Lies of P is played from a third-person perspective, with the player using melee weapons and a mechanical arm equipped with various tools to fight hostile puppets, factions, and citizens disfigured by the disease.

It received favorable critical reception, with praise directed at its visuals, sound design, and performance, though opinions on its narrative and gameplay were mixed.

[20] After reaching a certain point in the story, the player can use Wishstones that grant temporary power-ups, such as increased damage and health regeneration.

[14][33] The player engages in conversations with non-player characters (NPCs) through a dialogue tree, uncovering additional information about the game world.

[4][36] After completing the main story campaign, New Game Plus becomes available, allowing for replay with gear and upgrades acquired from the previous playthrough.

[37] Lies of P takes place in the fictional city of Krat, where alchemists discovered Ergo, a mineral that powered advanced puppets created by Giuseppe Geppetto.

Bound by the Grand Covenant to never harm humans, these puppets integrated into many aspects of life, transforming Krat into a thriving city.

[5] Soon thereafter, the Petrification Disease swept through the city, slowly blinding its inhabitants, turning them to stone, and ultimately leading to their deaths.

After the King's defeat, another puppet emerges from its shell: Romeo, who also suffered from the Petrification Disease and acquired a new appearance after Geppetto's experiments.

Geppetto, having met P near the opera house, sends him to the Great Exhibition, where, according to rumors, alchemists have invented a cure for the Petrification Disease.

Simon tells him that exposure to Ergo caused the disease and that the mutations, which he considers the next stage of human evolution, are a result of the alchemists' experiments with this mineral.

Later, P encounters the Red Fox and Black Cat, who either let him pass in exchange for Gold Coin Fruit or fight him to the death.

In the post-credits scene, Paracelsus, disguised as the merchant Giangio, reports the results of the "Krat experiment" to the woman on the phone, calling P "a new type of humanity."

Round8 Studio, known for the free-to-play MMORPG Bless Unleashed (2020),[41] was founded in South Korea as a mobile game developer, but sought to pursue larger projects.

The game was also influenced by the Belle Époque, a period in European history at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries marked by progress in science and technology.

Choi noted that during the prototyping phase, the team experimented with various European architectural styles, but the Belle Époque caught their attention with its combination of "romance, turmoil, cultural resurgence, and prosperity."

[41] The studio sought to create a dark and eerie atmosphere in the game, using the dynamic change of weather and time of day in particular.

[49] Silun Lee is the composer and sound director for Lies of P. He created a total of 20 original tracks, including music for trailers, boss battles, and the final ending.

Pre-orders launched simultaneously, offering cosmetics and, in the case of the special edition, granting early access to the game several days before its official release.

[56] In February 2024, the developers released an update with new weapons and outfits as part of the crossover with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (2023).

[14] Some critics drew comparisons between aspects of Lies of P and FromSoftware titles like Bloodborne (2015),[67][71][73] with Wakeling suggesting that these similarities could make the game seem "overly derivative.

"[14] Sherif Saed of VG247 argued that Lies of P's overall design was a "pale imitation" of FromSoftware games and deemed it one of 2023's biggest disappointments.

[70] GamesRadar+'s Jasmine Gould-Wilson praised the narrative, particularly its interpretation of Carlo Collodi's original story, calling its elements "thoughtful and confluent.

"[7] Diego Nicolás Argüello of Polygon lauded P's character development,[33] and Lincoln Carpenter of PC Gamer highlighted the dialogue.

[14] Lauren Bergin of PCGamesN found the balance between game mechanics "genuinely impressive,"[67] while Push Square's Croft lauded both the combat system and skill tree.

[72] Conversely, Eurogamer's Caelyn Ellis called the level design a "theme park facade" and the game's weakest element.

"[70] Rob Dwiar of TechRadar found the difficulty level to be inconsistent,[73] while Digital Trends' Yang criticized the implementation of boss battles.

[12] Wesley LeBlanc of Game Informer commended the boss design, deeming it "highly memorable,"[36] a sentiment echoed by Yang of Digital Trends who wrote that this aspect "[gave] each battle its own distinct personality.

"[63] Ed Thorn of Rock Paper Shotgun praised the fluidity of P's combat animations, noting how they "flow into one another beautifully."

He also praised the game's performance, particularly on Steam Deck, highlighting the smooth gameplay and visual quality despite the low graphics settings.