The following contains minor spoilers forLies of P: Overture.
Lies of Pand its DLC expansion,Lies of P: Overture, are packed with memorable bosses that are immersed in distinct regions and belong to one of three loose enemy factions: human, puppet, or Carcass. Some are more memorable than others, though, whether that’s a Romeo, King of Puppets or Laxasia the Complete, with any antagonists who are comparably unique typically being capable of standing out in the crowd. It’s quite easy for a lot ofLies of Pbossesto make names for themselves, too, as Overture’s DLC largely either doubles down on the base game’s bosses and mini-bosses.
Many Stalkers and human NPCs are fought inLies of PandLies of P: Overture, for example, and can all blur together homogeneously, even if they have their own costumes, attacks, and dialogue. That said, the Black Rabbit Brotherhood is incredibly memorable with multiple gank boss fights. An elusive and cunning band of four Stalkers, the Black Rabbit Brotherhood is something of a mascot team forLies of P, andLies of P: Overturedoes well to honor the Black Rabbit Brotherhood without them actually making another appearance.
Lies of P’s Black Rabbit Brotherhood Overstays Its Welcome as a Quirky Nuisance
Lies of P’s Black Rabbit Brotherhooddwells in the Malum District and ambushes players in a boss fight that is startling at an initial glance. Here, the Eldest of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood is a focal point who is gradually assisted by the Youngest, Eccentric, and Battle Maniac when enough damage has been dealt to him.
A reliable yet dogged strategy for the first Black Rabbit Brotherhood fight is to deplete enough of the Eldest’s health to bait out another member and then kite them around, focusing wholly on them while the Eldest graciously lessens his aggro.
This boss fight in and of itself isn’t tremendously grueling. Still, the fact that players must encounter the Black Rabbit Brotherhood later in the Relic of Trismegistus is sure to sour any players who disliked the first encounter.
This second boss fight is an inverse of sorts from the original boss fight; players first deal with theBlack Rabbit Brotherhood’s Youngest, Eccentric, and Battle Maniacindividually as they pass the aggro torch between one another, and eventually the Eldest bursts from his coffin. As such, there’s a lot of fatigue associated with the Black Rabbit Brotherhood.
Lies of P: Overture Pays a Loving Tribute to the Black Rabbit Brotherhood
InLies of P’s vanilla base game, otherwise known now as the game’s present-day content, players come across payphones and answer King of Riddles, Arlecchino’s riddles correctly—as opposed to how players ordinarily choose to answer NPCs’ questions truthfully or dishonestly—to earn Trinity Keys for associable, scattered Trinity Sanctums. InLies of P: Overture’s DLC, however, Trinity Keys and Sanctums are substituted forBlack Rabbit Hole Keys and hideouts.
The premise remains the same despite not needing to answer a riddle as a prerequisite to earning a key, and looting sparse Black Rabbit Brotherhood hideouts becomes of one the few throughlines of optional exploration content in the DLC alongside the Tracker’s cipher machine questline, not unlike how players haveLorenzini Venigni decipher cryptic vesselsin the present day, as well as miscellaneous side quests, such as fetching a dying fisherman a precious bottle of beer. Black Rabbit Hole Keys are fairly easy to come by, and the chief reason to pursue them at all is undoubtedly to retrieve the Black Rabbit Brotherhood affiliates’ costumes as cosmetics players can dress P in: the respective masks and outfits of the Eccentric, Youngest, Eldest, and Battle Maniac.
These costumes are a phenomenal DLC treat and a bit of a no-brainer concerning cosmetic additions. The lack of the actual antagonists themselves, while a nice relief, truly does determine how profoundly impactful they were as mascots ofLies of P.
Plus, Black Rabbit Hole hideouts lend an ear to the inner workings of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood’s interpersonal relationships, at least via hand-written notes they leave for one another and a photograph serving as a somber reminder that they’re truly a family. Therefore, its description as “a family photo they all cherish” depicts a warm heart at the gooey center of their “countless evil deeds.” The Black Rabbit Brotherhood’s fate inLies of Pis sealed during the base game’s events (and Overture is likely the bookend toLies of Panyhow), yet the Overture DLC’s trip to the past helps color them with a brighter brush stroke.
