So, you’ve finally reached the end of the line at Under the Abyss. You’re sweaty, your pulse is probably spiking, and you’re staring at the old man who started this whole mess. Geppetto asks for one thing. He wants your heart. It sounds like a poetic request, right? A father asking his creation to come home. But in Lies of P, "give your heart" isn't a metaphor. It’s a mechanical, brutal choice that serves as the ultimate test of everything you’ve learned about humanity over the last thirty or forty hours of gameplay.
Choosing whether to give your heart in Lies of P is arguably the most significant decision you’ll make in the entire game because it immediately triggers the "Real Boy: They All Lived Happily Ever After" ending. Don't let the name fool you. It’s dark. It’s arguably the "bad" ending, though the game doesn’t explicitly label it that way with a big red stamp. If you say yes, you don't even get to fight the true final boss. You just hand over your life, the screen goes black, and the credits roll while a haunting, unsettling realization sinks in.
The Weight of the Choice: What Actually Happens?
When Geppetto asks you to give your heart, he’s basically asking P to sacrifice his nascent soul to resurrect Geppetto’s real son, Carlo. If you agree, P slumps over. He dies. Geppetto takes the heart—the P-Organ you’ve been upgrading with Quartz all game—and puts it into the lifeless corpse of the original Carlo.
It's a gut punch.
The game then transitions to a cutscene at Hotel Krat. This is where things get truly eerie. You see "Carlo" interacting with the survivors, but something is fundamentally wrong. Everyone is dead or replaced. The puppets have won, but in the most hollow way possible. If you’ve spent the whole game trying to "become human" by lying and feeling emotions, giving your heart is essentially an admission that your journey didn't matter. You’ve opted to remain a tool for Geppetto’s obsession rather than becoming an individual.
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Most players feel a bit cheated if they pick this on their first run without knowing what's coming. Why? Because you miss out on the Nameless Puppet boss fight. This is widely considered one of the best, most challenging encounters in the soulslike genre. By saying yes, you bypass the climax of the game’s combat systems entirely.
Why Geppetto is the Real Villain
Honestly, Geppetto is a piece of work. Throughout the game, he manipulates P with "Good boy" and "Trust your father." But when you reach the end, his true colors are blinding. He doesn’t love P. He loves the memory of Carlo. By asking P to give his heart, he’s effectively murdering one son to bring back a ghost.
If you refuse, Geppetto’s reaction is telling. He doesn't show grief; he shows rage. He calls you a "useless puppet" and unleashes the Nameless Puppet to take your heart by force. This transition is vital for the "Rise of P" or "Free from the Puppet String" endings. Refusing him is the ultimate act of defiance and, ironically, the most human thing you can do.
Requirements for the Best Endings
You can’t just refuse and get the best ending, though. The game’s "Humanity" system is complex. You gain humanity by:
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- Lying to NPCs to spare their feelings.
- Listening to records in the Hotel.
- Praying at the statue near St. Frangelico Cathedral.
- Interacting with the world in ways that show empathy.
If your humanity is high enough—indicated by messages like "Your springs are reacting" or "You feel warmth"—and you refuse to give your heart, you earn the right to fight for your own existence. If your humanity is low, you’re just a broken machine rebelling against its master.
The Nameless Puppet: The Boss You Miss
If you decide to give your heart, you are skipping the hardest fight in the game. Period. The Nameless Puppet is a two-phase nightmare that requires perfect parrying (Perfect Guard) and incredible stamina management.
In the first phase, he moves with a weird, jerky rhythm that mimics a marionette. It’s predictable but fast. In the second phase, he goes full anime. He uses dual blades, leaps across the arena, and unleashes blood-red energy attacks that can one-shot you if you’re not careful.
- Phase 1 Tip: Stay close. His reach is long, but his recovery times are punishable.
- Phase 2 Tip: Use the Aegis Legion Arm or the Perfection Grindstone. You need those guaranteed blocks to survive his long combos.
Is it worth the stress? Absolutely. Beating him is the only way to see the true "Rise of P" ending, where P finally achieves true humanity through sacrifice and love, rather than just being a donor for Geppetto's ego.
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Practical Steps for Your Playthrough
If you are currently standing in front of Geppetto and wondering what to do, here is how you should handle it based on your goals.
If you want the Platinum Trophy or all achievements:
You actually have to give your heart at least once. There is an achievement specifically for the "Real Boy" ending. However, the best strategy is to back up your save file to the cloud (or a USB) before talking to Geppetto. This allows you to give your heart, get the achievement, and then reload your save to refuse him and fight the final boss.
If you want the best narrative experience:
Refuse him. Even if you die fifty times to the Nameless Puppet, the narrative payoff of standing up to your "father" is much more satisfying than the hollow, creepy ending you get by saying yes.
Check your gear before the final choice:
Before you talk to Geppetto, make sure your build is optimized. If you refuse, you cannot go back to the Hotel to upgrade until you beat the Nameless Puppet or give up and go to New Game Plus.
- Weapon: The Two Dragons Sword or a heavy motivity build with the Holy Sword of the Ark are great choices.
- Amulets: Equipping the Blue Guardianship and the Patience Amulet helps with the intense stamina drain of the final fight.
- P-Organ: Ensure you have the "Retain Guard Regret" and "Increase Staggerable Window" upgrades.
Actionable Insight for New Game Plus:
If you already gave your heart and started New Game Plus (NG+), remember that the enemies hit significantly harder. If you skipped the Nameless Puppet in your first run, he will be even more of a monster in NG+. It is generally recommended to fight him on your first playthrough when his health pool is smaller and his damage is more manageable.
Once the credits roll on the "Real Boy" ending, don't forget to head back to Geppetto's desk in Hotel Krat before starting NG+. There is a letter there you need to read to wrap up the lore. It’s a small detail, but in a game like Lies of P, the smallest details are usually the ones that hurt the most.