‘Lies Of P’ cut “ACAB” reference because it was “a little risky”
Lies Of P, the Pinocchio-inspired Soulslike, removed an “all cops are bastards” (or “ACAB”) reference in the game to avoid offending players.
In an interview with Video Games On Sports Illustrated, director Ji-Won Choi acknowledged the sign that was spotted on a beheaded puppet, originally reading “APAB”. It was intended to be interpreted as “all puppets are bastards” in a twist on the anti-police phrase that has become popularised in protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Per a recent playthrough of Lies Of P, it now says “purge puppets”, and the director explained why the sign was altered even though he appeared “passionate” about the first version.
“That was one of the messages we were going to use in the game, but we ended up taking it out,” confirmed Choi with the assistance of a translator. “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,” concluded the director.
When NME got to grips with Lies Of P in a preview, praise was paid to the oppressive setting that had more in common with BioShock‘s Rapture than Bloodborne‘s Yarnham, in spite of appearances.
“Krat feels grotesquely compelling: like the oil that coats Pinocchio after one too many fights, I could feel its impression lingering long after I set my controller down,” concluded Andy Brown.
Lies Of P arrives for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on September 19.
In other gaming news, Armored Core 6 patch 1.02 appeared to make the early chapters of the game easier with boosts to various Armored Core weapons and changes to the bosses Balteus, Sea Spider and CEL240.
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Imogen Donovan
NME
