The worldbuilding ofLies of Pis just as fascinating as its core gameplay loop, with the latter taking from the best of the best in the Soulslike genre. The worldbuilding puts a twist on a classic tale inThe Adventures of Pinocchio, adopts some Belle Epoque motifs, and thrusts these and other steampunk ideas into a time of prosperity. At least, there was prosperity at some point before Pinocchio’s journey begins inLies of P. Krat, the city, found itself in a golden era before then with fantastic leaps in industry as Geppetto and others were responsible for the puppets that supported the city.
Knowing that this city was once something magnificent before the Petrification Disease and Puppet Frenzy inLies of Pturned it into a city haunted by puppets and other monstrosities puts a lot of pressure on that worldbuilding. But luckily, fans can kind of get to see what Krat once was through three key groups they’ll encounter inLies of P. These are namely the Workshop Union, the Alchemists, and the Stalkers. Game Rant recently chatted with a handful of devs at Neowiz ahead ofLies of P’s forthcoming release, with Lead World Designer Byungsoo Kwon giving us a small briefer on the three factions.
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Lies of P Factions: The Workshop Union
The Workshop Union is an assembly of skilled artisans, holding a monopoly over the intricate art of puppetry. At its heart is Geppetto, a master craftsman with exceptional talents and puppetry skills who was pivotal to the remarkable growth of Krat.
Krat was home to industrial leaps and bounds, with the Workshop Union of artisans at the heart of it. This is important to note because, beyond Geppetto, there are other characters inLies of Pwho find themselves on the more industrial end of things, whether that’s Eugenie or Venigni. It is uncertain how many folks once belonged to this union, but each member played some role in Krat’s Golden Era, with Geppetto being at the heart of the puppets. With the city stolen of its prosperity though, all that’s really left of its golden era are the remnants made by WU artisans. Unfortunately, that includes the puppets and the Puppet Frenzy that brought the city to its knees.
As players learn intheLies of Pdemo, Geppetto built Pinocchio with the intention of stemming the Puppet Frenzy and saving the city, something he could not do himself. It, of course, remains to be seen how it all plays out, but going in, fans should see the Workshop Union as the industrial background tied to Krat and many of its still-living denizens.
Lies of P Factions: The Alchemists
The Alchemists arrived in Krat with a distinct purpose. Their contribution to the discovery of Ergo and the city’s renaissance was significant.
Similar to the Workshop Union is The Alchemists, although they are likely more loose in organization and remain more mysterious even now. What their purpose was in Krat is up for discovery, but they, like the Workshop Union, played a huge role in the city’s Golden Era. However, the most important thing to know is their discovery of Ergo, as it is vital toLies of P. In terms of combat, players can think of it like souls inDark Soulsorrunes inElden Ring; it is the resource by which players level up Pinocchio. It can also be used as a currency, but more importantly, it’s what keeps puppets (just like Pinocchio) operating. Players can also collect Ergo Fragments, which when used grant ergo to Pinocchio, but players don’t have to risk losing the XP when it’s in this form.
Lore-wise, it’s clear that Ergo is a rare mineral unique to the city, used as some form of power source for puppets. It likely powers other things as well, and Ergo could play a huge role in the cause or end of the Puppet Frenzy too (though that’s just speculation). If the Workshop Union resembles the human achievement and height of Krat, then Ergo represents a natural substance’s role inLies of P’s post-industrial world. The breakout of the Petrification Disease, which too spurred the fall of Krat, began when humanity sought to show off its puppet industry and discovery of Ergo to the world. As Kwon explained,
Krat is a city that has experienced remarkable growth by the discovery of Ergo and the innovation of the puppet industry, which is fueled by the substance. When the city was about to showcase its prosperity and achievement to the world through the Krat Grand Exhibition, a Petrification disease broke out. Disease spread with astonishing speed mercilessly, it was only a matter of time before the disease engulfed the entire city of Krat.
Lies of P Factions: The Stalkers
The Stalkers are the troubleshooters aligned with Krat’s nobility, the Alchemist, or the Workshop Union. Stalkers can be divided into two different groups: the Bastards and the Sweepers. The Stalkers suffered heavy losses of their members after the Puppet Frenzy, which left their hierarchy in shambles. Yet, players can expect to encounter remnants of the Stalkers as they journey through the game
The Stalkers worked to solve “problems” for various other factions, perhaps suggesting they are the most militant faction inLies of P’s time (and before). While not much is known about them, fans do know they are in shambles like everyone else come the release of the game. Stalkers can be further divided into the Bastards and Sweepers, which is significant because the Path of the Bastard and Path of the Sweeper are two of thethree combat styles inLie of P. This further cements their roles as enforcement, as militant-like, but fans will just have to wait and see what that exactly entails, alongside the missing puzzle pieces for the other two factions.
Lies of Plaunches on September 19 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
