Back in 2000, I received American McGee’s latest third person dark fantasy game, Alice, as a gift. McGee was already a known for games like Doom, so we thought it was going to be a straight up walk-through shoot ’em up.

Instead, it was a strange and beautifully made look at mental illness and retelling of the classics Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

What I loved about it was the dedication to storytelling, giving you more than just a new corner to look around and shoot. You wanted Alice to reach her goal, and I’ve loved the dark fairy-tale centered stories ever since.

Now, a new game looks to be headed in the same groundbreaking direction: Lies of P released under the direction of  Choi Ji-Won from Neowiz Games.

As the characters of Alice already had a huge following of those who loved the books, movies, and all things Wonderland, Lies of P enters the story of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. The Disney classic was admittedly pretty bleak in places, but the real story gets a lot grittier. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which gained the 2023 Oscar for Best Animated Feature, took a deeper dive into the tragic drama surrounding the tale.

But, can you take Pinocchio and give him a grown-up action adventure? From the looks of things, yes. In this story, Pinocchio, isn’t the only “puppet” around, as humanoid puppets are being used as low laborers, and bound to a Grand Covenant (created by Geppetto) to prevent them from lying or attacking humans. You’re playing as an adult Pinocchio, who is awakened by a mysterious voice after the puppets have rebelled (of course, they did) and went on a human-killing rampage. He must find and save his creator, Geppetto.

There’s alchemy and steampunk weaponry. There are several Easter Egg references for those familiar with Collodi’s tale, as well as other classic stories. There are also three possible endings to the game, depending on your decisions throughout the story (a Lying System will keep track of where you go). There are also some very unique mutant monsters to contend with. The backgrounds look amazing, the characters are beautiful, and the fighting action seems on point.

So far the reviews are pretty good, with many comparing it to the Dark Souls franchise that started in 2011, but with a cool literary twist and a badass (and frankly, pretty hot) Pinocchio in the lead.

Personally, I’m looking forward to picking this one up and taking on the challenge. I’m hoping it may give games like Alice seem primitive in comparrison.

Lies of P was released Sept. 23, available on various gaming platforms.