After playing a lot of Souls-like games, I’ve come to one conclusion. Multiple bosses are fine, unless it has multiple health bars. It’s annoying since the first phase gives the sense of false victory, only to find ourselves in a deeper rabbit hole. That’s some Lies of P Overture dealt with, since there aren’t multiple boss fights.
Don’t misunderstand me; I love Soulsborne games from FromSoft, and not disregarding their contributions to the souls-like genre. But having a boss going into the second or third phases with full health is very annoying to observe, as if I didn’t slap their cheeks since they’re in full health. The sense of progress suddenly vanishes, which shouldn’t be the case.
Lies of P Overture fixes this one issue, which FromSoft had for a long time
I remember facing Abyss Watchers for the first time and getting intimidated after learning about the second phase. Yes, you might say who starts with Dark Souls 3, but I didn’t know about the lore of FromSoft games back then. I am saying this because it left a bad taste in my gaming journey.
It’s not about a skill issue; it’s just that I spent a lot of time defeating Abyss Watcher’s first phrase only to find out about the second. But couldn’t the same have been done by locking the second phase after the health bar went down by 50 percent? The results would have been the same, either way. I have to defeat the second phase.
The only thing it did with multiple health bars is erase the progress I had with the boss. Not that it didn’t happen, it’s just the new full health bar that sold the idea that none of my actions mattered. Which is why, while playing Lies of P Overture, this minor adjustment to the health bar caught my attention.
In Lies of P Overture, which has been released recently. You’ll find new bosses that are daunting to face and have multiple phases. But does it mean players have to be presented with a new health bar after reaching another phase? Not at all, the game proves that.
Moreover, I can see the health bar, which has gone down considerably, which assures me my actions weren’t in vain. It’s about time we stopped defending FromSoft’s every decision and called it a feature. They are just another game development company, and they do have flaws as well. This minor adjustment won’t cost them their entire legacy.
Are multiple boss bars really necessary?
If we were living in an era where computers weren’t advanced enough to do complex actions, it would have made sense. To load in the second boss phase files, a swift transition with a cutscene would have made sense. Thus, the use case of multiple health bars with each stage.
But in 2025, we don’t really have to be worried about all that. Elden Ring didn’t have multiple health bar bosses, which was a plus in my books. Which is why I’m loving Lies of P Overture as well, since it is not using an outdated feature. It’s many call it a soulsborne clone, but it’s really good despite that.
While some may argue that multiple health bars for boss fights are better, not always. If it’s some kind of really major boss in the game, multiple health bars are still acceptable. Even Lies of P Overture has it, and that didn’t feel annoying. It’s about giving players a sense of achievement, not extending the turmoil.
Which one do you prefer, a single health bar or multiple health bars? Do you think it doesn’t matter if the game is good? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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