Lies of P put a really intriguing twist on the well-known fantasy story The Adventures of Pinocchio, taking the titular sentient puppet and thrusting him into a dark tale filled with themes of oppression, slavery, and vengeance. Set in the fictional city of Krat, Lies of P‘s story follows Pinnochio as he attempts to quell a city-wide puppet uprising. Along the way, players meet iconic characters like Geppetto and Jiminy (Gemini), all of whom have been given a fun twist to fit this darker narrative and tone.
But while Lies of P‘s story is really solid, it’s the game’s post-credits scene that really lit a fire under fans last September. Lies of P‘s final cinematic shows an Alchemist named Paracelsus talking with an unnamed woman. As he mentions that he’s on his way to find a girl named Dorothy, the camera cuts to a girl in ruby slippers walking across the rooftops of Krat, before stopping in her tracks, and tapping her heels together three times. It seems highly likely that The Wizard of Oz will be used as inspiration for a potential Lies of P sequel, and if that’s the case, it could pave the way for a classic type of FromSoftware boss fight. But that bar is currently very high.
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Lies of P’s Sequel Swapping Protagonists Has an Awkward Choice to Make
Lies of P’s sequel may face the challenge of preserving its identity if it potentially shifts focus to a new protagonist and storyline.
Lies of P’s Sequel Has Some Beastly Shoes to Fill
FromSoftware Has Set a High Bar for Beast Bosses
In the last decade and a bit, FromSoftware has delivered quite a few “beast” bosses. These fights often see the player confronting some kind of large, hulking creature, whether it’s a dragon, animal, or some kind of hybrid abomination that walks on four or more legs. While FromSoft’s beast bosses haven’t always offered a fair or even necessarily enjoyable challenge, the studio’s most recent attempts have been some of the most memorable fights in gaming.
Bloodborne broke new ground for FromSoftware beast bosses. Vicar Amelia, Laurence, and Ludwig are widely considered to be some of the best bosses in the game due to their impressive scale, intimidating stature, but also the efficient camera work and lock-on system that helps to keep the larger target in sight. Dark Souls 3 continued to refine this formula with bosses like Vordt and Oceiros.
Elden Ring brought more beast bosses to the table than any FromSoft game before it. Elden Ring‘s base game added the likes of Maliketh and the Elden Beast, while Shadow of the Erdtree delivered maybe FromSoft’s best beast boss to date with the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a fight that felt as though it had been ripped right out of an anime.
Lies of P’s Sequel Could Have a Lion Boss of Its Own
If Lies of P‘s sequel does take inspiration from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, then it could see players take control of Dorothy as she goes on a similar quest to rid the Yellow Brick Road and Oz of whatever darkness is undoubtedly lurking there. If the sequel takes a similar narrative and gameplay approach as the first game, then this hypothetical dark force will likely have corrupted some well-known characters from the story. That could lead to boss fights against Dorothy’s former friends, which could in turn lead to a Cowardly Lion beast boss.
How Lies of P’s Sequel Can Nail Its Potential Lion Boss Fight
Lies of P‘s sequel already has a solid foundation for a potential Cowardly Lion boss fight in the first game’s Green Monster fight. This swamp-dwelling boss feels great to fight, with Lies of P‘s camera adjusting naturally to follow the larger creature’s wide swings and sweeping movements. The parry/guard windows for the Green Monster’s attacks are also fairly forgiving, at least in the boss’ first phase, which allows the fight to look and feel like a grand spectacle while still giving players plenty of control in the action.
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