The rain was tapping a steady rhythm against my window, the kind of afternoon that makes you want to curl up with a game. I’d just finished the main story of Lies of P for the third time, and that familiar post-game emptiness was starting to settle in. I loved the combat, the intricate weapon assembly, but fighting through the entire city just to have another crack at the Black Rabbit Brotherhood or the dreaded King of Puppets felt like a monumental chore. It was in this lull, scrolling through update notes, that I stumbled upon something that completely revitalized my experience. It felt like I had finally managed to unlock JILI-Mines secrets, a hidden vein of pure replayability that boosted my gameplay and maximized my rewards in a way I hadn't thought possible.

This revelation came in the form of a free update that launched alongside the "Overture" content. I remember reading the patch notes with growing excitement. The developers had introduced two new boss rematch modes: Battle Memories and Death March. Battle Memories, in particular, was a godsend. It allowed me to challenge any boss I’d already defeated, from the scrappy Parade Master to the elusive Laxasia the Complete, right from the comfort of the hotel. No more traipsing through Krat’s plague-ridden streets. I could just jump straight into the action. What truly hooked me, though, was the scoring system and the five distinct difficulty levels. I started on level two, thinking I was hot stuff, only to have the Scrapped Watchman hand my head to me in under a minute. His health pool and aggression were noticeably tuned up. That’s when it clicked for me; this wasn't just a simple re-fight. This was a proper test of skill, a way to truly master every dodge, parry, and fatal attack. I must have fought the Fallen Archbishop Andreus two dozen times, each attempt on a higher difficulty, shaving seconds off my time. My best run is now a blistering 1 minute and 48 seconds on difficulty four, a personal record I’m weirdly proud of.

Then there’s Death March, the boss-rush mode. I’ll be honest, my first attempt was a disaster. I arrogantly chose my three most-dreaded foes back-to-back: the Green Monster of the Swamp, the Corrupted Parade Master, and Simon Manus. Let's just say I didn't last long. But that’s the beauty of it. It forces you to think strategically about boss order, stamina conservation, and which weapon combinations work best for a sustained engagement. It’s one thing to perfect a fight in isolation; it’s a whole other ball game to do it while your pulse is still racing from the previous encounter. This is where that feeling of unlocking a deeper layer of the game truly solidified. I was no longer just playing through a story; I was honing a craft.

Now, I have to voice my one gripe, the single feature that I believe would transform these already fantastic modes from a personal challenge into a global obsession: a proper online leaderboard. Don’t get me wrong, chasing my own times is fun, but the real thrill of any challenge comes from a little friendly competition. Knowing that my friend across the country had just beaten my time on the Nameless Puppet by two seconds would light a fire under me like nothing else. An online leaderboard would go a long way towards making both modes more compelling, creating a permanent endgame for the community. We could compete for world records, for the fastest Death March clears, for bragging rights. It’s the missing piece that would elevate this content from great to legendary.

Spending the last week diving deep into these modes has fundamentally changed how I view Lies of P. It’s no longer a game I simply complete and set aside. It’s a combat playground, a personal training ground. Every failed attempt teaches me something, and every victory, especially a hard-fought one on a higher difficulty, feels immensely rewarding. It’s a masterclass in how to extend a game's lifespan with meaningful, skill-based content. So if you, like me, felt that itch for more after the credits rolled, do not sleep on this update. Dive into Battle Memories, suffer through a Death March, and truly learn what your assembled weapons are capable of. You might just find yourself, as I did, unlocking the game's greatest secrets long after you thought the journey was over.