Just as Pinocchio in the original classic yearned to be a real human boy, your character P in Lies of P also has a chance to earn his humanity while journeying through Krat. However, in Lies of P, the humanity system is more than just a cosmetic appearance from puppet to human. We are here to explain how humanity works in Lies of P, how it affects your gameplay and how you can gain or lose humanity.
How does Humanity work in Lies of P
The humanity system in Lies of P is barely explained in the game. Humanity is earned through performing certain acts that are not expected of a puppet. Puppets follow a certain set of rules and lack basic instincts that are common for all humans. However, your character can do things that are not expected of a puppet, and this is what leads to your character becoming more and more human.
How does the lie system affect humanity
One of the major things that puppets are unable to do in Lies of P is lie but your character is special and you can freely lie whenever you see fit. Just like humanity, the lie system in Lies of P is also not properly explained.
The first time you lie in Lies of P, you get the message that your springs are moving, a bit of foreshadowing of your character becoming more human.
As you keep on lying, you gain more humanity. Upon reaching certain invisible thresholds, the messages change indicating you have gained new levels of humanity. Below we have summarized all the messages that appear as you unlock new tiers of humanity in Lies of P
- Tier 1: Your springs are reacting
- Tier 2: The Ergo is whispering
- Tier 3: You Feel Warmth
- Tier 4: Your Heart is Pounding
There are other actions that also affect your humanity besides lying, but they don’t contribute as much as you would expect them to. Unlike the original classic, however, your nose will not start growing as you continue to lie in Lies of P. However, the developers still found a way to incorporate that easter egg so you can check how much humanity you have gained.
How to check your Humanity
The humanity system in Lies of P is vague and unclear. Unlike other stats, you don’t get a specific number or even a meter or bar that denotes your humanity. There are two vague ways to see how far you have progressed in your humanity.
The first is through the fuzzy little resident of Hotel Krat. Hotel Krat has a cat named Spring that moves around the hotel. If you approach the cat on your first visit to Hotel Krat, she will hiss at you and try to get away from you. The cat stays extremely cautious of you.
As you progress and lie and earn more humanity points, this is reflected by the cat’s behavior. The cat becomes more and more calm and attached to your character as you get more humanity points and start shifting away from being a puppet to being human.
Another visible way to judge your humanity is by getting the Portrait of a Boy. The Portrait is found in Chapter 5, and you can bring the portrait back to Hotel Krat. As you lie and interact with the world as a human, the portraits grow a wooden nose.
Even Geppetto comments that this might be because of a phenomenon where objects grow a soul within. This wooden nose on the portrait is also a clear indication of your character’s humanity. The longer the nose, the more humanity you have.
Should you lie to gain humanity in Lies of P or not?
Lying is an integral part of the humanity system in Lies of P. It is seen as a quality possessed by humans and the coding inside puppets prevents them from lying. Not only do lies help increase your humanity overall, but they also work towards deciding which ending of Lies of P you will unlock.
If you don’t tell a single lie in the game, you get the Free from the Pupper String ending, but telling lies all over Krat will allow you to access the Rise of P ending. Of course being Souls-like, even the happy ending is arguably sad.
We recommend that you lie as much as you can to become more human and then at the end you can choose whether to go for the Rise of P ending or Real Boy ending. This way you can experience two endings with just one playthrough.
