Should You Give Your Heart To Geppetto In Lies Of P? (2024)

One of the final scenes of Lies of P forces Pinocchio to decide whether to turn over his heart to his creator, Gepetto. Pinocchio's mechanical heart, the P-Organ, is part of what allows him to walk the line between puppet and real boy, exploring the desolate city of Krat as a freestanding automaton with a sense of will. It also functions as a complex, customizable skill tree, allowing players to upgrade the P-Organ throughout Lies of P to gain new skills and upgrade stats.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for all possible endings of Lies of P.]

Lies of P reaches its climax when Pinocchio storms the Isle of Alchemists and defeats the sinister faction's leader, Simon Manus, in what may be the game's final boss fight. He takes a lift down to a subterranean chamber, where Gepetto stands in wait. He greets his creation, and coos over the terrible ordeal he put Pinocchio through. He promises to put a stop to it; but first, he just needs Pinocchio's heart. There are two dialogue options here: "Give your heart," or "Refuse." This choice directly affects what happens next, and the ending after.

What Happens If You Give Gepetto Your Heart In Lies Of P?

Regardless of any other choices made throughout the game, giving Gepetto the P-Organ always results in the same, "Real Boy" ending to the game. And that ending begins immediately. Gepetto praises Pinocchio's good behavior, and calls him the greatest puppet he ever made. He promises to turn Pinocchio into a real boy and leave Krat with him, before abruptly and violently removing his heart. Pinocchio crumples to the ground, but remains conscious; he watches as Gepetto tinkers with the P-Organ in his toolbox.

The scene fades to black, and then up again on a rainy night under the neon sign of Hotel Krat. Gepetto waits beneath the arch of the hotel doorway, a pile of luggage beside him. A bloodstained Pinocchio emerges, sees his creator, and smiles warmly. Gepetto smiles back with a heavy sigh, as he remarks on how he finally sees Pinocchio as his son. It's a happy ending, sure, but there are some nagging doubts. In a voiceover, Sophia asks, "Is this truly the future you wanted?"

There are still a few things players can do after beating Lies of P, even with this abrupt ending. Pinocchio can return to Hotel Krat, listen to any available Records, chat with NPCs, and play the piano for an easy achievement. However, besides a slightly disappointing, dubiously happy ending, there's not much else that giving Gepetto the heart unlocks.

What Happens If You Refuse Gepetto In Lies Of P?

Things get a little more complicated if Pinocchio refuses. What happens here depends on a number of choices made throughout the game, not least of which are those that make up Lies of P's Truth and Lie system. Several important plot points come down to a simple decision between telling the truth and lying, and each time Pinocchio lies, additional points are added onto a hidden measure of his humanity. There are other important choices in Lies of P, to be sure, but the morality and humanity of lies are the main determining factors in how the game ends - along with whether Pinocchio gives Gepetto his heart.

If Pinocchio has primarily told the truth, and spared Sophia when he met her on the Isle of Alchemists, players will see the "Free from the Puppet String" ending after refusing Gepetto. Once they refuse, Gepetto's words of praise turn to admonishment. He calls Pinocchio useless, and resigns to take the P-Organ for himself. Gepetto then summons Nameless Puppet, a faceless marionette who serves as Lies of P's secret final boss.

Pinocchio and the Nameless Puppet spar, but as soon as it seems like Pinocchio has gained the upper hand, the Nameless Puppet knocks him to the ground and lines up a killing blow. However, Gepetto steps in front of its sword. He dies in Pinocchio's arms with one final insult. Pinocchio destroys the Nameless Puppet's heart, and the game ends on the spot.

However, on New Game Plus, if Pinocchio has primarily lied, gave Sophia peace in death, and stolen the painting "Portrait of a Boy" from the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, he can unlock another ending, "Rise of P." However, he must return to the hotel after beating Simon Manus, listen to all the Records in Lies of P, and examine the portrait. He notices the image's elongated nose, and can pry it out of the painting to use it as a weapon: the Golden Lie.

Pinocchio may then return to Gepetto and refuse to give him the heart. The final boss battle is much the same, except Gepetto compares the deceitful Pinocchio to his human son Carlo, and apologizes to him instead of scolding him. However, this does unlock a unique epilogue in which Pinocchio restores Sophia to life, transferring her Ergo and consciousness into a puppet body.

You Should Give Gepetto Your Heart On Your First Playthrough, And Always Refuse After

The best way to negotiate the Gepetto decision is to give him Pinocchio's heart the first time, and refuse him every time after. Those who want to see all possible endings will need to play through the game at least twice. That's because unlocking the "Rise of P" ending requires Pinocchio to collect and listen to all the Records in the game, and some of them are only available by making a one-time choice. For example, lying to Eugénie about Alidoro's identity grants him one Record, while telling the truth grants him a different one.

Therefore, the most efficient way to see all three endings is to always tell the truth and spare Sophia on a first playthrough, then agree to give Gepetto the heart. After watching the "Real Boy" ending, players can load their most recent save file and refuse Gepetto to see the "Free from the Puppet String" ending. Finally, they can start a NG+, always lie, and kill Sophia to see the "Rise of P" ending.

But even for those who don't plan on completing NG+ to see that final ending, it's still worth giving up the heart, then reloading and refusing to see both options. Appeasing Gepetto ends the game in about two minutes, and creates an interesting character moment where Pinocchio questions whether he wants more than just humanity. Then, returning to the pivotal moment and trying the other option unlocks an extra boss and a somewhat more satisfying ending. This way, players can experience the best of both worlds in Lies of P.