Lies of P graced the video game world with its loose retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio. Since its release, the game has cultivated a dedicated fanbase who eagerly await the upcoming DLC and sequel. If you’re thinking about picking up Lies of P before the DLC release, I have some tips for you.
Premise
Lies of P is set in Krat, a technologically advanced city that relies on puppets for everything. To ensure that the puppets do not turn on the humans, all puppets carry the Grand Covenant, a vow never to harm humans. However, corruption soon infects Krat giving both humans and puppets the Petrification Disease causing the city to fall into ruin.
This gothic horror follows P, a puppet sent out by his father to fight against corruption in Krat. Throughout P’s mission, players learn about the origins of the Petrification Disease, Grand Covenant, and P himself.
The DLC was announced a week after the game’s initial release. At first, it was rumored for a Q4 2024 release. However, on the game’s anniversary, the game’s director released an open letter to the players stating the release would be pushed back. The team was gracious and gave fans a peek at a new area and a new song.
Choose Wisely
At the beginning of the game, you’re given the option between three different builds. A motivity build, a technique build, and an advanced build. These are named Path of the Sweeper, Bastard, and Cricket, respectively.
Each weapon you find fits into one of these build types. However, you can modify each weapon to fit into each build type. Another wonderful feature of Lies of P is that players can mix and match weapons to create new weapons. I used the Salamander Dagger’s blade with the Acidic Crystal Spear’s handle when I played with an advanced build. This enabled me as a way to build fire damage and avoid enemy strikes.
Depending on your playstyle, I recommend focusing on one type of weapon or looking into builds if you don’t want to think too hard about it. Lies of P allows players to reset their stats as much as they want, but they have to get past the 7th level first and unlock the Saintess of Mercy statue hidden in that area.
Building Your Stats
On my first playthrough, I foolishly split all of P’s stats evenly between motivity, technique, and advance while using a motivity weapon. It wasn’t a big problem until I reached the final levels. However, after I reset my build and focused on the motivity stat, there was a significant difference in the time it took me to take down enemies.
Managing your stats on the first run is easy since the focus is usually on one stat. However, when you get to NG+ or NG++, as I did, hard caps become an issue requiring some workaround. Once a stat gets to 40, the payoff is minimal. It’s recommended to build another stat, but I went ahead and pumped most of my extra stats into HP and stamina because I’m greedy. Yes, it’s also the cause of 80% of my deaths.
Your Choices Matter
Lies of P has a morality meter that isn’t visible in-game. To build it, P must lie or tell the truth. Well, that’s what the game says, but it’s much more complicated. Sometimes you lie, and sometimes you pick the more humane answer. Somehow the game conflates lying with humanity. I understand the link between them as I’ve watched the Disney film, but I think the execution is clumsy. I think it would’ve made more sense if the game gradually evolved the choices to align with our protagonist. As he becomes more human, the choices become more nuanced to reflect his growth into a real boy. It’s not a perfect fix, but I think it’d do a better job of highlighting P’s growth.
Keep in mind that changes to P occur depending on the player’s choices. Certain endings and items can be unlocked only if players respond appropriately to certain actions. I recommend using a guide for the answers to make getting all of the endings and secret weapons easier.
Listen to the Music
Based on your in-game choices, you’ll receive records. If you’re looking to get the true ending, you must listen to the songs all the way through. The songs are between 2-4 minutes. This is just enough time to level, upgrade weapons, and talk to the other NPCs in the hub area. As long as you don’t leave the hub area as the track plays, the game will register it.
The OST is amazing. If it wasn’t embedded into the game mechanics, I’d still recommend it for a great listen. Even if you don’t want to play Lies of P, listen to the OST.
Welcome, Citizen of Krat
Much like any Soulslike, stats are important. On a first run, it’s important to pick a build and stick to it until you can respec. It’s also important to decide if you’re going to lie or tell the truth during your playthrough. The difference between getting the true ending and the good ending is one choice. That choice may be forgetting to listen to the records, so don’t deprive yourself.
Lies of P is available on Steam, PS5, and XBOX.
