The following contains major spoilers regarding bosses inLies of P: Overture.
Lies of Pis not only one of the better Soulslikes as of late but also one of the hardest, even with newly introduced difficulty modes, so it should come as no surprise thatLies of P: Overtureis comparably challenging. This is true no sooner than theDLC’s opening region, a snow-drenched Krat Zoo, which is perfumed with grotesque and formidable animal Carcass enemies that culminate in a giant crocodile boss fight—the Tyrannical Predator.Lies of P: Overture’s Tyrannical Predator boss fight isn’t a walk in the park by any means, yet the level that precedes it is far more unnerving.
In general,Lies of P: Overturebosses are crushingly difficult, and Markiona, Puppeteer of Death being the second boss players encounter is unbelievably intimidating. That said, there is a silver lining to nearly every boss inLies of P: Overture, which is that the DLC only features one boss who boasts more than one health bar, and that’s a big relief in contrast to how bosses are designed in the base game.
Lies of P Bosses Can Be a War of Attrition
Lies of Pisn’t the first Soulslike game to feature boss fights with multiple health bars representing distinct phases, and many of these bosses are phenomenal. That said,Lies of Pindulges in this design formula quite strongly between Fallen Archbishop Andreus, the Green Monster of the Swamp/Puppet-Devouring Green Monster, Laxasia the Complete, and Simon Manus, Awakened God/Simon Manus, Arm of God; for example, the King of Puppets has a health bar dedicated to the boss’ initial phase before the giant mechanized form is destroyed andRomeo, King of Puppets emerges with the Puppet Ripper scythe.
Essentially, this tasks players with long and taxing efforts battling a single boss with twice the amount of attacks and mannerisms to telegraph and learn. This is especially egregious regarding the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, whom players encounter in two different gank fight instances, with the encore more or less reverse-engineering the design of the original.
Lies of P: Overture Bosses are Palatable and Succinct
Bosses are far and few between inLies of P: Overture. And, while they’re all difficult in their own way,Lies of P: Overture’s bossesdon’t rely on whole health bar-long phases to pad out the fight. No boss fight overstays their welcome—Lumacchio maybe being the lone exception—and it’s certainly noticeable in each of their designs that Neowiz made a conscious effort to spare players of gratuitous multi-health-bar bosses:
Again, bosses with two or more health bars aren’t inherently poorly designed, but there’s something gratifying about knowing that players will achieve their victory over an eliminated foe once the one health bar they’re whittling down is depleted, andLies of P: Overture’s bosses are incredibly satisfying to fight despite almost all of them having more than one.
Lumacchio’s single health bar repeatedly refilling is aggravating, especially because him drinking an elixir to heal is uninterruptible and all of his attacks, regardless of whether he’s a human or a Carcass, have harrowinglysmall Perfect Guard windows inLies of P: Overture.
Meanwhile, Arlecchino, being the only boss with two health bars, is more than agreeable as he’s the final boss and has every right to be the most challenging foe that players come across inLies of P: Overture. Plus, players can choose to tackle Arlecchino with Lea Florence Monad, the “Legendary Stalker,” for a thematic and poignant team-up.
Lies of P: Overture
WHERE TO PLAY
Lies of P: Overture is a dramatic prequel to the acclaimed soulslike action RPG, Lies of P. It transports you to the city of Krat in its final days of haunting, late-19th-century Belle Époque beauty. On the brink of the Puppet Frenzy massacre, you follow a legendary Stalker—a mysterious guide—through untold stories and chilling secrets. As Geppetto’s deadly puppet, you’ll journey through Krat and its surroundings, uncover hidden backstories, and face epic battles that shape the past and future of Lies of P.
