I can’t stop thinking about Lies of P, an upcoming Souls-like inspired by Pinocchio

I’ve got no strings to hold my souls

It’s always entertaining to see classic tales reimagined in video games. But today, Neowiz and developer Round8 Studio have announced a mash-up I never thought I’d see: the story of Pinocchio, in the form of a Souls game.

Lies of P is an upcoming entry in the “Souls-like” genre, hit me with a one-two punch. First was the trailer, which appears to show Geppetto entering a fallen city and presumably beat up an automaton? We only smash-cut to the aftermath, but Geppetto certainly seems to have given the robot a good walloping.

We then cut to Punished Geppetto, as I’m calling him, standing over a small boy he calls “son,” who has a mechanical arm. And after the title drop, the “son” is seen walking towards a wall of various weapons.

This is already a wild trailer, but then you can over to the Steam page for Lies of P, which gives us some more solid details. Playing as Pinocchio, a mechanoid puppet, you seek out Mr. Geppetto in the city of Krat and find a way to become human. Alongside the late 19th century aesthetic and swapping out body parts for new skills, there is also a “lying” mechanic. According to the store listing, quests will play out depending on how you lie, and those choices can affect the story’s conclusion.

I have to say, I’m intrigued! It feels like a throwback to dark fairy tale games like Alice: Madness Returns, so a Pinocchio Souls is honestly not that hard to imagine. But the lying system is another level, adding some nuance that’s both thematic and really wild.

Lies of P is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, though it has no release window just yet.