Lies Of P takes the characters and elements of the classic tales of Pinocchio and turns them on their head, throwing players into a wild steampunk Soulslike that features a series of twists and turns. Though Lies Of P is way darker than the lighthearted fairytale, some key elements still carry over.
Lies Of P retains the element of lying present within the classic Pinocchio fairytale. Throughout the game, players will be presented with the option to lie to a character or tell them the cold and honest truth. Though Pinocchio’s nose won’t grow in length following a lie, repeatedly being dishonest does have another effect entirely.
Updated by CJ Kuzdal on October 13, 2023: This article has been updated to include an additional Lies of P video, bringing more beneficial content to readers.
This article contains minor spoilers for Lies Of P’s story. Proceed with caution.
Lying In Lies Of P
In seemingly random moments throughout Lies Of P, players will be presented with the choice to either lie or tell the truth. The first instance this occurs is when you reach Hotel Krat in Chapter 1. At this point of the game, you will be asked whether you are a Puppet or a Human. There is only one correct option you should pick here, and that is to lie about your identity, thus allowing you access to the hotel. But how do further lies affect the game?
The Consequences Of Lying
Side Quest Rewards
In the short term, lying can affect the kind of rewards you obtain after completing Side Quests. One example of this is during the Baby Quest in Chapter 2. At Elysion Boulevard, you will encounter a Weeping Woman at a window, and by talking to her, you can choose to look for her missing baby. Unfortunately, you will only recover a baby doll. Upon returning to her with the doll, you will be presented with a choice to be upfront – informing the woman that the baby is in fact a doll – or lie and say the child is cute.
If you choose to tell the truth, you will only obtain a Clear Ergo Fragment. However, if you lie, you will gain both the Clear Ergo Fragment and the Vinyl Record, Feel. This is just one instance of how your choices can affect the rewards you obtain, but lying goes a little deeper than that.
Your Ergo Is Whispering
On a deeper level, lying affects Pinocchio’s Puppet/Human status. Essentially, there is an unseen character status that runs in the background of Lies Of P, and you can track it at certain moments in the game. The first couple of lies you tell, coupled with the Vinyl Records you listen to, will display the message ‘your springs are reacting.‘ Further lies will eventually display the message ‘your Ergo is whispering.’
These two messages simply mean that you are falling over to the Human side, displaying more empathy than the cold-hearted Puppets who are incapable of lying. Your Human/Puppet status, and the choices you make throughout the game, will eventually lead to one of three overall endings. Without getting into major spoilers, lying, along with other choices and actions, appears to give players the true cannon ending to Lies Of P – whereas various other options will give you one of two alternative endings.