As Lies of P takes inspiration from the Soulsborne series, one fight sits on par with Elden Ring’s legendary Malenia while still standing on her own.
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.
