Lies of P developer Neowiz says that it has cut some content from the upcoming soulslike owing to the fact that it was “a little risky.” Inspired by Pinocchio, the Dark-Souls-style RPG game originally made reference to the ‘ACAB’ slogan that has featured as part of protests against police violence. As we approach the Lies of P release date, however, this has been removed, and the final version of Lies of P appears to have a different message in its place.
In some of the earliest Lies of P gameplay, a dead marionette (remember, the game is set in a world where puppets can come to life) is seen hanging from the support beams of a bridge. Around the neck of the marionette is a sign that reads ‘APAB.’ In reality, ACAB is a protest slogan which stands for ‘All Cops Are Bastards,’ and is often present at demonstrations against police violence. Likely, the Lies of P version was intended as an initialism for ‘All Puppets Are Bastards.’
In an interview with Videogames on Sports Illustrated, Lies of P director Ji-Won Choi says that Neowiz removed the reference due to the fact that it was “a little risky,” and didn’t want Lies of P to be judged “based on trends.”
“That was one of the messages we were going to use in the game, but we ended up taking it out,” Choi says. “We took it out eventually because we wanted everyone to enjoy the game exactly how we intended it to be enjoyed, and not judged based on any trends.
“We really wanted the world that we designed to be interpreted by the players exactly how we aimed it to be, so we took out factors that could be a little risky. We respect everyone who might want to play this game, and we wanted everyone to get the best experience out of it.”
In a more recent playthrough of Lies of P, shared by YouTube channel Solear Gaming, we can see the same bridge that previously hosted the reference to ACAB. The deceased marionette is still present, but the sign now reads ‘Purge Puppets.’ You can see a comparison of the two versions of this message below:
Based on the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, Lies of P follows the eponymous puppet come to life as he tries to restore order to a puppet-ridden Krat. It features a ‘lying system’ whereby your decision to tell or obscure the truth can impact the game’s ending.
If you can’t wait for Lies of P, in the meantime, try some of the other best games like Dark Souls. You might also want to try the best fantasy games on PC.