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Lies of P, Pinocchio Souls, might not look it at a glance, but it is a shockingly loving adaptation of Carlo Collodi's original 1883 novel. In this video, I want to not only look at what exactly is going on in the story of the game, but also dive into the many many ways it references and twists its source material, into something surprisingly thoughtful and considered. Settle in, this is going to be a long one.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: Why Pinocchio? - 0:00:00
Part One: What is Lies of P? - 0:14:05
Part Two: The Cat, The Fox, and the Gold Coin Fruit - 0:31:53
Part Three: Catchfools, and St. Frangelico Cathedral - 0:46:21
Part Four: The Land of Toys, Rosa Isabelle Street - 1:01:18
Part Five: The Industrial Horrors of Krat - 1:21:00
Part Six: Sophia and the Cure - 1:32:36
Part Seven: The Lies of Lies of P - 1:54:12
Part Eight: Simon Manus, Lies of P's Monstro - 2:12:52
Part Nine: Becoming a Real Boy - 2:37:52
Outro - 2:53:13
References & Further Reading:
docs.google.com/document/d/13...
Also, I just want to say I'm happy your taking the game and it's lore "seriously". I hate to sound pretentious but it feels like people tend to shy away from experiencing things "genuinely" these days. Everything feels memed, ironic, a joke, etc.
The world is becoming so fake, from corpos pretending to be your friends to ai generated content farms. It’s a breath of fresh air to find anything that takes itself and it’s audience seriously.
I dont want to be that person, but without spouting opinion here, that ironic sardonicism and erosion of authenticity are things described as effects of late stage capitalism in much of the available research into such things. That would often be the end of it. "Things suck thats just how it is" is typically the route that gets taken by people who bring up late stage capitalism casually. However, I mention it because even little protests in the way that we operate, like being deliberate and thoughtful, and acting in good faith even if it makes you a little more vulnerable, and taking others in good faith if they aren't very clearly acting in bad faith, actually make a meaningful difference day to day, which is generally the only realm we actually operate with any agency in. I think that is a huge part of why art is transformative in the first place, and videos like this really just go to show that core truth.
@@Agentlefoxart is transformative like you said, but it has to be authentic.
@@Agentlefox Except a large majority of these "video essayist" language types do not actually mean anything they say. They speak with airy, floaty voices, emphasizing and dipping tones to SOUND sophisticated. Yet if you analyze them, they basically say absolutely nothing of value, save for the very surface of a thing. A great set of examples of that are HighTop Films, NeverKnowsBest, Patrick Willlems, and Filmento (though he has a few decent videoes hidden in the rubbish). It is frustrating that critical analysis has become, for so many, how much of a word salad you can spout or how pretentious and "sophisticated" you can sound, rather than actual solid analysis and critique. Watch something from Noah Caldwell-Gervais as an example of a quality analysis and discussion on a video game. Unlike many youtube video essayists, his points are not dripping in pretentiousness, and spoken in a way that basically anyone with a handle on the English language can follow, and is honest about his critiques and analysis. (Though he can get a bit lost in the sauce when it comes to politics rants sometimes)
@@mustbemeechgood thing the souls genre is pretty sincere and authentic for the most part
I don't think killing Alidoro is framed as "the right choice" by giving you more humanity, but showing that P has the freedom to kill a wicked person as a human rather than the restrictions of a puppet.
It's really funny seeing "You feel warmth" pop up after killing him in one strike
Yes, this is supported with Alidoro’s last words being shocked that you CAN actually kill humans, something “normal” puppets are programmed to never do.
The act of revenge being very human
Frustration, anger, vengeance, satisfaction... a puppet wouldnt act on these.
@@glowie5811 Yeah I think it’s intended to mean more like “You felt the burning hatred and anger being released”. I mean, anger is a “warm” feeling, right?
You can get the black cats mask as an equipable cosmetic and the lore description on it does in fact say his eyesight is fading
Makes sense. Just as a small funfact, that in my opinion also puts the Fox at risk of sickness: Her name, Claudia? The meaning of the name is "crippled".
@@toolatetothestoryhuh, damn. thought it was something derived from a cloud. very grim..
I love how Lies of P is basically a war between Simon and Geppetto, and P and Krat are in the middle of it.
34:49 "red fox and black cat are the closest thing Lies of P has to a Patches type character" Slum Resident: Am I a joke to you?
His nose actually does “grow”. Not on the character itself but in the hotel if you stand by the stargazer and look at his shadow you’ll see the nose has gotten bigger
And the portrait was drawn by a certain D. Gray.
if you max out the length of the painting’s nose you also get the benefit of obtaining one of the most OP weapons in the game (the golden lie)
I swear he says this in the video
@@billgates6566 he does not mention his shadow by the hotel stargazer but he does mention the portrait of carlo.
The nose on the portrait actually grows, casting a longer shadow. Its not just the shadow growing.
I love multi-hour long unironic video essays delving into all the complexity and details of things I've never heard of, eschewing brevity and embracing depth. Very good video and I like it.
Heard of flaw peacock?
Ironic is good too, but yeah. It's great
This is really good though 👍
@@sommerblume9671I have now! ty for recommendation.
Great video! A cool thing about P is the use of his arms. Whenever he behaved like a destructive puppet (ie. Opening doors or aggressively deflecting the King's hand of friendship) he uses his left/Legion Arm. However, whenever he uses his right/human arm, it's always to be compassionate and healing. As an example, in the Rise of P ending when he gives a puppet Sofia's Ergo, he uses his right arm as well as the interactions with the cat in Hotel Krat. SO much attention to detail.
That's an incredible detail I never noticed!
He does use his legion arm to give Sophia peace though
One thing that's bugged me about the gemini thing is... he really doesn't talk all that much. Yeah, when you enter a new area or when something notable happens, he talks. But it's not constant. If you're running through a level again or backtracking/exploring. He doesn't randomly talk like the Forspoken cuff. And generally when he does talk, it's a lull in the action. The prolonged rise up the tram to the church, he fills a void so instead of mind numbing silence, at least you're listening to something, even if they are annoying, it still fills the void.
Yeah, he is obnoxious but his existence makes the companionship between him and p more human. If he wasn't there keeping you interacting with the story, it becomes easy to only engage with the combat & mechanics and skim over the narrative. Because you are annoyed by him, you form active opinions on what your thoughts are and how they are different from Geminis!
The...void? There is game and atmosphere and usually music :o
I really love the opening to the Original Pinocchio. “Once upon a time there was- “A King!” You say. “No children. Once there was a block of wood.”
hearing how passionate and faithful the game has been makes me so excited for the Oz game, I'm a huge Oz fan but most of the adaptations fall flat, I'm interested to see what this team can do with it
There's so much potential for that Oz game. I hope it keeps up the quality and passion for the source material this game demonstrated.
Especially with something like “return to oz” doing a pretty good job being faithful while also being terrifying- or maybe the books were just Animorphs level of stealth horror, I don’t know
Im actually excited about it as well. Especially according to what I have read so far, Oz is actually a real place compared how Wizard of Oz movie portrayed it as Dorothy's Wonderland. With that in mind, I hope it could be an Open World and now have Magic mechanic in the game since Oz literally has these magical entities like the Witches, Flying Monkeys, and the Slipper
@@maquic4k3l1n6I also want to know how they implant the stories of Dorothy's companions. Maybe the Tin Man would be a puppet similar to P or Romeo as a sort of tie in who wants a "Heart," so he can feel more human hearing the rumor that a puppet has done it before. The Cowardly Lion a hunter who abandoned his duty after the incident in Krat, inadvertently causing more deaths from his actions hence wanting "courage." As for Scarecrow he could probably be a wannabe alchemist who's a bit of an absentminded and clumsy man whose inventions never pan out, wanting a "brain" so his peers don't look down upon him.
having read the first 4 books as a kid i can confirm they really are just horrifying in places @@eldritchcupcakes3195
A little detail I realised while watching this story breakdown is about the summoning system, with the wish stones and star shards or whatnot. You basically make a wish everytime you use the summon bowl thing which comes in the form of a spectre that looks awfully similar to Romeo, almost as if Carlos dormant dream of fighting alongside Romeo as stalkers is being fulfilled, even if only for a short time.
Another detail, the specter always uses the weapon you get from the boss they're summoned for.
Thanks for the great watch! The point you caught about 'Cat's arena being filled with water because he may be blind' and 'Simon = shark' blew my mind. Just a few points I think you missed: 1.In the main hall Stargazer, the shadow of P's nose grows the more you lie. So yes, his noes grows too, not just the portrait. 2. The country of the Far East is most likely Korea, not Japan, in this game. Not just because the developers are Korean, but a lot of the boss weapons are direct references to Korean folklore and historical figures (the stories behind some of them are actually fascinating). The gold coin fruits also look like old Korean coins.
The Korea part about Eugénie is something I have to disagree with. I don't remember what the emote was called, but when you do that beg, or that one emote that looks like the beg emote, but standing, she does a signature gesture that only Japanese people do when denying requests, a hand crossed X sign. And unless Koreans do that as well, I don't agree with you.
About 1. - isn't this a similar approach to worldbuilding to what FromSoftware did with Malenia? Both blind/nearly blind and using sound and hearing to their utmost advantage.
Gemini’s dialogue feels like it’s from a game where he’s constantly talking, like it’s so casual but goofy it seems weird when it just came out of no where after not hearing him for 10 hours at a time. I think that was my only gripe, the pacing of when he would talk, you’d forget he even does it before it happened a subsequent time, the sudden banter (rather than it just being banter you hear all the time) was always surprising, like tone-wise it sounds like someone who was always encouraging you and trash talking and hanging out etc except it just happens once in a blue moon apropos of nothing. For most of the game he’s just a silent light on your butt. Note on the fox and cat, if you fight the cat the fox will attack you without letting you offer a coin, so she doesn’t seem to want them for her own sake once he’s gone. I think that lends credence to it being for the cat’s healing and not just a ploy for money or whatever
Honestly I liked his dialogue and quips. They were either helpful info of the area, pointing out the somewhat obvious, or just a breath of levity. I could see him being annoying if he talked muuuuch more. But with it is now I think it's a healthy balance though there are times I'd wish he'd say his opinion like when we obviously lie or find out certain huge truths or kill certain people. Not like every single boss or lie, but just certain ones you'd think he'd have something to say. Cause some events are..big..to say the least.
Also the black cat mask describes it has lenses which help with blindness
Yeah i think it was a compromise by the devs, so that if the player is not interested in the characterization of gemini, it doens't really detract from the gameplay (aka the player just getting annoyed by it)
There's also a whole lot of symbolism unrelated to the pinnochio story (and from soft and, somehow, batman) Both the p-organ reset statue and the final shot of P and Sophia mirror the pieta statue of michelangelo (of Maria cradling the dead body of Jesus). The stairs of the opera are the ones from the Opera Garnier in Paris, the one where phantom of the opera takes place! (Same way why the burning chandelier is Like That). The egg riddle is dissapointing on it's own, but also a reference to the best quote from Revolutionary Girl Utena (if a bird cannot break its chell, the bird will die without being born). And a bunch of smaller things, like Adalinas key to 221b, the Sherlock Holmes apartment, and Victor the Wrestler being Victor Frankensteins monster!
I've never seen Revolutionary Girl Utena, I had no idea that was a reference!
also, arlecchino is a specific reference to Brau-1589 from naoki urasawa's Pluto. That little robot bastard was also a robot who broke past the asimov rules to kill a human, and he's in the same position in pluto (wrecked and trapped underground) as arlecchino in Lies of P
@@ZuldimYT I would highly recommend it if the idea of “a dark fairy tale where a girl who wants to be a prince attends a private academy with deep secrets, animated like sailor moon and directed by David Lynch” sounds appealing
Another important question to mention is Arlecchino's final question. The first Lie that we tell is when we enter the Krats Hotel, we lie telling “I'm human”. And the game heavily emphasizes that we told a lie. But at the end of Arlecchino's quest, we are asked the same question. The question did not change, but we as players and P as a character have. If you see these questions in an objective form, we are still a puppet; our body hasn't changed. On the other hand, can you still call P a puppet? after all the experiences, the bounding and the empathy he has shown. Having a more abstract perspective, one of the mayor points of Arlecchino's quest, you cannot answer the question telling that P is a mere puppet. And when we told Arlecchino that P is a human, he recognized P as one. In a way, this is the game telling us that we didn't lie. I like the idea that at the beginning of the game we were lying calling us a human, but at the end P is recognized as one; because of the experiences he has been through. I know this feels like basic writing, but it is the writing what makes the difference. If this was implemented in another game, it would be just a mere mechanic to decide the ending that we get. Meanwhile, Lies of P is a narrative masterpiece when it's just not a mechanic but it actually makes us doubt the human condition and our morals. Great Video.
I like the irony that the particular point that got the Alchemists onto their path of bullshittery was finding the maid puppet that awoke the Ego of Geppetto's wife and presumably Carlo's mom, Camille, mentioned in three pieces of text across the entire game. Also, I could be wrong, I think Paracelsus was one of the Founding Fathers of the Alchemists. I think it was the lines in the Weapon and Amulet descriptions you get from Laxasia's Ergo that gave me that impression, when I compared it to other symbolism usually associated with the guy.
Oh man, I had seen some of the lore about Camille, but I missed that she was Geppetto's wife/Carlo's mom, good catch!
If you want a direction to where I got that, assuming you haven't found it yourself, it's at the Stargazer outside of the Theater (that is, where you do the runback to Romeo). If you spawn there and turn around, you'll see a statue made in honor of the dead yet beloved wife of someone going by G.G. Because this is an excellently crafted game that never mentions someone only once, that can clue you in. This would then tie in with how Camille, as the maid puppet, awoke her ego catching a falling child, and when interrogated by the Alchemists would keep repeating that she wanted to see her child. As in Carlo. Which is just. Man.
Ok, another thing now that I'm close to the end of the video! Simon actually has another motivation for his world without lies thing. It's been a while so i don't remember where it is said, but he had the ability to read minds. This drove him insane because he couldn't stop seeing every time someone told an untruth around him.
The detail that he can read minds comes from that note you can find back in Geppetto's workshop when you return to Krat Central Station I think. Good point about that being another motivation for him!
@@ZuldimYT Simon Manus also said as much after you beat him if you lie about what you did to Sophia. A bit hilarious, had the tone of 'I'm dying, and you STILL lie to me, puppet!?' And then there is his personal reason for wanting Sophia, given how she was the only one who gave him peace. The man was, tragically speaking, sick.
Ah yes, a three hour video just in time for a nice post-work pre-weekend relax... Perfect.
From my understanding from the start Manus had already taken the arm of god back and left that note before. The cutscene plays because now he had enough "great ergo" creatures dead that he could absorb into the machine thing
To add to Simon Manus, in addition to the Monstro allusions, he also shares some similarities to The Coachman (The Little Man in the original story iirc.) Like the Coachman, he tricks people into becoming inhuman beasts for his benefit by claiming to help them achieve their desires (a cure for the Petrification Disease, for example.)
"It's a feature, not a bug" Aaaa, I see what you did there. I actually enjoyed Gemini, given how sullen the setting and unresponsive-for-the-most-part P is, having a jackass in the gang fits so well.
Oh cool, Zuldim did one of his shorts on Lies of- *looks at runtime* Oh. Oh my.
Just think of it as roughly 180 consecutive shorts 😂
First, a man must come to love Lies of P. Second, he must come to love Pinocchio as well. Third, he must also make videos. That's the only absurd reason for a video of this quality to exist! We're so lucky to have you man!! Thank you!!! Hypes me up so much for their sequel, cant wait
Really love this analytical deep dive into the connections between Lies of P and its source material, I also wanted to point out fun easter egg in relation to P's nose. If you look at his shadow while standing in the light of the Hotel Krat Stargazer his shadow has an extended nose based on the lies you've told.
If you've told enough you can actually grab it and use it as a weapon called the Golden Lie.
As I have the PS4 version, I don't think it has the shadow added, unlike the current gen versions. Otherwise, it was a nice touch, along with a horror version of 'When you wish upon a star'.
I'm about 2 hours in and enjoying this video a lot, you've clearly put a huge amount of effort into it! Re: gaining humanity for lying to Venigni about Geppetto, I interpreted it not as a reflection of P trying to protect his father so much as P trying to protect Venigni from any guilt he might feel having worked with Geppetto to make the Grand Covenant possible (and essentially handing Geppetto the tool he needed to cause so many deaths at the hands of puppets, which we know from Venigni's backstory he wanted very much to prevent from ever happening to anyone else). Venigni and Geppetto are said to be longtime friends as well--Geppetto is the one who sends us to save him, after all--so it could simply be wanting to spare Venigni the disillusionment of realizing one of your friends is not who you thought they were.
When you said at the end of the video that up until this point you didn't have any particular love or long-standing connection with the original story of Pinocchio I was stunned for a minute. The detailed understanding of the source material shows a level of "active consumption" that is really admirable. Fantastic video!
I was impressed already by the game and your incredible analysis has just made me appreciate it so much more. Something that I noticed that might have eluded you, like most I imagine, about some of the lore is that the game hides some of it in the loading screens which is an *interesting* choice. Specifically there are 2 things that caught my attention. 1. It mentions that the petrification disease was like the black lung, saying that the miners of ergo were the first to contract it 2. The game does explicity refer to your humanity as humanity. It tells you about how listening to records can increase it. There are other lore I find interesting, like Giangio searching for a way to cure his incomplete body, within thatas well
I did know about the load screen lore existing, which I have to say, I *hate* as a design choice. I didn't incorporate much of it into this video just because tracking it down was so frustrating, and none of the tips I'd seen in normal play seemed essential to the video, but I really wish there was a good compilation of all of the load screens somewhere. If there is, I couldn't find it. All of that is to say, I appreciate you pointing this detail out! Thank you for pointing out where humanity is used as a term in-game, as well! I'm not surprised it mentioned it somewhere, and it's good to know specifically where that's coming from.
About 50 minutes in so far but I just wanted to say this is fantastic work man! Really impressed with how this is laid out and framing it in comparison with the original story. Also the line "it's a feature not a bug" about the Cricket is such a good line.
Thanks man, I appreciate it! This one took a lot of work, so it's really heartening to see people like it so much.
One other thing about Paracelsus which ties him to this game: he was reported to have actually created an artificial form of life called a homunculus.
The mask worn by the Black Cat. It has an internal device that supports fading eyesight. Before the boy who had lost his sight closed his eyes for the last time, he thought of how he had lied that he was her lost younger brother, and how much he wished that it had been the truth. Sorry if this a double comment can't see my first one.
It's not a double comment, you're good. Do you happen to know where this info is from in-game? I ask because I haven't seen it.
@@ZuldimYTIt's in the description for the black cats mask when you get it.
@@jeremiahlong8961 Ah, thank you! This is very good info.
@@ZuldimYTYou're welcome. The masks always had my favorite descriptions.
I was looking for this comment. I think it's also important to note that the fox is aware of the deception, but does not care about it. As the Red Fox Mask states "After turning her back on her house, her sole interest was her younger brother she had found on the streets. She had sensed the boy's guilt long before, but she accepted him as her sole family."
2:32:52 "on the eternal line of time" seems to reference Shakespeare's "when in eternal lines to time thou grow'st," saying that the subject of his poem would live forever in the minds of readers. If the DLC and sequels continue to feature literary characters, and if the Trinity can sense a larger meta context, we might see a shift toward that kind of immortality. Imagine Giangio realizing that P and Dorothy get their power from us, who refresh their stories with new media.
That's a super interesting meta-read on the same, thank you for sharing!
Oh my god this is the best video I've seen in months. I've learned so much abouy Pinnocio, the translation to this game and the lore of the game. But more importantly, an appreciation of the depth and nuance of the story of Lies of P, thanks to your clarifications. Especially the discussion of the bad ending opened my eyes.
I finished the game yesterday and damn I loved this game there’s a lot I miss interpreted and missed on the context when I played so I thank you for this video which clears up quite a lot! the way you explained, connected and theorized about everything was wonderful
Finally got through this monster of a vid, but it was well worth the three hours. I originally bought Lies of P because I was sold on a Pinocchio Souls game. As you said, the game was incredible even if the story was just a gimmick, as the gameplay was tight. Turns out, however, that the narrative was clearly not a mere gimmick, and was actually one of the most beautiful parts of the game. Even the music chosen for the credits, especially the golden version of Proposal, Flower, Wolf Part 1, hit me in the feels, especially after getting the best endung. Also liked the fact some of the music like the aforementioned Proposal, Flower, Wolf Part 1 were remakes of previous Neowiz games. I am not familiar with the original story if Pinocchio, but in playing the game and seeing the way the story unfolds, I FELT the love and respect for the original source material, that Neowiz wanted to be a more faithful adaptation while putting their own spin in it. I am glad to see you prove me right, as I saw elements of the game strike me as something that would've required a much deeper dive into the original. Even the lying aspect in narrative terms felt more reasonable compared to how adaptations and games traditionally present it. I also forgot about the notes indicating Andreus was the one who stole the Arm of God, as I only remembered it being in possession of Geppetto. Also, thanks to your breakdowns of events, and attention to detail be it from notes or events, I feel like all this time I interpreted the reason for Geppetto starting the Puppet Frenzy wrong, namely because I never had a full understanding about Kroud and the Petrification Disease itself. By pointing out people straight up getting murdered does not produce ergo really shifts my perspective of how I view the game's version of Geppetto is like. And I already had a suspicious view before. Also your deep dive into the story helped show who the 'Trinity' really is, as all I cared about the keys and the room was get my humanity, get the keys, find the rooms, and grab all the goodies in the safe. I didn't put two and two together that stinger in the end was a glimpse into that immortal Trinity group. All the more I want to see where Neowiz takes this fairytale universe to, starting with Oz. The narrative is fairly straightforward, and generally not cryptic to the level of a Soulsborne game, but I am surprised at how specific elements can easily be misinterpreted or overlooked if you don't really pay attention to those notes and writings. So it was nice hearing your view on the story and how you put the pieces together.
I didn't know much about Pinocchio before playing this game, so it's really cool to find out that as cool as the story is, the fact that it manages to portray a lot of things in the book in a faithful way is honestly really impressive. Also, going back to where you mentioned how the Nameless Puppet's attacks become feral like, I thought for sure you were going to bring up its amulet. In its description, it reads: "It is unknown whether the Nameless Puppet had an ego. This is because multiple cores holding concentrated Ergo were used to boost its firepower. If this puppet could feel only one emotion, it would be hatred." From the moment Carlo's body was disfigured into a puppet for Geppetto's sick plan, it's plain to see that it certainly isn't a life worth living. An existence like that could foster nothing but hatred and resentment - especially considering that Carlo was already feeling resentful of his father at the start. If there was even the slightest trace of Carlo in the Nameless Puppet, then that gives a lot of context as to why the moment Geppetto no longer had control, it tries to destroy your heart the first chance it gets. It wanted to give Geppetto's plan a giant middle finger. It probably hates Geppetto for doing this to him. It hates its own existence. It probably even hates you for living a far less horrible existence. I wouldn't be surprised if in an alternate reality where the Nameless Puppet made a clean sweep, no one - neither man nor puppet nor puppet boy was walking out of there alive. Including itself.
Sorry if someone has already mentioned this, but the game does call it humanity! When you get your first record it tells you on thr pop up on thr left side of the screen, you can play them at the record player to gain humanity. My husband and I missed it thr first few playthroughs because the font is too light on thr Playstation version lol
I am always so glad to hear you are still going to make your hitman videos, despite their lesser popularity. Just know I shill them to everyone I know, especially the supercut. It's definitely the harder way of being a "youtuber", but in the long run you develop fans that are here for your interests and quality of writing, rather than any particular topic or trend. Been with you for a long time, keep it up!
Thank you, I'm really glad the folks like you who do watch those love them as much as I love making them. They may not get the highest views, but that never stopped me when the channel had thirty subscribers, so I don't see why it should stop me now. 😊 I feel bad the gap between those has been as long as it has, but they are still coming, I swear.
@@ZuldimYT They are some of my favorite videos! I don't have the time to sit down and meticulously appreciate the levels myself, but I do have the time to listen. And no worries, take your time. You are one of the most prolific video essayists; people with their job as youtube make half as good essays only once per year, so take your time.
This is genuinely one of the best put together lore videos I have ever watched in my years of consuming souls content
This game was such a surprise from a studio that had no prior experience making a game like this. Probably the best souls like game out there that wasn't made by Fromsoft.
This was an insanely good analysis of LOP, there was plenty of little details that went over my head. So I'm happy to see someone shed a light on what I've missed. I truly am hopeful for the future of this franchise and the studio behind it. Pinocchio is one of those examples where you can retell the story and always find newer ways to interpretant without having it be so disconnected from it's original source material (when done right).
This is my first exposure to your channel and I LOVED this video. I learnt so much about this game and the story of Pinocchio and your creativity and writing is so engaging 😤
It’s honestly refreshing to see people actually acknowledge how genuine the game is. How it takes these concepts of an edgier Pinocchio about robots, disease, gods, but played so straight. No hint of irony, looking at the camera to wink and show that they are in on the joke, and want to make a serious story. It’s why I watched this analysis since it was taking the story serious and compile not only the game lore, but the lore of the books, certain translations, and even a bit of the Disney movie. Like having a cosmic horror based on the phrase “wish upon a star” is so mental and crazy, yet the devs made it work out beautifully. Or how the final boss IS suppose to be a form of the sea creature that swallowed Pinocchio. And with the DLC seemingly taking place at sea and on a boat, it would be cool to see his remnants actually morphing into a sea monster you have to face. It gives me faith on these devs making a souls like Wizard of Oz. And with how much material that series has, I can only wait and see. Lastly are some bits or elements on the entire “Alchemy” side. Since this ironically makes it closer to Elden Ring and it’s lore centering around concepts in Alchemy. So there talking about how the petrification disease is a way to refine human beings and evolve them further actually does take concepts from Alchemy. Specifically how there are many metaphors about purifying metals and how that represents immortality. Or how that can be a similar process for the soul of man. It’s interesting stuff and deep diving into any Elden Ring videos end up talking a lot of alchemy and its concepts.
I’m only 12 minutes into this video, and this is the first video I’ve ever seen of yours, but I can already see how much time and effort you put into making this and it shows! Outatanding
Thank you for digging into the original material and making all these connections. It must have taken an incredible amount of time and effort. I'm on my second play through and I've been thinking about the story throughout. You've answered a lot of questions I had and shed light on other aspects of the lore I wouldn't even have known about. This deep dive is a treasure.
Amazing Video, so many of these themes and thought ran thru my head while playing. Love the amount of work and detail that was put into this video. Can't wait to see what you work on next!
Wow. Genuinely impressed by the effort and research you have put into the making of this video. This really shifts my perspective on the story of Lies of P, and I think I definitely am able to appreciate the story more thanks to this video. A really good watch!
I've watched a few of these Lies of P story dives and I gotta say yours really crushes it. No one else I've seen has gone anywhere near as in detail as you did on the connections with the original text and I really appreciated it. 1st time viewer but definitely subbing!
1:05:40 They did such a great job with the animation in this game, the way the blank puppet ever so slightly leans, then corrects itself while staying stone still is such a great little unnerving touch. And to have it presented as though you're about to fight it, the actual King of Puppets just crashes into the ground out of nowhere, only to get all touchy and cry about getting swatted away, it was genuinely a pretty funny roller coaster of a cutscene and I love it.
This is the best P lore video by far! The level of depth is unrivalled. It’s like watching SmoughTown or Queelag for Souls Content.
THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL VIDEO!!! I didn't play Lies of P, but watched the demo gameplay and it was clear to me that the developers knew what they were doing. But when I searched for videos talking about the game after it launched, it was only talking about the broad strokes of the story and different endings without much analysis, and then you got there and did EVERYTHING. References, mechanics, philosophy, paralels... You knocked out of the park, this is a really good video!
My god, never imagined I'd listen to 3 hours video, but I couldn't stop watching it to the end. Your depth of analyzing the story is another level, quite few of them I'd never thought of. 10/10
Thanks for examining the story so deeply. I am not familiar with the original story of Pinocchio, but now feel a greater appreciation for Lies of P
What a feast! This was such a great video breaking down the lore of the game and relationship with the source material. It makes you appreciate the game so much more. Thank you for your hard work.
This video had me in shock with how well researched, presented and thought out it was and has given me infinitely more appreciation for a game I already love and a story that I was only tangentially familiar with. Thank you for making this video, what an accomplishment. You just got a new subscriber.
Dude I REALLY appreciate this video, there arent any long video essays actually analyzing the dtory. There are a few things I undersrand better now cuz of this. I was expecting a video just talking about the original pinnochio, but i love this analysis on the story
This is a god tier video. I just finished Lies of P and it's right after I beat Lords of the Fallen 2. That game conditioned me to ignore the story in Lies and focus solely on the gameplay. The more I played, the more I paid attention to the story, the more I realized that something interesting is actually happening here. Found this video and yeah, I wish I hadn't dismissed the writing, as it is spectacular. Thanks for making this video and cutting off my strings. I shall exercise my new found freedom in future games and not dismiss them as mere puppet replicas of other works.
fascination, an amazing song on its own, becomes this comedically dark song after you learn the in-game lore and find the room in the opera house that just endlessly plays it back to back on a gramophone, as well as that one district in rosa isabelle street, and then the game ends on the full version of the song without the grain.
Wow, you’ve really helped me understand the story of not only this game, but Pinocchio too. You’ve helped me love this game even more, thank you
Exemplary essay, thank you for summarizing and informing me on a lot of the ties to the original i was really deeply curious about since it's release. And the historical context is extremely extremely cool.
Stunning deep dive into both the game and its inspiration, really enjoyed listening to this! Wonderful work ❤
Jacob Geller did a nice Pinocchio/Lies of P video and another channel I forgot did an amazing lore video on Lies of P being rooted in Gnosticism iirc, among other things.
I've been putting off watching that Jacob Gellar video because, as a rule, I don't watch other creators' videos about a topic if I'm working on one about it myself, so ngl one of the best things about being done with this two month project is having a new Jacob Gellar video to watch
@@ZuldimYT well now you're free! :D
In even just the first 7 mins it's actually nice your perspective of the original story differs (regarding the message of education) from the geller one, I think I might need to experience the serialized tale (an english translation of it tho) myself to see how these perspectives emerged :D EDIT: oooo perfect the hooper & kraczyna annotations are just what i needed lmao
@@CelestiaLilyI sat down and watched the video by Gellar last night, and was surprised just how different our reads on the original story were!
Is the Gellar video the one that brings up the title translation thing, where P loosely translates to blood in Korean? And that's why "Lies of P" and "P Organ" sound so awkward in English but are actually puns?
This was a beautiful literary analysis of a brilliant game. The video might be long, but I watched it over a week. Thank you very much for putting this together and sharing this with the world.
Excellent analysis! I think I will have to read The Adventures of Pinocchio, there were a lot of things I wasn't aware of. I believe that Black Cat is telling the truth about his illness. His mask's description says that it "has an internal device that supports fading eyesight," and follows that by describing him as "the boy who had lost his sight."
This is an amazing video essay, thank you for making it. I just finished playing the game today and I watched this after having it in my watch later list for a couple weeks. I had no idea how deep the connections to the original text went with this game, and I’m fascinated by all of these little details that made it in. Can’t wait to see what other games come out of this studio and where the story goes
Instant subscription, man, instant subscription. Well-researched, thoughtful and easily comprehendable essay.
I’m always so excited when I see a video of yours come out
😁
Genuinely the best analysis of a game I have ever experienced. Very well researched and open about objectivity.
I appreciate the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
You did such a great job with this. Well done! I didn't know much about the original Pinnochio story, so many of the references were lost on me while I played through Lies of P. This game's story is such an interesting take on the original.
This is so well researched and thought out. Outstanding work for one of my favorite games
Wow! I had absolutely no idea so much of the novel was adapted into the game. Really, really cool! Also, outstanding job researching and editing this monster of a video!
It's worth mentioning a dogfish IS a shark btw, and it eats a LOT
43:24 also the item description of Cats mask says that he IS going blind pretty definitively, but then again item descriptions are intentionally vague. "The mask worn by the Black Cat. It has an internal device that supports fading eyesight. "
Fantastic video and analysis. Also the best lore deep dive on the game too. Great job, thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think this might be the lies of p video ive been waiting for
It was ❤
@@spacechimp4321 I'm glad. 🙂
Best story analysis I’ve seen on youtube. Great stuff bro!
this was amazing, thanks for making it as long as it was.
this is hands down the best video essay about Lies of P, and one of the best I've seen in general. The one about GRIME was excellent as well. Thank you!
This is a great video essay, very detailed and eloquently written! you've definitely earned a like and a subscription!
I respect you did your homework into the back story of the game; on top mentioning key elements to the actual telling of Pinocchio… So, kudos. You don’t get that very often with story summaries explained. You earned that like 👍🏾
This really made me appreciate the beauty of this story that I wouldn't have been able to experience myself (I suck very hard at Soulsborne games). Two stories, really, because I didn't know much about Pinocchio, either. Thank you for giving it the deference and thoroughness it deserved.
Now this is a video. Your skill in writing is very clear.
Absolutely awesome video. I really appreciate the research you put into this, it's actually helped me to appreciate and love this game EVEN more. Keep up the great work
This was great! I learned so much more that no one has covered!
what a fantastic, comprehensive analysis of this game. Thank you so much for your work with this vid 🔥🔥
I knew they stayed true to the original but never knew it was to this extent and i learned a lot through this video. Amazing work and thank you for your time and effort.
During the conversation with Polendina, telling him that we indeed have seen true love between a puppet and a human is actually not a lie, but the truth. However we would only know that, if we not only have the ring with us, but also discovered the hidden message left by Julians puppet wife. To find that message I think it is enough to return to it after talking to Julian and receiving the ring. I am not pointing this out, to point a finger at you for having truth and lie mixed up in that case. It's more to explain, that decisions like this, where we can only distinguish between a lie and the truth, after acquiring all information thoroughly, are the reason why we don't have to actually always lie but have a bit of leeway. Oh and btw I loved watching every minute of your analysis. EDIT: Oh well, you indeed mentioned this during the last bits of Simons analysis. Which, I admit, I haven't reached yet when originally posting this comment. So much for gathering information thoroughly to get the complete picture. 🙂
Its funny that Lies of P is almost more a westernized Souls like version of Astro Boy/Mighty Atom, which in turn was created by Osamu Tezuka as a "21st Century Reverse Pinocchio". Brilliant robotics scientist father's neglect eventually kills son and thus he tries to recreate his boy through an advanced, near human like automata that may or may not turn out how he planned. Pinocchio is so strong of a story, even its alternate takes can reverberate in newer interpretations of the same tale.
This is a fantastic video, congrats on making such a good one 👏
This is a damn good video. Love how you can really tell you did your research.
This was awesome, such a good video & analysis of the game and original story.
I just realized P's physical changes only happen everytime he loses someone he cares for as a sign that as he becomes more human, he carries the people he loves alongside him by adding aspects of them onto himself (Long hair for Romeo, light hair color for Sophia) - and this is true immortality; living on long after you are gone due to how much of an impact you caused onto someone's life.
I do feel that the project being Korean also helped build the tone and structure of the game. As in, don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure that the Korean education system is probably THE most intense system in the world. Comparatively, culture wise, Japan westernized and begin redeveloping much earlier, while China had Communism, which includes ideologies like “says no to authority” which encourages disobedience. Meanwhile, Korean culture is just pure neo confucianism, where obedience to your superiors is everything. Being a small nation also means competition can get more intense, and everyone experiences the same collective trauma from the intense academic workload. So yeah, this in turn makes the theme of Lies of P just really resonate with both the people making the game and the ones playing the game. Everyone experienced the brutal education system where “kids don’t need to do homework” because you arrive home at 9pm everyday, and you need to wake up at 6am tomorrow. So the theme of “There is beauty in doing the wrong thing, cutting your puppet strings and regain your humanity” really hits home.
This is probably *the best* video I've found that thoroughly digests the story of this game with so much respect and passion. I *just* got the Platinum trophy tonight and still have not gotten tired of the game. Thank you so much for making this
GG, my dude. GG. Wouldn't think I would be watching a 3-hour video like this. Last time I did this was the Let's Talk Lore videos of Aegon of Astora.
Phenomenal video I can't believe I watched all of this in one sitting, makes me want to go ahead and beat Lies of P, when I finally finish enshrouded and Helldivers 2
Fantastic video about a fantastic game. Thank you for making it!
Reaching 2:20:00 ish, and I think I have a theory on this. We know that the Listeners can hear, and occasionally speak through, Ergo. That this is a thing that began happening as exposure likely grew and very minor mutations occurred in children before the Overexposure likely began the Petrification Disease. So what if that IS the Kroud trying to reach out, or potentially a byproduct that would allow it to? Learning through not only the Ergo of the Dead, but the thoughts and words of the Living too? With Sophia's understanding of Kroud and Ergo improving her abilities perhaps being a hint to that. And as for the Religious part of things... What if the One Winged Angel did exist, and was a mutation, and one of the earliest examples? Perhaps having a very weakened version of the Petrification Disease, making her long lived but turning to stone as memories faded? This would lend credence to the Alchemists and the Arm of God, the literal petrified arm of the One Winged Angel, and would explain the 'Torn apart for eternal life' part. Greedy or misguided people, tearing her nearly fully petrified body apart, in desperation for immortality? Another pull from Christianity and the "Eating of the Flesh of God?" Purely theories, but... it is a thought. Back to finish the video and potentially made a fool if Zuldim says something similar! XD
Minor thing, but the eastern characters are absolutely not implied to be from a Japan equivalent but, of course, Korea, which is where the game was made. The one katana you can find in the game is apparently also a Korean-style sword, not a Japanese one.
Ah, my mistake. That makes sense, given the game's origin. I appreciate you pointing this out.
Half an hour in and my pedantic brain made me come on the comments to post this 😅
1:26:16 I see what you did there! Great video and analysis. Lies of P is the first souls-like game I ever played, and oh boy it was the best way possible to get into it. It's just got an amazing amount of details, and loved the way they adapted the story. I want to see what they do with other stories in the future