As a child, I grew up with the 1940’s Disney Pinocchio. A cute, animated tale about a puppet and his cricket guide pursuing his ultimate wish, becoming a real boy. When Lies of P was initially announced, I was curious. How would they take a children’s tale and adapt if for gaming? While sometimes these attempts don’t translate, the developers at Round8 Studio created something truly special. And their hard work had little issue with optimizations for the Switch 2.

Unlike the cute and cartoony world from my childhood, Lies of P is much darker. The world is beautiful, alive, and unnerving. Graphical quality and superb sound design come together to immerse players fully in the protagonist’s story. This game falls under the umbrella of Soulslike due to its combat and fighting systems. However, it has dark fantasy and gothic elements as well, and combining these creates the magic and tragedy that is Krat, the game’s primary setting.

A Puppet Cannot Lie

Players take on the role of P, a puppet who seems to be one of few (if not the only) puppet who has not gone fully rogue. In this world, puppets are not unlike what we aspire with robotics and AI. They’re helpers, extensions of humanity that look like us but are not human, existing under the Grand Covenant. This governing code, pulling inspiration from Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, outlines four laws that all puppets must follow. They are: All puppets must obey their creator’s commands, a puppet may not harm a human, a puppet must protect and serve humans and the city of Krat, and a puppet cannot lie.

However, in the city of Krat all has fallen to hell and bloodshed as the once-friendly puppets begin to attack and kill. Parallel to the Puppet Frenzy is the Petrifaction Disease sweeping the city. Both are lethal to the humans within the walls of Krat, leaving more questions than answers. At the heart of it all is Geppetto, the puppets’ creator, and P, a puppet who is not led by bloodlust, but can lie. And lie he does. Throughout the game there are instances where players must choose between a truth and a lie. Often with very little time to discern which is for the better. Every lie told physically changes P, leading him closer to his wish of becoming human.

Within such a dark and bloody world, Lies of P creates combat that is both fun and formidable. Like other games in the genre, fighting can be punishing and requires players to learn enemy movements as well as proper timing for parries, dodges, and dealing damage. Since its release, there are now modifiers, allowing for tuning down the difficulty. Whether you’d rather focus on the story or just find yourself enthusiastically bad at this genre as I am, you now have the control to set your challenge. This setting can be changed at any time throughout a play through.

Arming P

Various weapons await discovery as players explore the blood-soaked streets, factories, and cathedrals of Krat. I quickly came to rely on the Azure Dragon Crescent Glaive, a weapon added in a post-release patch. However, despite my affinity, I enjoy the weapon variety this game has to offer. Switching between varying styles of weapon truly allows the combat in this game to shine. Players also have the freedom to craft weapons by choosing different weapon heads and handles. It was clear, at least at my skill level, that certain weapons allow for more success in battle than others. Knowing each weapons strengths and each enemies’ weakness can mean alternating between different tools for the task at hand.

Aside from the weapon varieties, Lies of P features a skill tree that allows players to pick and choose which attributes to build into. Certain weapon choices reward points put in one category over another, building into a preferred weapon or arsenal. This information is all housed on one screen, allowing players to clearly see which categories make more sense with preferred weapons. P also has what is known as a P-organ, allowing players to pick and choose between different passive and active abilities. Upgrading the P-organ takes more than just collecting Ergo, the essence dropped from enemies in battle. A specific upgrade material known as Quartz must be on hand to flesh out these skills.

P also has a mechanical arm that can be swapped out for upgraded arms with varying skills known as Legion Arms. Some examples include an arm that sprays fire or another that shoots a grapple hook of sorts to draw enemies nearer. As the game progresses, players unlock more Legion Arms and abilities to upgrade ones already found. There’s no demand for using one Legion Arm or weapon type over another. While some are more effect in certain areas, players have the agency to level and build P to their prefect specifications.

Puppet Strings In the Palm of Your Hands

My first experience with Lies of P when it launched in 2023 was on my PC. My desktop build is relatively high-end, so it looked great on my initial playthrough. This review, however, was done on the Nintendo Switch 2 port. Getting to experience the world of Krat on two vastly different systems was a fun experience. Much to my surprise, the two experiences were more similar than not.

The most notable difference was in graphics quality. Playing on PC with a monitor specifically geared towards gaming gave an incredibly beautiful experience the entire way through. I played Lies of P using my Switch 2 in both handheld and docked modes. While handheld, the graphics were not as crisp, not that I expected them to be, but still looked solid. My personal preference being that certain games are more enjoyable on bigger screens, and this game is one of them. However, I was traveling and found myself stuck at the airport for eight hours, grateful to be sitting near a power outlet, and happily slaughtering my way through Krat.

While in docked mode, there is a toggle that can be accessed through the main screen, under settings, that makes the Switch 2 prioritize graphics over performance. While in handheld, I had this off. But while docked, I would turn this setting on. When first activating this feature, the game would hitch a handful of times before it appeared to catch up with itself and smooth out. Below is side-by-side examples of P (left to right) from my PC, handheld with the performance over graphics optimized, and docked with graphics over performance optimized.

Anyone who plays Soulslike games knows that in battle, you cannot afford to be slow. Having your game lag during a boss fight can cost you the win. I spent several hours in handheld mode as well as docked using a Bluetooth controller, not the Joy-Con 2, and experienced no noticeable lag between the two options. I was expecting potential delays due to not using the included detachable controllers, but it was smooth.

My Switch 2’s battery didn’t seem overly taxed while playing as compared to any other Switch 2 specific titles, either. The system didn’t overheat or have any trouble running such a complex game. In fact, the Switch 2 is quickly becoming my favorite console as more games release. Having a handheld capable of playing some of the greatest games in the last few years while away from home as well as making the docked experience incredible makes me glad I made the leap to Switch 2.

Verdict

Lies of P is one of my favorite retellings of a childhood classic that I’ve ever experienced. The world is as brutal as it is elegant and asks the player what it means to be human. Playing on Switch 2 is a wonderful experience. It runs well in both handheld and docked modes, with little to no issues aside from some hitching when swapping from preferring performance to prioritizing graphics. With no noticeable lag between the two modes, playing on Switch 2 reignited my love for this game. Whether diving in for your first play through or starting another adventure through Krat, I can’t suggest picking up this title on Switch 2 enough.

Jamie’s Score: 9/10

Lies of P: Complete Edition launches on Nintendo Switch 2 August 6 with a physical release coming October 2. Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2, code provided by the publisher.