- "I'm Romeo. We grew up together in the Monad Charity House. Remember? We're best friends!"
— Romeo
The King of Puppets is a mandatory boss in Lies of P. He is located in the Estella Opera House Stage. In the second phase of the fight he becomes Romeo, King of Puppets.
Background[]
- "When the boy opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on a throne that he had not asked for. When he sought his friend of the past, he clung to his memories even though he knew there was no going back."
— Description
Romeo was an orphan raised in the Monad Charity House, a boarding school for abandoned children in Krat. During his time there, he became best friends with Carlo, the only son of Giuseppe Geppetto, and formed a close bond with Lea Monad, a senior resident and talented Stalker. Inspired by her strength and compassion, both Romeo and Carlo became her apprentices, training with the dream of one day protecting Krat as full-fledged Stalkers.
Despite the challenges of orphan life, Romeo found solace and purpose in these friendships. Carlo, however, struggled with feelings of neglect from his father, Geppetto. On the day of their graduation, Geppetto failed to appear, devastating Carlo. In a moment of vulnerability and quiet rebellion, he gave Romeo his necklace, a gesture of both admiration and protest—showing that Romeo, despite having no family, was more of a brother to him than his own blood.
Tragedy struck not long after. Carlo was killed under mysterious circumstances, later revealed to be connected to the Alchemists—a secretive and powerful faction. His death left both Romeo and Lea heartbroken. In response, the two acted outside official channels, becoming vigilante protectors of Krat, taking the fight directly to the Alchemists and other rising threats.
As time passed, Lea became afflicted with the Petrification Disease, and her health began to deteriorate. Around this time, Romeo set off on his own to investigate a disturbance at the Krat Zoo. However, he was confronted by Lea's old adversary Arlecchino, a murderous puppet presumed destroyed, who had been reconstructed by the Alchemists. Despite his best efforts, Romeo was defeated and taken captive.
Arlecchino brought Romeo to the former Monad Charity House—now known as the Rose Estate—and prepared a grotesque spectacle to torment his old mentor. He severed Romeo’s arms and displayed them within the estate, mocking his helplessness. To prevent Romeo from bleeding out, Arlecchino crudely attached primitive prosthetics and suspended him in the courtyard, keeping him alive as a mutilated monument for Lea to find.
Lea, aided by a mysterious stranger, followed the trail to the Rose Estate. There, she confronted Arlecchino and ultimately destroyed the murderous puppet once and for all. But their victory was short-lived. Geppetto arrived soon after, carrying a trunk containing Carlo’s repurposed corpse—now transformed into the monstrous Nameless Puppet. Without hesitation, he unleashed it to kill both Lea and Romeo. Lea’s death was never publicly acknowledged, and Romeo’s passing was officially attributed to the Petrification Disease.
Over the ensuing years, Geppetto continued his work in puppet engineering alongside Lorenzini Venigni. The two collaborated tirelessly to enhance puppet design and mass production. Venigni, deeply disturbed by the Arlecchino incident, insisted that all puppets be bound by the Grand Covenant—a core set of protocols designed to prevent violent behavior. While Geppetto outwardly agreed, he secretly modified the system, embedding a hidden clause: the “Zero Law.” This override ensured that all puppets, regardless of their own wills or safeguards, would ultimately obey him without question.
In secret, Geppetto pursued an unholy resurrection: reviving Carlo by transferring his Ergo into the Nameless Puppet through a massive harvest of Ergo, channeled via the P-Organ. As part of this plan, Geppetto also created another puppet vessel—the “King of Puppets”—and implanted Romeo’s Ergo into it, bringing Romeo back as a tool to further his aims. Under Geppetto’s influence, Romeo initiated the Puppet Frenzy, turning Krat’s automaton population against the citizenry in a brutal massacre that left most of the city dead and soaked the land with Ergo.
But Romeo’s humanity endured. He broke free from Geppetto’s control and took a stand against the Puppeteer, the Alchemists, and death itself. Determined to stop the madness, he began rallying other autonomous puppets in secret, using his influence to protect the surviving human population and seek redemption for his part in the Frenzy.
Meanwhile, Geppetto formally activated the Zero Law, granting himself absolute control over all puppets. The law ensured that his will could override even the strongest autonomous responses, reigniting the Puppet Frenzy and forcing Romeo back into the role of a villain. The public, unaware of Geppetto’s machinations, blamed Romeo for the renewed wave of violence.
Eventually, Romeo learned that Carlo’s Ergo had not remained in the Nameless Puppet but had instead been transferred into the mysterious puppet known as P. Hoping to avoid another tragedy, Romeo sent envoys to explain the truth and broker peace—but P, manipulated and unaware, killed them all.
When P finally confronted Romeo at the Estella Opera House Stage, Romeo attempted to warn him about Geppetto’s final plan: transferring P’s heart into the Nameless Puppet to complete Carlo’s resurrection. Through a symbolic performance, Romeo tried to reveal the truth. Then, appearing in his King of Puppets armor, he extended his hand in peace. But P, unable to recognize his former friend or understand his message, rejected him.
A battle followed. Romeo fought reluctantly, continuing to plead with P to recognize the real enemy and spare what was left of Krat. When his suit was destroyed in the fight, a badly burned Romeo still stood firm—trying one last time to reach the friend who had once meant everything to him. But P, still blinded by Geppetto’s deception, struck the final blow. As Romeo lay dying, he smiled and thanked P for giving him one final gift: freedom.
In his final moments, Romeo’s words echoed within P, who eventually came to understand the tragic truth behind the Puppet Frenzy, Geppetto’s madness, and Romeo’s sacrifice.
Gameplay[]
A full walkthrough of the boss fight, including cutscenes, can be found here
Trivia[]
- As a child, Romeo told Carlo to call him "Lampwick".
- This is a reference to Pinocchio's troublemaking friend Candlewick (also known as Lucignolo, Lampwick and Romeo), who was turned into a Donkey and sold into labor, resulting in him to being worked to death.
- Before battling the King of Puppets, two puppets perform a play in which Geppetto extracts Pinocchio's heart and placing it in another puppet figure, foreshadowing Geppetto's ambitions.
- Romeo's attempts to send a message are seen when battling the Parade Master and King's Flame, Fuoco. While players are unable to understand them during New Game, their dialogue can be heard clearly during New Game Plus.
- He is voiced by Chase Brown.
Gallery[]
Achievement/Trophy[]
Image | Name | Criteria | Gamerscore | Trophy |
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King of Puppets | Kill Romeo, King of Puppets | 15G | Bronze |
Base Game | Bosses - Parade Master · Scrapped Watchman · King's Flame, Fuoco · Fallen Archbishop Andreus · Eldest of The Black Rabbit Brotherhood · King of Puppets · Champion Victor · Green Monster Of The Swamp · Corrupted Parade Master · Black Rabbit Brotherhood · Laxasia The Complete · Simon Manus, Awakened God · Nameless Puppet Mini-Bosses - Mad Donkey · Puppet Of The Future · Survivor · The Atoned · White Lady · Mad Clown Puppet · Owl Doctor · Walker Of Illusions · Door Guardian · Robber Weasel · Red Fox · Black Cat |
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Overture | Tyrannical Predator · Veronique Leader of the Sweepers · Premetamorphic Green Hunter · Two-faced Overseer · Lumacchio Leader of the Bastards · Anguished Guardian of the Ruins · Markiona, Puppeteer of Death · Arlecchino the Blood Artist |
Main | Pinocchio · Giuseppe Geppetto · Sophia Monad · Antonia · Eugenie · Venigni · Simon Manus · Gemini · Giangio · Lea Monad |
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Secondary | Andreus · Adelina · Arlecchino · Atkinson · Belle · Black Cat · Broken Puppet · Carlo · Cecile · Dorothy · Julian The Gentleman · Laxasia The Complete · Mad Donkey · Murphy · Old Lady At The Window · Owl Doctor · Polendina · Pulcinella · Red Fox · Robber Weasel · Rookie Explorer Hugo · Romeo · Slum Resident · Spring · Survivor · Test Subject 826 · Toma · The Atoned · Victor · Weeping Woman · White Lady · Goddard · The Tracker · Crusher Puppet · Forsaken Arche Puppet · Rosaura · Salao the Old Fisherman · Sweeper Survivor · Veronique · Markiona |
Merchants | |
Mentioned |