WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
While the FromSoftware inspirations in Lies of P are more than clear, one boss draws from a familiar Elden Ring boss design to build a unique encounter in the final run of the game. This comes in the form of the boss Laxasia, who feels like a successor to Elden Ring's Malenia, from her aggressive speed and damage to her mid-fight phase transition.
This is not to say that the design of Laxasia was looking to imitate Malenia, especially given the development timing for Lies of P, but the similarities are worth pointing out. It is especially worth noting the ways that both of these fights excel as high points in their respective titles, both for difficulty and the intense rhythm that can push players into a flow state that is so unique to the Souls-like genre.
Aggressive Soulslike Combat with Varied Movesets
The defining feature of both Malenia and Laxasia is the movesets that each of these enemies has across each of their two separate phases. In Malenia's case, the last year of attempts has led Elden Ring players to develop perfect strategies to defeat the boss as they've analyzed and reanalyzed her various combos, behaviors, and of course, her signature Waterfowl Dance. However, for Laxasia, fans are in the early trenches of putting these strategies together, with the defining feature of any attempt to beat her involving the need to overcome her aggression and unmatched speed.
A prime example of their similarities comes in the ways that both bosses will charge at the player if they are within range, quickly closing the distance with a powerful attack before backing away slightly and transitioning quickly into another combo. Across their initial phases, this can come in the form of either a charge or an impaling grab that has a serious chance of immediately killing the player if they are caught unaware. That said, the damage threshold in Lies of P tends to be slightly more forgiving in this situation and is balanced by an increased distance at which Laxasia will actively start her combos and begin charging forward.
Equally taxing is the rhythm that players are tasked with getting in tune with in order to make it through some of these combos, often requiring precise dodging and evasion in Elden Ring and pinpoint perfect guards in Lies of P. This is expressed most deadly in Malenia's first phase with the Waterfowl Dance which requires exact positioning to avoid and Laxasia's rising combo that can be parried to deal excessive stagger damage. However, it is the second phase where these bosses show exactly what they are made of, both similarly and separately for several reasons.
Disrobing Phase Transitions Hasten the Tempo
One of the most on-the-nose comparisons between Laxasia and Malenia comes from their second-phase transitions, where both bosses take on new forms that forgo their armor for the sake of increased speed and improved status effects. Most notable are the attacks that start these phases, with both bosses jumping into the air and slamming down with incredible speed to cause a massive impact in a wide area. However, Laxasia changes this strategy up by including another of Malenia's attacks into her own combo, sending out a series of lightning bolts to chase down the player before the final charge.
However, with all of this overlap, it is this second phase where Laxasia comes into her own individuality the most in ways that complement Lies of P's parry-heavy combat. To begin, the lightning bolts that Laxasia launches can actually be deflected back at the boss, allowing players to turn what would normally be deadly attacks into built-in damage opportunities during the moments where to boss would otherwise be inaccessible. Combine this with the ability to rush across the arena at the speed of lightning, and Laxasia's second phase only resembles Malenia in how often they will kill players.
Lies of P is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
