Lies Of P: Complete Edition Review

I’m a big fan of Souls-like games. Over the years, I’ve played and reviewed more than my fair share of them, from the obvious genre heavyweights to some of the more experimental games trying to put their own spin on the formula. Yet, for whatever reason, I’d somehow never gotten around to playing Lies of P. That was despite hearing, time and time again, that it was one of the best Souls-likes outside of FromSoftware’s own catalogue.

The release of Lies of P: Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 finally gave me the excuse I needed to find out what all the fuss was about. After spending a considerable amount of time exploring its dark, beautifully realised world, fighting its brutal bosses and uncovering its strange take on a classic story, I can confidently say I’m very glad I did.

At its heart, Lies of P is a Souls-like action RPG inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, although you won’t find much of the familiar children’s storybook charm here. Instead, the game takes the characters, themes and basic ideas surrounding Pinocchio and drops them into a grim Belle Époque-inspired fantasy world. The result is a setting filled with elaborate architecture, mechanical puppets, bloodshed, alchemy and a real sense that something has gone horribly wrong.

You play as Pinocchio, a puppet created by the mysterious Geppetto. You awaken in the city of Krat during the aftermath of a catastrophic event known as the Puppet Frenzy, where the city’s puppets have turned against their human masters. Krat is also suffering from an outbreak of the mysterious Petrification Disease, leaving the population in an increasingly desperate state.

Your immediate objective is to find Geppetto, but naturally, things become considerably more complicated from there. What begins as a search for your creator gradually develops into a much larger mystery involving the origins of the puppets, the nature of humanity, the strange forces operating behind Krat’s downfall and Pinocchio’s own identity.

There’s a surprisingly strong cast of characters along the way, including the mysterious Sophia, the inventor Venigni, the hotel’s inhabitants and, of course, Geppetto himself. The game does a good job of giving these characters enough personality to make their stories worth following, while their individual struggles help reinforce the broader themes surrounding humanity, identity and what it means to be a real person.

One aspect of the storytelling that I particularly appreciated is that Lies of P isn’t quite as cryptic as some of FromSoftware’s games. There are still mysteries to uncover, optional conversations and plenty of lore hidden away in item descriptions and environmental details, but I generally had a much clearer understanding of what was happening and why I was doing what I was doing. For me, that made it easier to become invested in the characters and the overall journey.

The core gameplay loop will feel immediately familiar to anyone who has played a Souls-like. You explore an interconnected area, fight enemies, discover shortcuts, find useful items, defeat increasingly difficult bosses and spend the currency I’ve accumulated on improving my character. When I die, I lose my accumulated Ergo, giving me the familiar risk-and-reward decision of whether to push deeper into an area or return to safety and spend what I’ve earned.

Combat is where Lies of P really distinguishes itself. It’s deliberate and methodical, but it also has a satisfying degree of aggression. Attacks need to be carefully timed, stamina needs to be managed and blindly attacking enemies will usually end badly. Blocking is important, but the game encourages you to master its Perfect Guard mechanic, allowing you to deflect attacks with precise timing.

There’s also a Legion Arm system that provides additional abilities, while Pinocchio’s mechanical nature is reflected in various combat and upgrade systems. The weapon system is particularly enjoyable because weapons are made up of separate blades and handles that can be combined in different ways. This means I’m not simply finding a weapon and sticking with it. I can experiment with combinations and create something that suits the way I actually want to play.

That flexibility carries over into character progression. As I defeat enemies and collect Ergo, I can level up my attributes, while other systems allow me to improve weapons, unlock abilities and customise Pinocchio further. The P-Organ system adds another layer of progression, letting me unlock passive improvements and gradually shape the character around my preferred playstyle.

I loved the setting throughout the adventure. Krat is one of those game worlds where I often found myself wanting to stop and look around rather than simply rushing toward the next objective. Its architecture, industrial machinery, gloomy streets and lavish interiors create a wonderfully oppressive atmosphere. There’s a real sense that this was once a magnificent city that has been pushed far beyond the point of collapse.

The art direction is equally strong. Lies of P combines gothic fantasy with Belle Époque aesthetics and steampunk-like mechanical design, resulting in something that feels distinctive without straying too far from the visual language you’d expect from a Souls-like. The puppet designs are especially effective, ranging from unsettlingly human creations to enormous mechanical monstrosities.

I also enjoyed how intelligently the game incorporates elements of Pinocchio. Familiar names, characters and concepts are constantly being reinterpreted, but rarely in a way that feels like a simple reference for the sake of recognition. The game takes the original story’s ideas about lying, becoming human and discovering one’s identity and turns them into meaningful gameplay and narrative mechanics.

The lying system is particularly interesting. At various points, I’m given choices where I can tell the truth or lie, and these decisions can influence Pinocchio’s journey and relationships. It’s not an especially complicated morality system, but it fits the story beautifully and makes the act of lying feel like part of Pinocchio’s gradual development as a person.

And then there are the bosses, which are easily among my favourite parts of the experience.

Lies of P has some genuinely excellent boss encounters. They’re challenging without simply feeling difficult for the sake of difficulty, and overcoming them requires you to actually understand what I’m fighting. I need to recognise attack patterns, identify openings, learn when to dodge or Perfect Guard and understand how a boss changes between phases.

Naturally, this means I died. A lot. But that’s exactly what makes these encounters work. Each death teaches me something. I start recognising an attack that caught me out previously, then I learn how to respond to it. Eventually, I’m surviving longer, dealing more damage and reaching later phases consistently. When I finally bring down a boss that has been destroying me for the better part of an evening, the satisfaction is enormous. That gradual process of turning an apparently impossible encounter into something I can reliably overcome remains one of the biggest reasons I enjoy this genre.

The Complete Edition also includes Overture, a substantial expansion that serves as both a prequel and companion to the original game. It takes Pinocchio into the past, allowing me to explore Krat during the period leading up to the events of the main adventure. It adds new areas, characters, enemies, weapons and bosses while providing additional context for the world and its history.

What I particularly like about Overture is that it doesn’t feel like disposable bonus content. It expands on the original game’s lore and themes while giving players plenty of fresh challenges to tackle. For anyone who enjoyed the base game, it’s a compelling reason to return to Krat.

On Nintendo Switch 2, Lies of P: Complete Edition is also a surprisingly good fit. The ability to play such a demanding action RPG in handheld mode is a major advantage, and the Switch 2 hardware provides a much more comfortable experience than I would have expected from a portable version of the game. Loading is quick, visuals are clean and performance is generally solid, making this a particularly appealing way to experience the game.

There are still some compromises. The image quality and visual detail can’t quite match the strongest versions on more powerful hardware, and there are occasional moments where performance or visual presentation can dip. Some environments also reveal the limitations of the hardware more than others. None of these issues ruined my experience, but they’re worth mentioning if visual fidelity is your highest priority.

I also think the game could have done a little more to make some of its systems clearer. There are plenty of mechanics to learn, and while experimentation is part of the fun, certain elements can initially feel more complicated than they need to be. Some enemy encounters can also become frustrating when several aggressive opponents are thrown together, particularly when the game’s otherwise excellent combat works best in more controlled one-on-one situations.

I went into Lies of P: Complete Edition wondering why I’d taken so long to play it. I came away understanding exactly why so many people had recommended it to me. It’s a polished, atmospheric and consistently satisfying Souls-like that manages to borrow heavily from the genre’s established formula while giving itself a strong identity through its Pinocchio-inspired world, weapon system, storytelling and excellent boss design. The Complete Edition makes an already impressive package even better by including Overture, and the Nintendo Switch 2 version gives me the flexibility to experience Krat both at home and on the go.

After years of playing Souls-likes, I’ve become pretty difficult to impress. Lies of P managed to do it anyway. It’s challenging, stylish, rewarding and surprisingly thoughtful, and I’m genuinely glad that the Complete Edition finally gave me the push I needed to discover it.

A Nintendo Switch 2 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

If you want to see more content like this and never miss one of our frequent gaming and anime giveaways come and Follow Ani-Game on Twitter.