Lies of P is a darkish fantasy soulslike that retells Pinocchio’s story with a grim twist. It’s replicating Bloodborne‘s vibe which not many different big-budget video games have tried. The parallels are so blatant between the 2 that it nearly comes as a detriment to the sport.

What Bloodborne doesn’t have is a dangling puppet with an indication studying “APAB” on it. Lies of P doesn’t have one both now, because it was faraway from the sport earlier than launch.

The signal appeared in a single picture, referencing the saying “All Cops Are Bastards” or ACAB. It stands out a lot that it caught the attention of videogames.si’s Georgina Younger, who interviewed Lies of P‘s director Ji-Received Choi about it.

Regardless of being such a small a part of the sport, Choi was blissful to speak about it. He clarified that the signal stands for “All Puppets are Bastards” earlier than leaping into its elimination.

The signal’s elimination got here all the way down to not eager to be “judged primarily based on following tendencies,” in response to Choi. Lies of P had a number of different “dangerous elements” eliminated to not alienate gamers.

If left within the closing product, it might have echoed one thing like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided‘s “mechanical apartheid” which was seen as being in unhealthy style. Lies of P differs in that APAB by no means took a big function its advertising.

Part of me wonders if different in-game indicators took real-life inspiration for the reason that different indicators had no elaboration. Puppets are the sport’s antagonists, and their depiction might have additionally taken extra real-world inspiration at one level.

This hypothetical model of Lies of P and the signal should not within the closing product. At the very least the sport’s message nonetheless seems to be that each one puppets are bastards.