, which causes a small explosion when it hits the enemy.
Exploration can be simple; there aren't very hidden or impossible to find objects, maybe a few, but overall it's pretty linear and the interconnectedness isn't as impressive as in other games of its style, though that's not to say it's bad. The progression is based on the system of leveling up through resources obtained by defeating enemies, known here as Ergo. The learning curve is steep, especially for players new to the genre.
These were the outstanding mechanics; it does manage to have a very competitive level compared to souls games and its gameplay does not have much to envy to other studios.
Graphics and visual design
The game features a high level of detail and the enemies are varied in design. Its style is very similar and inspired by Bloodborne; I remember that since I saw the trailer I thought it was a sequel, but it wasn't. Although it's quite inspired, it's still a game with its own identity. Although it's quite inspired, it's still a game with its own identity and it doesn't feel like a visual copy.
The modeling, textures and animations are pretty good. Its art style is very gothic and Victorian horror, which I love. Being puppets, I won't deny that some of the designs are even disturbing; the monsters not so much, but the puppets are really creepy at times.
Each NPC is noted to have a unique look, and the bosses even more so, which are undoubtedly the highlight of the game in both gameplay and design. My favorite in design has been the King of Puppets. The scenarios are varied and very attractive, where I highlight without a doubt the Cathedral and the theater. The theater was the best area of the game in my opinion. It has narrow streets, theaters, factories, swamps, houses and some more fantasy places near the end of the game.
Compared to other modern soulslike, it is positioned at a very competitive level, especially in art direction.
Sound and music
The music is melancholic and elegant, you could say that way, both in moments of combat and exploration. There is memorable music and the game includes collectible music discs to listen to the soundtrack. I highlight the song Fascination as the best, although there are other very good ones.
In ambience, the pieces of the Cathedral are incredible. The soundtrack of the bosses is good, but I think that the environmental songs win more than the combat ones in this game. It has a good balance of minimalist music between silence and ambience, where the sound effects stand out.
The combat effects are noticeable and special, they perform well during the game, although I must say that some sounds can be forgettable. For example, activating a Stargazer doesn't feel as special as in other games, or the use of healing. The good thing is that each weapon has a particular sound, a detail that is quite appreciated.
Without a doubt, the most notable sounds are those of the puppets themselves. I won't deny that there are disturbing sounds and you know that a complicated enemy awaits you on the other side without even having seen it.
The voice acting complies correctly, highlighting some secondary characters and key moments. Although it is fine, it is not the point in which this type of game seeks to stand out.
Difficulty and accessibility
The most important thing for those who are looking for this type of games. Is it Lies of P difficult? Yes, it is complicated, but there are many ways to make your life easier. In my experience, at the time of 2023 there was only one difficulty. The areas are very linear, it's almost impossible to get lost. Normal enemies are manageable; even some mini-bosses can be challenging, but they won't be a thousand tries like in other games.
The really difficult part, you could say, are the mechanics, as they are different and it takes a few hours to learn everything the game has to offer. I'm not going to deny it: the bosses are very tricky. Unlike other games of its style, each boss posed a considerable challenge in my experience, even as someone already experienced in the genre. Getting to them is relatively easy, beating them is not.
What helps a lot for new players is that now the game has difficulties and you can summon helpers against bosses, so I can already say that the game is not so difficult and becomes more accessible to everyone. There are people who are uncomfortable with this, but that's the way it is.
In accessibility options, I must say that for a game of its year it is still quite basic. It has readable texts and standard options already seen in other games, but there are no advanced settings for all types of players. I consider that every game should be suitable for everyone, so this is a clear point of improvement.
Additional content
The main campaign lasts between 30 and 40 hours, depending on the level of exploration. In my case I went straight for the platinum trophy, playing it on PS5. Normally it takes about 40 hours on the initial difficulty of the game, although it could be much less. I played it when it came out, when the new difficulties didn't exist, so playing on easy you can finish it in about 25 hours.
It offers interesting and relatively easy to complete side quests; they are not impossible to deduce and are quite self-descriptive. Compared to other souls, where there are missions that without guides are practically impossible to understand, here that does not happen. Everything is much clearer.
Besides offering 3 different endings that are really worthwhile, the game presents decisions that affect the development of the story a bit. I do consider it to have a high replayability, with many elements that invite you to play it for many hours.
In 2025, its DLC called Lies of P: Overture, which I have played and highly recommend. It has a very good quality and a decent length, maintaining the level of the base game.
Technical Aspects
In my experience, it's a game with very solid performance. On PS5 I haven't had any noticeable performance issues. Load times are good and, for a smaller developer, the technical work is very remarkable. I do recommend playing it on next-gen consoles to get the most out of the game.
Yes there are bugs, but they are very small details. I only remember one occasion where the game bugged and P fell into the void, but it was nothing more than restarting the checkpoint and the problem was solved. With the updates, the experience has been improving and, in general, it is a polished and well optimized game.
Value for money
The game at its release cost around 70 USD, which is pretty good for what it offers. I bought this game since its release; since it was announced through its trailers something told me that I had to buy it, and its style type Bloodborne one of my favorite games that caught me from the beginning.
For everything it offers, its length and quality, I feel it competes fairly with other AAA titles in the genre, offering a very complete experience. You can take advantage of a bargain, but overall it's worth what it costs and I don't regret buying it at full price right out of the gate.
Trophies / Achievements
- Platinum obtained: Yes
- Percentage of trophies obtained: 100%
- Estimated time: 50-70 hours. I took 60 hours on standard difficulty.
- Platinum difficulty: 6 out of 10. I would say that the most complicated are the bosses and their discs that require certain steps, in addition to having to replay the game to get all their endings. Beyond that the rest of the trophies are affordable and shouldn't pose much of a challenge and more so now that in updates they included lower difficulties which make the game a walk in the park.
Conclusion
Lies of P is a pleasant surprise and one of the most solid proposals within the soulslike genre in recent years. It manages to take a known and demanding base, as this type of game is, and give it its own identity both in gameplay and narrative. Its combat is challenging and satisfying, its mechanics bring freshness, and its story is much clearer and understandable than many similar titles.
It's not a perfect game: accessibility could be improved and some mechanics require adaptation, especially for new players. However, everything it does well outweighs its flaws. Lies of P not only competes on a level playing field with other soulslike games, but also proves that it can be at the same level as the genre's great references.
It is a game that I recommend to both soulslike fans and those looking for a challenging, dark and well-built experience. For me it is the best soulslike at the moment.
My final rating for Lies of P is:
4.3 / 5.0
