You walk into Hotel Krat for the first time, drenched in rain and puppet oil, and there he is. Polendina in Lies of P isn't just another NPC standing behind a desk to sell you upgrade materials. He's a machine. A puppet. Yet, he's also the emotional anchor of a game that asks one very difficult question: Can a hunk of gears and spring-windings actually feel love? Honestly, most players just see him as the guy who sells Legion Calibrators. But if you've really dug into the lore items and followed his questline to its bitter end, you know Polendina is the soul of the game.
He is the butler to Antonia, the lady of the manor. He doesn't just serve her; he protects her dignity while she withers away from the Petrification Disease. It’s heavy stuff. Neowiz didn't hold back on the tragedy here.
Why Polendina in Lies of P Is More Human Than the Humans
Krat is a nightmare. Blood is everywhere. Puppets are ripping people apart in the streets because of the Puppet Frenzy. But inside the walls of Hotel Krat, Polendina maintains a chilling, perfect sense of order. He’s bound by the Grand Covenant, sure. He has to obey. But as the story progresses, you start to see the cracks in his programming. Or maybe they aren't cracks. Maybe it's evolution.
Early on, he asks you a question that stops most players cold. He wants to know if it's possible for a puppet to love a human. You, as P, have to decide how to answer. If you've been paying attention to the "Lie or Die" mechanic, you know your choice matters for your Humanity score. But for Polendina, it’s not about mechanics. It’s about his existential crisis. He’s watching Antonia die. He’s feeling something that his internal gears shouldn't be able to process. He is mourning a woman who is still breathing.
The Antonia Connection
Antonia isn't just his master. She's his world. As the Petrification Disease turns her skin to stone and her mind to mush, Polendina stays. He doesn't just stay because he's programmed to; he stays because he can't imagine an existence without her. This is where Polendina in Lies of P transcends the "shopkeeper" trope.
Most games give you a merchant who stands still. Polendina moves. Not physically, but emotionally. He asks you to find a cure. He seeks out information from Giangio. He’s desperate. A puppet feeling desperation is a terrifyingly beautiful thing to witness in a soulslike.
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Think about the Wedding Ring item. It’s a small detail, tucked away in the inventory descriptions, but it tells you everything. There was a man who loved a puppet, and Polendina uses this story to gauge his own reality. He’s looking for a precedent. He’s looking for permission to be real.
The Choice That Changes Everything
Later in the game, you get a choice. This is the peak of the Polendina arc. You find a cure—sort of. It’s an organ-derived serum that might ease Antonia’s pain or potentially kill her faster while "curing" the symptoms. Polendina is terrified. He’s a machine built for logic, yet he’s faced with a purely emotional gamble.
If you tell him to administer the cure, the outcome is bittersweet. She finds peace. If you don't, she suffers.
There’s this specific moment after Antonia passes away. If you’ve played your cards right, you find Polendina sitting by the fountain. He’s not behind the desk. For the first time in the entire game, the professional facade is gone. He’s just... there. Empty. It’s one of the quietest, most devastating moments in modern gaming. He tells you he’s found a letter. Antonia knew. She knew he loved her. She loved him back, in her own way.
Missing the Details? Check Your Inventory
A lot of people miss the Faded Whistle. Or the way Polendina’s dialogue shifts after you defeat certain bosses like Romeo, the King of Puppets. Romeo’s message is all about puppet communication—the "waves" they send to each other. Polendina is tuned into those waves, but he chooses to ignore the frenzy. He chooses the Hotel. He chooses Antonia.
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- The Shop Expansion: Every time you bring him a Krat Supply Box, his inventory grows. But notice the items. He starts selling things that help you survive. He becomes an investor in your journey because you are the only one who can save what’s left of his mistress’s world.
- The Contrast with Venigni: Venigni is a genius, but he views puppets as masterpieces or tools. Polendina views himself as a person. That’s the gap.
Is Polendina "Awakened"?
In the lore of Lies of P, "awakening" is what happens when a puppet develops an ego. Most puppets who awaken go insane. They become the monsters you fight in the street. They can't handle the influx of human emotion and memory. But Polendina is different. He stays sane.
How?
It’s the service. His "purpose" acts as a tether. While other puppets wake up and realize they are slaves, Polendina wakes up and realizes he is a companion. It’s a subtle distinction, but it’s why he doesn't try to kill you. He represents the "good" side of the Ergo awakening. He proves that the tragedy of Krat isn't that puppets gained souls, but that the world wasn't ready for them to have them.
Handling the Polendina Questline: A Practical Walkthrough
If you want to see the full weight of this character, you can't just mash through the dialogue. You need to be deliberate.
- Talk to him after every major boss. Seriously. His dialogue updates more often than almost any other NPC.
- Find the Wedding Ring. You’ll need to progress through the Estella Opera House. Show it to him. This is the trigger for his deeper philosophical questions.
- The Gold Coin Fruit. You’ll need plenty of these for Giangio’s requests regarding Antonia’s cure. Don't spend them all on Star Gazers or Wishstones early on if you care about the Butler's heart.
- Read the letters. After Antonia passes, don't just head to the final boss. Go to her chair. Read the note. Then go talk to Polendina.
The rewards aren't just a trophy or an achievement. You get a sense of closure that is rare in a genre known for being cryptic and cold. You realize that P isn't the only one becoming a "Real Boy." Polendina beat him to it.
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Common Misconceptions About Polendina
People often think Polendina is just a cold robot because of his voice acting. It’s monotone. It’s stiff. But that’s the point. He’s trying so hard to stay professional. If he lets the monotone slip, he collapses.
Another mistake? Thinking he’s related to Geppetto’s inner circle. He’s not. He’s a standard butler model that was elevated by his circumstances. He wasn't "made" to be special. He became special. That makes his story better than P’s in some ways. P was designed to be human-like. Polendina was designed to hold coats and pour wine. One was given a head start; the other had to climb the mountain of sentience on his own.
Expert Insight: The Ergo Theory
According to various lore hunters in the community, the Ergo used to power Polendina might have belonged to someone close to the original founders of the Hotel. Ergo is crystallized human memory, after all. When Polendina feels "love," he might just be tapping into the residual memories of the soul trapped in his power core. Does that make his feelings less real? Probably not. If you remember being in love, and you feel that love now, it doesn't matter if the "you" from before had a heartbeat and the "you" now has a battery.
Final Steps for Your Playthrough
To truly appreciate Polendina in Lies of P, you have to commit to the "Humanity" path. This means lying when it comforts people and telling the truth when it honors them.
- Action 1: Check your inventory for the "Bright Red Apple." You need to give this to the statue in the Opera House, but it also ties into the general vibe of the Hotel's secrets that Polendina guards.
- Action 2: Once Antonia is cured (or her pain is eased), make sure to listen to the record she leaves behind. Music is the universal language of awakened puppets in this game.
- Action 3: Observe his stance. Toward the end of the game, his idle animation changes slightly. He looks less like a statue and more like a man waiting for a friend who is never coming home.
Polendina is the mirror to your own journey. As you grow more human by shedding your puppet limitations, he grows more human by embracing his. It’s a parallel that defines the entire experience of the game. Next time you're at the Hotel to buy some Hidden Moonstones, don't just click through the menu. Stay a second. Look at him. He’s been through a lot.