Bestiary

The hidden Superbosses of Look Outside (till v2.1)

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Look Outside is an amazing comedy-horror JRPG entirely set inside an apartment building. However, in this place, tons of terrible things are hidden, from a parallel Meat World, to a glitch land existing inside a cursed videogame, and an entirely flooded apartment. With every new update, the world gets bigger and bigger, and, especially after the 2.0 Final Vision update, the game is almost in its final state.

Bosses and monsters also get expanded with each update, and now the Bestiary is simply huge. For example, according to the wiki page, there are at least 35 bosses in the game. And we are only talking about bosses, so the complete Bestiary is insanely huge. The main character and party members also get stronger, with new weapons and characters to recruit. And so do the bosses, with new and stronger bosses released at every update.

In the following article, I will focus on the superbosses hidden in Look Outside, enemies that are far stronger than the final boss of the game, often guarding powerful weapons or equipment. Some of them are really difficult not only to defeat, but also to unlock and reach. I will focus especially on completely optional bosses, guarding weapons, and not related to any ending… with maybe a couple of exceptions. Since Look Outside is always updated, including new superbosses in an update following the “Final Vision,” the article could be updated with future updates.

Hellcar

Hellcar is the first superboss encountered in the game since the first release. Hidden in a car park inside the basement, the Hellcar is a devilish orange car that will attack after the player collects the flamethrower. Hellcar has an insane amount of different phases, making it one of the longest battles. First, Hellcar attacks directly, using powerful burning attacks and its light to blind the characters. During the next phases, Hellcar will use its long tongue to swallow the player inside its body. At this point, the player has a limited number of turns to kill Hellcar before being literally dragged to hell, reaching a game over with a special bad ending. During the second phase, Hellcar’s interior is full of ghostly passengers, which of course must be killed. In the next phase, the element of the interior design transforms into demons and must be killed. During the last phase, the Hellmouth is revealed, a giant maw inflicting heavy damage. If you are fast enough in killing all the phases before going to hell, the reward is the powerful Hellblade, the strongest weapon in the first update.

Furnace

Furnace is the superboss of the original 1.0 release. The creature lies hidden in the sewers, the most challenging section of the basement. In the middle of a room flooded with water, a shut-down furnace is waiting to be awakened again. Before fighting the boss, the player must fight six giant ticks draining the heat away from the tubes. After killing the ticks, Furnace will come back to life. While even only accessing the fight is a chore, defeating Furnace is a real challenge. The boss looks like a hellish boiler room, with fire drawing a disturbing grin on the metal. Furnace uses powerful fire spells, causing the burning status with almost every attack. However, the biggest issue is its chargeable attack. Turn after turn, the fire grin becomes bigger, highlighting how the creature is almost ready for its most powerful attack. A firestorm will hit the entire party, with a high probability of one-shotting several characters. If not, the entire party. Surviving the annihilation is difficult, even by guarding the attacks, and killing Furnace before it unleashes hell is even more complicated due to the high HPs. In 1.0, Furnace had no reward for such a challenge. However, next updates introduced Furnace Edge, the only fire-based melee weapon.

Taxidermy

Taxidermy is the owner of the disturbing apartment on the 3rd floor, a place full of stuffed animals and hosting a stitched-skin dimension. In the beginning, Taxidermy appears as an immobile humanoid statue, with a grotesque mask-like face and horns on top. After traversing the parallel dimension, the Taxidermy statue starts to move, becoming a challengeable boss battle. In 1.0, Taxidermy has two main phases, with the second one called Suture Wire. In this phase, the boss covers itself in deadly metal wires, and is able to use powerful bleeding and slashing multi-hit attacks. However, the boss was still an easy fight, regardless of the disturbing appearance. But everything changed with the 1.6 update, when Taxidermy got a challenging 3rd phase. After Suture Wire is defeated, the creature merges with the stuffed animals in the room, becoming a grotesque and disturbing abomination. The main head is that of a moose, which can open up, revealing an even more disturbing interior. A bear and rhino head complete the disturbing design, merged together on a fat rhino body. In battle, the creature is terrifying, becoming a 3-enemy fight where each head has unique attacks and HPs. While the rhino and the bear are the main physical attackers, the moose launches deadly magics, including a black hole able to annihilate the entire party. To defeat Taxidermy, all the heads must be slayed. And if the normal battle was not challenging enough, in Cursed mode, introduced with the 2.0 update, the Taxidermy 3rd phase became a 5-enemy battle, since the creature now also merges with a crocodile and a swordfish.

Drowning

Drowning is a very peculiar superboss hidden in the 2.0 update. A new apartment appears in the building, a place completely flooded and underwater. The party has a limited amount of time to spend underwater before drowning, maybe a reference to the original FF7, where facing the underwater Emerald Weapon was regulated by a timer. However, in Look Outside, when the timer reaches zero, there will not be an instant game over. Instead, a battle against Drowning will begin. In 2.0, Drowning looked like a disturbing deep water creature, with giant jaws full of teeth and details difficult to understand. However, its design changed in 2.01, appearing more like a bug-related creature. The fight is not especially difficult for the damage received, since Drowning doesn’t hit very strongly, but more for the insane amount of HPs. In fact, Drowning has almost double the HPs of the final boss or Furnace. To defeat Drowning, you must heavily rely on status effects such as bleed or poison to chip away the huge HP pool. The reward for killing Drowning? Well, since the main character defeated the concept of drowning itself, he will become immune to it, and will be able to explore the flooded flat without timing. Not the best reward for the long effort.

Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina is a powerful witch trapped in a hidden basement inside the building in version 2.0. The craziest thing? Wilhelmina is inside a crossword-related dungeon. To access Wilhelmina, the player must complete the entire crossword book in the main apartment, a long and time-consuming task. After that, a secret password grants access to a dungeon contained inside a safe. Wilhelmina is trapped in a coffin protected by powerful sentences, which must be broken in order to free her. At this point, freeing Wilhelmina causes a secret ending, while facing her unlocks a challenging battle. Wilhelmina uses powerful and unique spells, including making the entire party regurgitating frogs, or breaking all their bones, causing massive debilitations and continuous damage. Moreover, Wilhelmina can also inflict almost every possible status effect, from stun to bleeding. By defeating Wilhelmina, the player can choose a special weapon as a reward, choosing from a sword, spear, or hammer.

Sybil

Fighting the real Sybil is part of a long and challenging secondary quest introduced in the 2.0 update. First, you must collect an Iris Key during the blackout, to then start to explore the Meat World to collect other keys. Then, you must explore and solve the mysteries and puzzles of apartment 12 to finally have a chance to meet Sybil. However, it is only after bringing her the repaired telescope that you can decide between two paths. And only by pursuing the truth, you are able to attack her, revealing her real form inside the Meat World. The real Sybil is a grotesque and colorful mass of flesh, with eyes and teeth all around.  However, fighting her at this point leads to an impossible battle, since Sybil can also attack 8 more times in a turn. To limit this ability, you must traverse the Meat World to kill 9 Organs, grotesque bosses with special powers, providing unique attacks to Sybil. For each Organ killed, Sybil loses a special attack, including the ability to digest your max HPs. However, the Organs regenerate after in-game hours (32h on normal), so not only you have to destroy them, but even in a limited amount of time. Even with the Organs destroyed, Sybil is still a tough fight, especially for the high HPs. At the moment, defeating Sybil mainly unlocks a bad ending inside a hidden room, without a strong reward for such a massive effort.

Baby Teeth

The apartment where the Teeth Family was corrupted by mutating into grotesque masses of teeth is one of the most disturbing locations in Look Outside. Baby Teeth is the boss of the apartment, an infant that mutated into a colossal abomination, spreading teeth on whoever gets bitten. The boss can be easily defeated or avoided, and the creature will simply hide again under the floor. However, after the update 2.0, the apartment got sealed by a giant mouth. The fauxes opened again in 2.1, where the mutated apartment became explorable again. And hidden under the floor, after a dungeon of flesh and teeth, Baby Teeth is waiting for her rematch. Just this time, the battle will be far more difficult. Considering that the apartment opens again on day 9, almost at the end of the game, says all about the difficulty of the fight. Baby Teeth grotesquely mutate during the battle and can attack with multiple body parts, including two long tongue-tentacles. The infant is highly resistant to different types of damage, can cause bleeding, and has an insane berserk attack. Moreover, the dungeon itself is constantly chewing whoever is inside, and every turn, the walls attack everybody, both the entire party and Baby Teeth, creating an even more unconventional and difficult battle. After defeating Baby Teeth for the (hopefully) last time, the player can access two new tooth weapons, including a rifle that converts HPs into tooth bullets.

Swordmaster Comatus

Comatus is another superboss added in the update 2.1. The mushroom swordmaster hides behind a fake wall in the depths of the fungal colony. The boss is probably an homage to FromSoftware’s bosses, a loyal and powerful swordmaster that fairly challenges the player to a duel. Facing Comatus is quite easy, but defeating it is a far more difficult task. Comatus hits like a truck with multiple attacks, is highly resistant against physical damage, and can adopt different stances. For example, it can counterattack physical attacks or heal at the end of the turn. Defeating Comatus unlocks the Whisperblade, a really powerful sword.

Honko

Honko is the protagonist of a videogame that you can play in the flat to learn a new skill. And in 2.1, Honko appears as a superboss in the new Glitch World. Already accessing the Glitch World is a complicated task, since it is only possible after using the cursed videogame hidden behind a secret door on a console inside a parallel meat world. Moreover, the Glitch World is a challenging dungeon to traverse, full of monsters, peculiar status effects, and glitched items. And fighting Honko is even more obscure. First, you need to find and finish his videogame, and only then can you find a secret path behind a glitched tile. Honko is a tragic figure who doesn’t want to fight but is forced by glitches. During the fight, the cute pink humanoid continuously glitches, sometimes briefly appearing as a cursed version of himself, or even dead in a pool of blood. Honko is extremely powerful, immediately showing huge defense and agility, making it very difficult to hurt, healing powers activating every turn, and the ability to inflict multiple status effects with a single attack. And if this was not enough, after sufficient damage, Honko splits into three entities… and then into five! The main Honko now launches really powerful spells, while the others hit hard and inflict status effects. The reward for defeating Honko is many candies providing permanent upgrades.

The Rats in Look Outside: A spreading disease of fur and teeth

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In the world of Look Outside, living indoors, with the window shut, is the only way to survive. In fact, merely looking at what is happening outside the window will mutate your body, creating a set of complex and disturbing creatures. Without spoilers, the mutation somehow involves your true self, or at least how you are “perceived.” While the majority of mutants become mindless monsters, some of them retain their mind, such as in the case of Lyle (read more here: Forever trapped inside a picture after kissing an eldritch being: all about Lyle from Look Outside). While directly looking outside is the easier way to lose your humanity, becoming a grotesque being, some of the mutations are also “inheritable.” This is what happened to the entire family and their three kids on the 3rd floor. The youngest daughter watched outside, mutating into a sad and disturbing being, and with her bite, she spread the “teeth mutation” to all the family. A similar situation is what is happening to the rats infesting the building.

The first floor of the building is infested with rats. In general, rats are quite simple enemies, dying in a few hits, with the biggest threat of inflicting the Disease debuff. While rats of different sizes occupy several rooms on this floor, the biggest monstrosity roams the corridors. The Rat King is a colossal wolf-like creature, an abomination of twisted fur and multiple faces, all showing red eyes and deadly maws. And to give rights to its name, the creature wears a rusted metal crown on its head. The Rat King is a unique creature and an incredibly tough boss, usually better to be avoided till later in the game. It hits hard, with a huge health pool, and is able to inflict several negative debuffs. The only help is its weakness to fire. Defeating such an abomination rewards the player with a unique accessory: The Rat Crown. Other than being a quite powerful equipment, the Crown has a peculiar hidden effect, allowing the player to talk with all the rats. This opens to a world of possibilities, with rats giving you items or opening up shops, instead of attacking you. Of course, the rats that survived your murderous spree before getting the Crown. Yes, whichever rat you killed before, closed the door to a unique conversation. From their conversations, you will quickly discover that they were all human before. The Rat King spread the mutation by biting people in the building, mutating them into rats and expanding its “kingdom”. The 1.6 update introduced a new Bad Ending for dying against the Rat King. In this case, while keeping their will, the main character slowly mutates into a new colossal Rat King.

Before getting the Crown, you can also get additional information about rats and their mutation by talking with the Rat Hole. This creature is a merchant hidden behind a wall of darkness, a twisted mass of flesh and eyes hidden inside a hole in the wall. Regardless of the disturbing appearance, the creature is quite friendly, and will offer you powerful items and weapons in exchange for Rat’s Tails. And you got it right, you can obtain the tails by slaying random rats. The Rat Hole got infected by the King, becoming a rat aberration after a painful mutation. How painful? You can ask them directly, and they will give you a very detailed report about the grotesque mutation. The transformation was so painful that the most gruesome details are censored, with examples such as “intestines” and “screaming.” For this reason, the Rat Hole still wants revenge against rats, rewarding you for slaying them.

Interestingly, the Rat Hole also speaks of another side of themselves. And later, you will meet the unavoidable Mouth. The Mouth is the “other half” of the Rat Hole, just this time it is much less friendly. The creature is a disturbing rat-mouth opening in the wall, constantly hungry. The only power it possesses, other than eating living beings, is to create illusory halls to imprison people. Food doesn’t satisfy it, since the only meal it craves is babies. Feeding the mouth is mandatory, and you can do it in two ways. First, you can really feed it a baby, specifically the Rat Baby, an innocent creature that follows you after being discovered abandoned in a crib. If this deed is too mischievous, you can decide to feed it your arm, debuffing the main character for the entire game. I like to believe that this creature is a connection with the other two greatest RPGmaker horror JRPGs: Lisa and Fear & Hunger. With Lisa, the connection is with the tough moral choices, offering sacrifices or character mutilations, including losing an arm. Regarding Fear & Hunger, the Pocketcat is another disturbing NPC asking for kids as a form of payment (more here if interested: The Pocketcat of Fear & Hunger: what RPG merchant could be more disturbing than one exchanging items for children? [Evil Characters]).

The two rat hole creatures are very disturbing examples of how far this mutation can go, creating split personalities of the same creature, one talkative and understandable, the other only looking to satisfy its gluttony.

The Rat King is not the only colossal rat abomination, and another challenging being lurks inside the 1st floor apartments. The Rat Freak is a gigantic humanoid rat, a giant made of fur and red eyes, a cluster of multiple rats fused beneath the fur. The giant is a tough opponent guarding a key item on the ground floor, so avoiding it is quite challenging. However, this gigantic abomination will also become friendly after slaying the King and wearing its crown. In fact, the silent but generous creature rewards the player with powerful hidden weapons after talking with it, including the ultra-rare Sewage Sword. Sure, some luck and RNG are involved, but the rewards are really worthy of the time.

A battle against a swarm of rats welcomes you inside Rat Hell, a new rat-based dungeon available in the 1.5 update. Venturing into this crawling hellhole is necessary to recruit Ernst. The place is practically shaped by rats and their red eyes, creating a maze-structure that works as a gladiator arena. Win enough fights against the rats to save your friend. However, be ready for tough and bizarrely fantasy-inspired battles, including: magician-like rats of poison and fire elements, gladiator rats, a champion paladin-like rat, and a beast similar to the Rat King. With the Crown, you can understand the rats and have tips on how to defeat them; otherwise, be ready for many puzzling battles and a world of squeaking dialogues.

It could come as a surprise after reading about all these abominations, however, the strongest and most dangerous rodent in Look Outside is not a rat but a hamster. By offering Cinnamon, a cute and innocent hamster, as a final gift for the ritual, you will face a very peculiar final boss: Xin Amon. This grotesque and eldritch mutated hamster is, all in all, a rodent god, and a very tough battle. The creature offers two main endings, both quite disturbing. In one ending, the creatures start to exponentially mutate, covering the entire world in flesh towers made of mutated hamster heads. In the other ending, Xin Amon truly evolves into the God Rat, an immense “Kaiju” rat able to level cities and swallow their entire population. The multi-headed abomination is always followed by piercing screaming… coming from the mutated heads of all its victims now appearing on its skin.

Look Outside is an innovative and interesting RPG full of grotesque and unique enemies, with praise for creating a very varied bestiary around simple creatures, such as rats.

The symbolism behind a grieving family: Analysis of the Axons of Clair Obscur Expedition 33

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The following article will dig into the symbolism and secrets of this dark fantasy world. For this reason, the article has MAJOR SPOILERS of the main twists of the plot, so it is intended for players that reached at least Act 3. Or even better if they finished the game.

Clair Oscur Expedition 33 (COE33) is definitively this year’s surprise, a JRPG shacking the fundamentals of the genre by being loyal to the classics while innovating in every aspect. With dynamic turn-based combats, believable and complex characters, and a dark fantasy world shaped by deadly creatures and French Belle Epoque, the game was a risky but rewarding project. In COE33’s world, every year the Paintress rises from a slumber to paint a number on a colossal monolith, erasing the entire human generation with the same age as the number. And every year, an expedition of heroes starts a journey to reach and stop the Paintress.

The world of Clair Oscur is a complex reality shaped by different demiurges. People, monsters, colossal deities, and fairytale characters clash and coexist in this painted world, each of them brought to life by a different hand. Simply examining the “who painted what” would be already an important task, probably fitting for another article. In this one, I will focus only on the Axons painted by Renoir.

While the Nevrons are the main foes and enemies during the game, the Axons are the most impressive boss battles. Even lore-wise, the Axons are the gateways to reach the Paintress, the last boss battles before entering the endgame. Visages and Sirene are the two main Axons inside the game, and harvesting their energy is crucial to break the barrier protecting the Paintress. The Reacher is a hidden Axon reachable during the endgame while trying to achieve the maximum level of Maelle’s relationship. The first and last Axon is the Hauler, the forgotten one, only visible as a dead body in Old Lumiere.

What are the colossal Axons? As previously specified, the Axons are the only contribution to the painting made by Renoir, the father of the Dessendre’s family. While the Axons could appear only as random monsters, or a colossal version of Cleo’s Nevrons, the reality behind them is far more twisted. The Axons are symbolic creatures, Renoir’s way to mitigate Verso’s trauma by painting a version of his family enriched in symbolism and different layers of interpretation. Each Axon is one family member, including his wife Aline, his son Verso, and his daughters Clea and Alicia. The Axons are imbued with both the delusion after Verso’s death affecting each beloved one and Renoir’s vision of them before the trauma. However, a self-portrait Axon seems to be missing, since Renoir didn’t paint his Axon.

In the following article, I will analyse each Axon, including their setting, appearance, and the symbolism behind the painting. Because while Renoir painted the Axons, he also painted their world and the Nevrons living in it. Moreover, during the final fight, the real Renoir will summon the Axons to help him during the battle.

Visages (Verso’s Axon)

Location: The first Axon inhabits a very peculiar island, full of huge stone masks. They have different expressions on their faces, and they almost whisper something to the wind. The island is full of rich nature, especially red trees, with mountains, gorges, and stunning scenery. Interestingly, the island is divided into biomes according to the main emotion and the associated mask dominating it. The Joy environment is full of light and blooming vegetation compared to Anger, which is a desolate landscape with fires all around. At the end of each area, a huge mask connected with the emotion will ask you a question, and start a fight in case of a correct answer.

Enemies: The Nevrons change with the environment and the emotion of each zone. In Joy, the main enemies are creepy mannequins dressed in white with disturbing smiles, shaking violently. And if this is not enough, the Contorsionists are gigantic nightmare-fueled abominations, with their body twisted on four legs and an eye opening on their body. The creatures here remind of the Windmill Village in Elden Ring, also inhabited by white-dressed and joy inhebriated maniacs. Anger has knights with a stone mask as a shield, while Sadness is inhabited by small imp-like masked creatures flying on a mask. There are no main bosses in the island, but each area has a fight against a powered-up version of a regular enemy supported during the battle by the gigantic mask.

The Axon: Visages is a colossal abomination made of stone faces and wielding two staffs. The different emotions power up the abomination, giving it boosts and special powers during the fight. However, this is not the real Axon, since the disturbing Maskmaker is the final battle on this island. The Maskmaker is a tall knight in heavy armor covered in masks. When he appears, the light always goes off, and he moves under a mysterious spotlight, like the main actor entering the stage. There are many correlations between the Axon and theater, including the masks and the way of dramatically speaking. The Maskmaker is a tough battle right after Visages, a challenging duel of impossible slashes and energy attacks powered by masks and related emotions. During the fight against the real Renoir, Visage will join the battle to shield him from attacks.

Symbolism: Visage is described by Monoco as the one hiding the truth. This Axon is the symbolic painting of the real Verso by the hand of his father Renoir. Nobody in the family was expecting Verso’s death, and how he willingly sacrificed for his sister. Behind the facade, Verso was troubled, maybe to the point where he wanted to die. He was weighed down by the family’s ambition and expectations. He liked music more than painting, but his destiny was already written. Regardless of the weight on him, Verso put on a mask to fake his emotions. He never said anything about it, just kept the real feeling to himself. After all, he is the one who hides the truth. This is related to all the masks around the island as the main theme of the Axon. Moreover, Verso never felt the protagonist of his own story, just part of other people’s expectations. This is why the Maskmaker lives instead under the spotlight, a being hidden but always at the center of the story. The real being behind the masks, the one creating them, but with knowledge of the truth behind them. As a father, Renoir realised too late the complexities and anxieties troubling his son. He couldn’t see through Verso’s masks till it was too late.

Sirene (Aline’s Axon)

Location: Sirene’s arena is a gigantic structure in the middle of the sea, one of the largest buildings in the entire world, after the Monolith and the Endless Tower. The place is a desertic environment enriched with structures, including temples, statues, and columns all around. Everything is embraced by light, and music is always in the air, highlighting a place full of life. Some areas are entirely covered in drapes and fabric, hanging curtains, and mountains of threads. Hooded figures sitting on a moving platform work as elevators and transport inside the colosseum. Sirene is dancing in the bottom of the arena, a gigantic and delicate figure constantly moving.

Enemies: Dancers very similar to Sirene are the main enemies of the area, graceful Nevrons that are not particularly threatening. Other foes are wrapped balls of threads full of eyes, a more grotesque and disturbing sight more common in the bottom of the arena. On Sirene’s island, there are also two important boss battles. The first one is the Tisseur, a gigantic mechanical being constantly sewing clothes for Sirene. It is not a direct threat, however, if spared, it will make the battle against Sirene more challenging by shielding her with new clothes. The second boss is the Glissando, a disturbing and grotesque worm made of scrapped fabric and shrouds, wearing a mask. The creature attacks with its head, but can also summon dancers to join the combos with complex ballets.

Axon: Sirene is a towering, delicate, and elegant figure, a dancer wearing a mask and yellow clothes. At first glimpse, she is not particularly intimidating or dangerous. However, this is far from true, because the Axon can charm people into deadly dances or trick their minds by showing their departed lovers. As a proper siren, Sirene plays with minds and alters people’s behaviour. During the battle, Sirene uses deadly, tricky, and extremely choreographic moves. First, she can charm the party member to dance while floating away. On your turn, you can shoot them down to recover them from the trance, otherwise, this could bring to a quick demise. The most powerful Sirene’s attacks bring other dancers into the combo for a deadly ballet, or even colossal Glissando smashing around. In the final attack, the Final Act, Sirene will also throw an entire building to the party. During the fight against the real Renoir, Sirene will join the battle to heal him.

Symbolism: Sirene is the Axon painted by Renoir to symbolize the Paintress herself: Aline. Why in the beginning, there was some speculation if this could be Alicia or Cleo’s Axon, Monoco confirmed she is the Paintress. Renoir probably painted her as a beautiful and charming dancer, a representation of her elegant and gorgeous nature, from a time when they probably met. Sirene is a charming figure who seduced and conquered the heart of a young Renoir, depicted as this elegant dancer. Moreover, her painting style was described as a “dance,” literally imbued into Sirene’s design. However, Renoir’s creations are heavily symbolic, with different interpretative layers in their design. Her dancing is mad, constant, and also aggressive, highlighting how now the Paintress is trapped in her own creation, forever painting. Moreover, her ability to show people their gone beloved ones strongly connects with her inability to abandon her grief. She is not only trapped in her grieving but also constantly reminding her family of their sadness, allowing nobody to move on. Even if they would like to forget Verso’s death, Aline forces them to remember, as Sirene charms people into a mad dance. During the final fight against Renoir, Aline herself as the Paintress will attack Sirene, destroying with huge hate this representation made by her husband.

Reacher (Alicia’s Axon)

Location: The third Axon lives on top of tall mountains, a secluded place hidden from the world. In there, the creature is building a gigantic wooden tower, a monolithic and imperfect structure, trying to reach heaven. The immense wooden structure is at the center of everything, a place always under construction, made of nails and impossible wooden plancks crossing the void. Hot air balloons are scattered around and work as the main transportation on the tower.

Enemies: Inside the wooden tower, Nevrons fight each other. Apparently, there are two factions inside the tower, the ones contributing to building or destroying the tower. The destroyers are disturbing figures, wearing improvised helmets made of nails, metal, or rope, and wielding tools including hammers. They are fast and dangerous enemies, able to spin around for deadly attacks that are difficult to dodge or parry. The ones building the tower are peaceful NPCs with heads made of grass, creative beings thinking only to their next invention. On the mountainside, engulfed in mist, disturbing hooded beings use lanterns and lights to walk around. Some of them walk on sticks, similarly to the Axon, while others, bigger and more intimidating, also wield an organic club.

Axon: The Axon is not a direct threat, nor does it attack in any way the characters. The Reacher’s only interest is to build the tower, adding more and more pieces to it. The Reacher is probably the largest Axon, a creature so big that it is practically impossible to have a complete view of it during the game. Sometimes, you can see the huge poles that it uses to walk around or the woods part of its head. Only on the very top of the tower, you can see a huge eye in the middle of its face. Luckily, the official concept art helps to understand the Axon’s anatomy. The head is shaped like a wood umbrella, with an opening in the middle, while the creature moves around on the four legs, each of them supported by a pole. The umbrella-shaped design, with a single eye, resembles the Japanese Yokai Kasa-Obake, which is a jumping one-eyed umbrella. However, the true Axons’s essence hides inside the head, a doll sitting on a throne, crowned by chaotic hair. During the final fight against Renoir, the Reacher provides him with artificial wings in order to perform his deadliest flying combo.

Symbolism: The Reacher is Alicia/Maelle’s Axon, which is very clear from every conversation. In her father’s eyes, Alicia is a geyser of potential ready to explode. Everything is possible for her, every idea realisable, without any limit to the heights she could reach. As the Axon, constantly building, constantly aiming for the sky, Alicia’s talent has no limit. However, after her trauma, Alicia lives hidden inside her shell of pain and fear, unaware of her talent and possibilities. As the doll inside the Axon, she is hiding from the world, without even knowing how tall the tower is. She lives repressed, shielded from reality, without trying to use her abilities to reach her full potential. And for a father, this is a tough and silent pain to endure.

Hauler (Clea’s Axon)

Location: Old Lumiere is the part of the city that remained on the continent after the Fracture. However, almost nothing of the original city survived, and everything is only ruins, death, and silence. Huge light swords and melted buildings are the sign of another battle, the one between Simon, the lost member of Expedition 0, and the Axon itself. A battle that the Axon lost, and now the colossal creature’s body is part of the city’s architecture.

Enemies: The ruined area mainly only host one kind of Nevron. Knights in heavy armor, with a rapier, mask, and a full set of decorations, roam across the ruins attacking every survivor on sight with deadly and quick combos.

Axon: The Axon is a colossal dead body, now mixed with the ruins. The Axon has long hair, almost covering the face, and the body is mainly human. While it is not easy to see the Axon from inside Old Lumiere, flying around it on Esquie grants a perfect view of the giant. The colossal humanoid is half buried in the earth, with Simon’s giant swords stabbing it on the ground. The Axon lifts on its back a huge part of Old Lumiere, as a sort of modern Atlas. During the battle against Renoir, the Hauler will help by throwing from afar an entire building against the party.

Symbolism: The Axon is Clea’s representation painted by Renoir, this is confirmed in Simon’s diary after defeating the superboss. Clea is the only one in the family that accepted Verso’s death, and she was able to move on better than her parents. And not only that, she is actually trying to help the family in everything. She is fighting a war against the Writers, creating the Nevrons to weaken the Paintress, and even helping Renoir to erase the painting. As her Axon, she is carrying all the weight on her shoulders, all her family’s problems. However, the real Clea was not a fan of her Axon and, for this reason, her lover Simon destroyed it.

When the legendary Pokemon are Hawaiian Gods: the Kiwami “Sujimon” in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth

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The last two entries of Yakuza/Like a Dragon series applied a revolution to the saga, switching from brawler to traditional JRPG. However, the insanity of the setting is also transported in this new format. Be prepared for the weirdest side quests and special attacks. And of course, mini-games are also back in its peculiar glory, from snapping photos of sickos to managing a resort island. The biggest mini-game in Infinite Wealth is surely the Sujimon, an actual parody of Pokemon featuring criminals instead of cute monsters.

The Sujimon started in the previous Like a Dragon only as funny reference to the bestiary and the enemies of the game. It is only in Infinite Wealth that the Sujimon go far beyond a joke, becoming a complex mode parodying Pokemon in everything. The player can now wander around the map hoping to capture enemies after a battle by offering them gifts. And of course, other trainers and an entire league are also present to fight. By collecting different Sujimon, the player can build their team and face challenging rivals. Moreover, Raids around the map offer complex battles against powerful Sujimon. Gacha tickets are also rewarded in different events, and they are essential to obtain random Sujimon. And since the parody goes all the way of Pokemon references, legendary Sujimon are also present in the game: the Kiwami Sujimon.

Before talking about Kiwami Sujimon, it is worth specifying a huge change in Infinite Wealth, compared to the previous games: the setting. In fact, Infinite Wealth is almost entirely set in Hawaii, a huge and exotic location quite far from the usual Japanese setting. The Hawaiian setting is also reflected in the enemies, now more rooted in this place. This also includes the Kiwami Sujimon, which appears as some sort of Hawaiian gods of nature, each of them connected to an element. But how players can “catch ’em all”?

Kiwami Sujimon are end-game enemies, which can spawn in Raids around the island but only after finishing the Gold League. However, even at that point, Kiwami Sujimon pose an insane threat, since they are level 60. Just to compare, the secret super bosses are level 54. So there is nothing close to them in terms of raw level in Infinite Wealth. Luckily, Kiwami Sujimon are not as scary as they look, and a well-prepared party in their fifties can easily defeat them. And even if you are not so well prepared, the most powerful summons (the Poundmates) are practically able to one-shot these Sujimon… at a high money cost. Moreover, if you are really lucky, by using Japanese tickets at the Gacha machines there is a tiny chance of getting the Kiwami Sujimon.

It is time now to have a look at the 5 Kiwami Sujimon.

Kiwami Red

The Kiwami Red is the Legendary Sujimon of fire, a devastating creature shaped around raw strength. Its skin is red with a heavily muscular body, highlighting its physical power. It also wears chains, spikes, and iron elements, including a fanged cage around the head, giving an even more intimidating appearance to this burning force of nature. During a fight, the slow nature of the creature is its only weakness. Defeating it before it unleashes the powerful physical and fire attacks is a must. As Sujimon, the Kowami Red is also pure power, a tank with the highest HPs, supported by high attack.

Kiwami Blue

Well, there are really few things here in terms of design. The Kiwami Blue is not very intimidating, with a minimal design, except for the long beard and the blue skin. The stereotypical “king of the sea” fights with a trident, as expected, using water magic. Also as an allied Sujimon, it is probably the least interesting Kiwami.

Kiwami Green

The Green Kiwami has an amazing design: a humanoid god with a parrot head, the perfect god of a paradise island. The silly yet fitting design reflects one of the most mysterious enemies in the game, one of the few inhuman designs. This Kiwami Sujimon is the only one unable to talk, in fact, after unlocking it, the signature sentence is only a parrot sound. During the battle, the Green Kiwami is an adversary far more challenging than expected. First, the creature is incredibly agile, meaning that it will surely start first. Second, the bizarre plant in the god’s hand is a very dangerous weapon, able to inflict with its pollen multiple negative statuses on every character. The player must defeat the enemy fast, or the party will be unable to do it due to the massive negative effects. As a Sujimon, the Green Kiwami is probably the fastest existing Sujimon, even if weak and fragile. Moreover, its special attack can heal the team.

Kiwami Gold

The Kiwami Gold is the most expected Hawaiian god in the design: a golden humanoid partially dressed in Hawaiian clothes and motifs. Well, it also goes a bit on the modern superhero trail with the “S” pendant and crown. The god of lightning will unleash an electric storm against the entire party, as expected. However, it doesn’t pose a great threat, and it is an easy adversary compared to other Kiwami Sujimon. As an ally, the Sujimon is of great support, incredibly fast as the Green Kiwami and slightly more powerful.

Kiwami Violet

The Kiwami of darkness has a killing design. With purple skin and a demonic face (or a mask), the Kiwami is an intimidating and mysterious being. Is it a human wearing a demonic mask, or an actual demon? During the fight, the Kiwami Violet wields a scythe, truly embodying the “Hawaiian devil” concept in every detail. Luckily for the player, the battle is easier than expected, since the Kiwami mainly attacks with the scythe. As an allied Sujimon, the Kiwami offers a great balance between speed and power, placing it as a mix of the Red and Green Kiwami.

Magical Girls Vs. Evangelion-like Angels: the 4 Sephirot of Blue Reflection [Boss Battle]

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Blue Reflection is one of the rarest games of the last generation, and also a very peculiar JRPG. At first glance, the title looks like a generic school-setting JRPG focused on fan-service. And yes, the game has many scenes of the protagonists in “unusual” situations, but there is also far more to that. While it is true that Blue Reflection is entirely set inside the school, with just some quick missions inside a parallel dimension, the game also shows pretty unique quirks.

The main protagonists are modern magical girls, using their powers to face some really disturbing enemies: the Sephirot. While waiting for the Sephirot’s arrival, the party must explore dungeons inside the mind of schoolgirls heavily disturbed by a feeling, till going insane. And if you think now we are getting to darker territories, let me just focus on how Blue Reflection has big vibes from Puella Magica Madoka and Evangelion.

The references to Madoka are pretty obvious: magical girls fighting disturbing beings, with the truth getting each time creepier. The Sephirot are instead the connection with Evangelion, and the main reason behind this article. Mysterious and powerful beings, there are only 4 Sephirot, and each of them is attracted to the school. The heroines need only to wait enough time till a Sephira shows up. And then, a dramatic battle begins. Exactly like for the Angels of Evangelion.

The Sephirot have a dark and intriguing design, which really stands out from the general “school-life” setting of the game. Moreover, every battle against these beings is extremely choreographic, a long collections of insane action and gorgeous attacks. Seriously, the game completely changes during these battles (which you can see in a video at the end of this article). Each Sephira will attack the school twice, and only in the second and most difficult battle they can finally be destroyed.

So without further introduction, let’s have a look at the 4 Sephirot.

Yesod

The first Sephira is probably the most grotesque and disturbing, a colossal mutant composed of multiple bodies fused together. The lower body is the largest creature, a four-legged mutant with a big and grotesque face. Nested inside the lower body lies another face, the smaller body, surrounded by many arms frenetically moving around. The main body towers above, a muscular and thin mutant with long tentacles instead of fingers.

Yesod appears shooting deadly beams toward the school. The creature will get closer and closer during the battle. From afar, Yesod will target the party with strong beams and explosions. The multiple bodies of the creature are also potential targets and, once all the different heads are destroyed, the main body will get weaker. However, there is few time to celebrate, because Yesod will quickly reanimate them. When getting closer, Yesod can attack by creating shockwaves by hitting the ground, or using a dangerous bone blade coming out of its body.

Cochma

This Sephira looks like a cross between a Gothic cathedral and a tank. Cochma walks around like a tank, a bizarre vehicle harbinger of destruction. Its secondary cannons look like pinnacles of a modern church, thin and pointy, but not less destructive. The main body seems more like a creepy skeleton, with a huge round mouth, which of course works as the main cannon.

Cochma uses its dozens of cannons to attack the party. Some cannons shoot direct projectiles, while others throw grenades. Moreover, hundreds of machine-guns are hidden inside holes in its body, and they can shoot all-at-once for a storm of bullets. The main cannon is of course the most dangerous attack, a massive weapon able to cause insane damage. Cochma’s cannons are divided into two sets: Eas and Wes (East and West?). By destroying them, the party can temporarily disable the cannons.

Tephereth

If you were looking for a closer connection with the insane geometries of some Angels in Evangelion, such as Ramiel or Arael, Tephereth is the closest link. Appearing as what could be described as a flying jewel, the Sephira is a golden creature emitting energy. When it appears, the skies become of unnatural colours.

The creature is a strong opponent, with different body parts able to boost attack and defence. Tephereth mainly attacks by throwing storms of darts and energy bullets, so many that will cover the battlefield with explosions. Moreover, its body can reassemble, like a mechanical being. This includes morphing the main body into a sort of chainsaw, to then crash into the battlefield.

Netzach

The last of the Sephirot has a rather simple design. Netzach is a sort of mix between a knight in heavy armour and a Gundam. The crystallised armour protects the creature, while a spear and a shield work both as weapons and extra protection. The Sephira has some sort of wings, working like a propeller and allowing it to fly around. 

Without surprise, Netzach is the strongest Sephirot. Its weapons are both targets, called Drago, probably in honour to dragon-slayer knights. The shield can heavily buff its defence, while the spear can throw many attacks, including an energy beam. The Gundam-like appearance of the boss is also reflected in some attacks, including throwing arrays of missiles from the shoulders. The shield also works as a weapon, transforming into a circular saw. However, the most dangerous attack is when the spear becomes crystallised. The difficulty of this boss battle lies also in the ability of Netzach to inflict many negative statuses, including a deadly poison that will quickly bring a character to death.

In the following video on Surreal and Creepy Games, check all the battles against the Sephirot.

Dark-fantasy ancient China meets steampunk: the creepy automaton kids from the ARPG Phantom Blade Executioners

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Let me start by saying that, usually, you don’t see here many phone-only games. However, Phantom Blade Executioners (PBE) is one of the few exceptions since this game surprised me in every aspect. The art-style is simply gorgeous and effective, the lore and the setting are truly original, the enemies are disturbing beings, and even the plot of each episode is intriguing and captivating!

But let’s start from the beginning. PBE is an action RPG set in a dark fantasy version of ancient China, a world shaped by many sects and religious orders, each with personal doctrines and values. The world is shaped by the Sha-Chi energy, a force flowing into special people and great martial artists. By dominating this force, people can achieve incredible powers. But the world of PBE is not only shaped around the Sha-Chi, but it also features steampunk elements. Specifically, mech masters and automaton are also common in this world, disturbing humanoid beings and weapons created by ancient artisans. What happens when you combine the two elements? Ordinary people looking for powers tried to invest mechanical devices inside their bodies to generate artificial Sha-Chi energy: the Sha-Chi Mod. If it is true that these people achieved incredible powers in the blink of an eye, long exposition to the Sha-Chi Mod mutates the owner’s body into a grotesque and mindless abomination.

While the Sha-Chi Mod is typical of end-chapter bosses, the automatons part of the steampunk side of the game are pretty common enemies, with a killing aesthetic and disturbing design. The first enemies are gigantic automaton axe-man, deranged maniacs with porcelain-like skin. Other automatons are instead smaller figures, for example, the insane pyromaniacs throwing bombs, which according to the lore are very well-selected people turned into mechanical beings. There are also female automatons, in the shape of musicians playing the lute with six arms, able to play a deadly melody and levitate above the ground.

But if mechanical men and women are not that disturbing, wait to see how creepy are the automaton kids. And the iced mountain in episode 3 is full of creepy automaton kids. They have small bodies and far bigger heads, looking like parodical creatures, with gigantic grin smiles on their faces. Even if only slightly different, there are both boy and girl versions of these automatons. The kids can be recruited as Phantoms, entities summonable by the player. Their cards are completely missing details, which are instead only summarized in creepy laughs such as “Muahahah” or “Ehehehe,” highlighting the maniac side of these synthetic kids. But how were they created? According to their official biography, “Kids with worry-free faces have the most innocent smiles. No one bears to kill a child with an innocent smile.” So yes, these smiling kids were created so that people would lower their guard, and they would easily kill even the strongest master.

These kids attack like bandits, using small weapons and vomiting a toxic gas. They are not so strong enemies when alone, but their strength in numbers can create a lot of problems. And since the kids also have automaton mothers, the mountain is swarming with them. The Imp Mother is a creature with an incredible design. A sort of female mechanical witch standing on top of a gigantic cauldron, with several arms going out from it, and also helping it to move around like arachnid paws. In combat, the Imp Mother throws toxic swamps all around, but that is the least problem since the mother also generates the automaton kids. The reason behind her summoning is especially creepy. Long ago, the Imp Mother lost her children. Since then, she has been kidnapping human children every 10 days, to then turn them into automaton kids. But she is never satisfied with their mechanical love, hence, she continues to kidnap more children.

Why is the mountain full of mechanical mothers and progenies? Everything is related to the sect of female fighting monks living in the mountains. The sect was fighting in favor of justice but had very strict rules regarding the chastity of the members. One day, a powerful woman, and the favorite candidate to become the next master, fell in love with a man. In secret, she became pregnant, and then the man disappeared. Waiting for his return, while keeping secret the pregnancy, the woman suffered alone. Betrayed by a close rival, the woman was persecuted by the heads of the sect. And she was forced to lose the child. After disappearing, mad from the tragedy, she accepted the gift of Sha-Chi Mod, and used her new powers to create a colossal automaton infant. A surrogate child to pursue her revenge against the sect. The story is more twisted and complex, but I am trying to avoid too many spoilers.

During her boss battle, the woman will literally ride the gigantic child from inside its huge broken head, while the baby crawls around trying to kill the player. Every boss battle inside the game is epic and visually striking, but the gigantic baby of the third chapter is definitely the most unexpected and creepy boss battle. The crawling automaton infant is the largest automaton inside the game, and the most terrifying but also sad being. But there is another gigantic kid automaton missing from the list, even “younger” than this one and unable to crawl. However, to meet this creature we must leave the cold mountains toward an experimental hospital.

The last baby automaton is another colossal being, obese, and disturbing. The chubby creature is an experiment, always hiding its deadly power behind an innocent facade. The Chubby Doll has a very weird and disturbing story, hidden inside its Phantom description once unlocked as a summonable ally. The creature has a huge complex of inferiority, hating people for considering it dumb and goofy, but too slow to crush them while following the hate. Sad of being unable to rip apart fast people like ants, the Cubby Doll discovered that in some rare moments, it could become very fast. So fast to crush and rip people having fun of it. During the fight, the doll will alternate between two attacks. The first is maniacally crying on the ground, damaging all around. The second one is much faster, probably its “haste,” where the baby will jump in the air to then crush the player beneath. The obese creature is unable to move, and will simply stay there. However, due to its insane HP pool, defeating the Chubby Dolls is not trivial.

The world of PBE is an amazing and complex scenario, full of disturbing elements and pieces of lore to discover. The automaton kids are a small part of it, and I hope to see more of this intricate world in future updates.

The many forms of the Slit-mouthed Woman in World of Horror

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The Slit-mouthed Woman (or Kuchisake-onna) is probably one of the most famous Japanese urban legends. The creature is pretty old and part of the variegated supernatural Japan background as much as any other Yokai or Onryo. The most official source for the Slit-mouthed woman is a newspaper article in Gifu prefecture dated back in 1979. Then, more articles about the creature started to spread, almost causing panic across Japan. Other references connect the Slit-mouthed Woman with the victims of horrible crimes back in feudal Japan, making her a proper Yokai.

Regardless of her origin, the story and the appearance are pretty much the same. The Woman looks normal, the only peculiar element is a mask covering her mouth, often a surgical one. In Japan, face masks were always very common, long before the advent of COVID-19. However, there was probably a time back then when it was still not so common to see people around wearing it, thus creating this urban legend. After the mask is removed, the Slit-mouthed Woman will show her terrifying face, with a big and carved mouth, often depicted as full of pointed teeth. The creature always carries with her a blade, such as a knife or scissors, which she uses to kill or disfigure her victims. When encountering a victim, the Slit-mouthed Woman will ask if she is pretty. If the victim agrees with her, she will carve the victim’s mouth to create the same disfigured smile. Instead, if the victim answers negatively, the Slit-mouthed Woman will simply slice the victim’s throat. Possible ways to escape from this terrible fate include giving a more generic and neutral answer. The Slit-mouthed Woman can also be driven away by showing her a distraction, such as throwing candies or money on the ground.

The Slit-mouthed Woman appears as the first case in the horror-adventure World of Horror. The game has an interesting 1-bit art-style and features deadly mysteries to solve and disturbing creatures to defeat (you can have a glimpse of the bestiary here: The most disturbing eldritch creatures from the bestiary of World of Horror). World of Horror takes huge inspiration from Japanese folklore and horror mangaka such as Junji Ito or Kazuo Umezu. It then comes without surprise that creatures from Japanese urban legends are also widely present in this game. In fact, the Slit-mouthed Woman is the first boss encountered during the tutorial. The mystery is set inside a school where brutal murders are happening, caused by a woman wielding a pair of scissors. The Scissor Woman here is more of an eldritch curse, a being materializing from dense smoke to massacre people, to then disappear to curse another place. To stop the Slit-mouthed Woman, it is necessary to find the correct elements of a ritual and to draw the perfect glyphs on the blackboard. By doing this, the player can face a normal version of the Slit-mouthed Woman, a very simple battle in a usually complex game. The Scissor Woman will take shape from black smoke as a tall woman wearing a raincoat and wielding a pair of scissors. The creepy detail? Her head is composed of three different heads, lined up vertically and connected by a continuous twisted and grin smile. However, the interesting detail is that this is only one of the four different versions of this boss.

For example, if the player fails to perform the ritual, a more eldritch version of the Slit-mouthed Woman will manifest. And this will be a tougher battle. The Horror Slit-mouthed Woman is a far more difficult enemy, the true eldritch essence of this monster not weakened by the ritual, with more attack power and HPs. Her face is more twisted and evil, even far less human, with void eyes or even multiple eyeballs in her faces. Defeating this strengthened version will award a special weapon, her Cursed Scissors, the second most powerful weapon in the game but with the downside of having a small probability with every attack of fastening the coming of eldritch gods. Defeating the Horror Scissor Woman also unlocks the Ending B. Both versions of the Scissor Woman can also permanently disfigure the main character by carving her characteristic creepy smile on their face.

The third version of the Scissor Woman is very peculiar to face because it is completely related to another case. This mystery is a long investigation involving mermaids, creatures from the depths, and the mad school janitor. During the final face-off with the janitor, one of the options to survive without fighting the boss is to burn down the school. Yes, a very drastic option that will damage the main character but also opens a new possibility. In fact, if you then have available the Scissor Woman’s case and you play it after burning down the school, the game will remember this event. While exploring the ruins of the school, you will face the Burned Scissor Woman, a modified version of the Horror one with fewer HPs but even higher damage. Her design is similar to the Horror one, but in this case, her skin looks almost melted.

The last version of the Scissor Woman can only be challenged when selecting Timeline B upon creating a custom scenario. Timeline B is a more difficult playthrough, and it will often open to new boss battles in previous cases. Regarding the Scissor Woman, by playing Timeline B you can face the Ghost Scissor Woman. This is by far the most challenging and eldritch design. Losing any human appearance, the Scissor Woman is now only a towering pile of heads, twisted and grotesque, spiraling around in a mix of grin smiles and eyes opening inside the hairs. Every face will be maddening whispering “Am I beautiful?” with different tonalities. This time, the Scissor Woman is not a tangible being but a Spirit. In this case, a proper battle is impossible, and the player should find the correct combination of Bows and Claps to complete the ritual and exorcize the Ghost Scissor Woman. Failing the ritual unlocks Ending D, which implies that the ethereal form of the Scissor Woman can possess and control other people, marked by the creepy smile.

Porcelain mixes with grotesque flora and fauna: the creatures of Naraka in Shattered Heaven

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Shattered Heaven is a deck-building RPG set in a grimdark world where God was murdered, and now humanity is paying the price for this sin. Humans live only till 40 years old and cannot reproduce if not by winning a brutal trial. Every 10 years, each tribe sends a Vestal and two Guardians to join this brutal trial, under the suspicious eye of a reborn Divine Child. The lore and the world are truly amazing, well-thought-out, and original in every detail, including the disturbing enemies. In the following article, I will analyze the setting and the creatures inside Naraka, the first dungeon of the game.

Cintamanya is the jewel of Sentia, one of the four tribes, a city made of gems and paintings. Sentians are obsessed with preserving memories and history, for this reason, they build the colossal Chantry. This palace is a special place where each room is dedicated to preserving a memory or an event. However, Cintamanya has a problem: it is built around a gigantic hole called Naraka. The abyss is inhabited by malevolent undead creatures, which are luckily trapped in there. But something else is resting at the bottom of Naraka, something far more malevolent. The Divine Child sent all the Vestals and the Guardians to discover the secret of Naraka, but none of them returned. And it was because of Eris, the most powerful Vestals of Sentia.

Naraka is a deep abyss, with colorful alien flowers scattered around, created from the powerful illusions of Eris’ powers. A gigantic building, the False Cathedral, protected by illusions, is the only human-built structure inside Naraka. The undead creatures are here reborn and morphed into twisted beings mixing flora and fauna. Animal or insect anatomy here mixes with tree elements, such as branches or leaves. Porcelain faces are also another common element inside Naraka, but this could be in fact an alien element since porcelain is often associated with the extinct Gods. The inhabitants of Naraka all have Latin names characterizing them, and the place shows other classic connections, especially since Naraka is also the name of Hindu Hell.

Discover in the following analysis the peculiar creatures inhabiting Naraka, and the story of her creator, Eris the Betrayer.

Clamoris

Clamoris is a truly disturbing enemy. She looks like a human female, a sort of holy vestal dressed in an elaborate vest, an extra pair of arms… and with their face in her hands. In fact, under the hood covering the head lies nothing, a void hole full of shadows where the face should be. The real face in their hand has a void or sorrowful expression, an emblem of Naraka’s atmosphere, a place of death and fake blossom. Moreover, the face is imprisoned inside a bird cage, another symbol of the dramatic situation inside Naraka. This shade of her past self, Clamoris in Latin means noise. Coming from the name, her main form of attack is Deafening Scream. The head will disturbingly scream, with an insane and terrified expression, damaging the entire party.

Sanies

Insect traits are a common feature between some of the creatures inside Naraka, including the bosses. Sanies (meaning something like “pus” or “poison”) is a mantis-like creature that strikes using its blade arms, with a powerful single-target attack called Lacerate. Sanies exhibits a long tail, more similar to a lizard or a dragon than an insect, while the face is a hollow porcelain mask. As previously specified, in the world of Shattered Heaven, porcelain is a connection with the murdered Gods, something that works like a spreading disease, infecting and sending creatures crazy. However, the most peculiar detail of this creature is the three swords in its thorax, a crude reminder that the creatures inside Naraka were once humans killed in battle.

Young Silva

Regardless of the innocent name, Young Silva is a grotesque abomination. The creature’s base is clearly a deer, an animal symbol of forests, but where something got really wrong. While the lower half is “normal,” the creature separates where the neck should be into an unidentifiable and amorphous abomination. A set of fleshy tendons connect the main body to a grotesque mass of fused pawns, like an aberrant bouquet of fur and hooves. The creature has few HPs but with a very high shield, and it can inflict heavy damage on multiple characters with its Innocent Whisper. The creature is clearly a symbol of nightmarish wildlife, where the initial idea was to imitate a peaceful and beautiful deer, but the final result turned into pure horror.

Incubi

Rarer creatures strongly connected with the floral theme of Naraka, Incubi are translated as “Nightmares.” A mix of wood and mud, Incubi appear half-fused with the ground in a sort of brown puddle. The upper half of their bodies is more solid, creating a tree-like architecture. The most creepy detail is surely their faces constantly hidden behind shadows, with only the shape of three eyes visible. Incubi are strong and deadly foes, able to attack the entire party by moving their liquid arms underground. Their attacks will also fill the deck with cursed Hexes cards, making not only that battle, but the entire dungeon notably more difficult.

Oblitus

This creature is another merging point between flora and fauna. In fact, it exhibits a four-legged anatomy, with flowers and branches emerging from its face and back. Interestingly, porcelain is also visible as a mask on the creature, and the branches look like they are trying to destroy the limitations of this mask. The Oblitus is extremely skinned and the body looks almost ill, but it should not be underestimated. Oblitus can shield and power up with the Chant of Naraka, and have an extremely powerful single-target attack.

Aurum

The apex predator of Naraka, the Aurum is a powerful creature able to support all the others, and showing an incredible design. Aurum means “Golden” in Latin, and the name is reflected in the royal design. Aurum has a golden crown, a cape, and paraments, as if it was the royalty inside Naraka. The porcelain head, so common in Naraka’s inhabitants, this time exhibits multiple faces. Tree-like elements are incorporated into the main body of the creature, which consists of a twisted root spiraling around and forming what looks like the staircase of a palace. Aurum is a dangerous foe with a lot of HPs and shield points, able to power up and protect the other enemies. Its most powerful single-target attack is called Golden Blight. There is also a stronger variant called Vox Aurum, the “Golden Voice.”

Sigurd, The Lost Guardian

Sigurd is the first boss inside the depths of Naraka. Eris’ last knight still alive, he is a dramatic and romantic figure, on the edge of death but still focusing on saving his queen. This tragic knight is also the last element keeping Naraka’s illusion alive, and shielding the False Cathedral where Eris hides. When in battle, Sigurd appears as a knight wearing ancient-looking armor and a cape. A green liquid, looking like leaves, comes out from every joint of the armor, such as if was hollow inside. Instead of attacking with a sword, the knight uses a pair of dented claws. The battle against Sigurd is long and challenging, and the boss uses very powerful attacks. Inner Shadow generates a clone of himself, and while using Patient Predator he attacks with the claws. Doomed to Prevail is a special attack that will damage the party like an aura, while Chosen of the Lady, is the most powerful attack, which needs 3 turns to charge.

Eris, The Betrayer

Eris the Betrayer is the main boss of Naraka. She has a very complex story and is a main character in the twisted plot of Shattered Heaven. Even before becoming a Vestal, Eris developed strong powers, and her chant was otherworldly charming for people. When the rumors about a voice whispering to people inside Naraka became stronger, the Divine Child sent all the Guardians and Vestals to explore the mysterious pit. But nobody returned from that expedition. The Vestal, Eris, discovered something inside Naraka, a voice, but also an ancient sarcophagus. Whatever truly happened, Eris gained the power to shape illusions and control the undead creatures of Naraka. She shaped Naraka into this weird ecosystem, hidden behind illusions, and created a new heaven for her and her knights. She became a god and a queen in this illusionary world. The other Vestals were murdered, and all the Guardians became Eris’ protectors, keeping part of the illusion alive with their lives. And of course, the official creed up on the surface didn’t like this, and they are trying since then to murder Eris and her Knights. When in battle, Eris will mutate from an innocent-looking girl with deer horns to a disturbing arachnid abomination. Her lower body looks like an armored insect, with blades as limbs, showing intricated designs and a dress typical of a queen. An intricated crown made of horns decorates her head, erupting from her eyes and blindfolding her. Moreover, when using the special attack, Immolation, her upper body detaches into strings of fleshy tendons, creating a very disturbing scene. Other attacks, such as Chant of the Void, Innuendo of Sorrow, and Melody of Despair, are projectiles that look like made of Eris’ blood. As you probably noticed, all her attacks are based on songs and melodies, a probable memento of her chanting abilities and power from before being corrupted. Oh, and during the battle, Eris uses her illusions to create a huge plot twist.

The two main bosses are also available in video format, if you want to check their moves and cutscenes. Be aware of SPOILERS especially in Eris video (marked in the timeline):

From a child-devouring demon to an Egyptian deity: The main Bosses at the end of each journey of Frail Hearts Versicorae Domlion and their symbolism [Boss Battle]

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Gris is a sorrowful city of mysteries and broken lives. In this city, four people struggle against their lives and past, paralyzed by fear and regret. Meanwhile, a magician studies their journey as a part of a cryptic theater play, while collecting tarots when they face the manifestations of their traumas. This is only the beginning of Frail Hearts, a hybrid JRPG, and adventure with a great setting.

In Frail Hearts Versicorae Domlion, the player independently plays each storyline, deciding which character will reach the end of their road. While playing the story of a specific character, they will not be available during the flights, but you will use instead all the other characters. The battles are challenging and turn-based, with puzzle-like elements. In fact, understanding the correct strategy is the key to win each battle. Moreover, the characters can level up by using the Lust collected from previous battles, useful to improve skills or characteristics. However, Frail Hearts is a linear experience inside each chapter, where every battle is a boss battle (for a total of 22 enemies).

The art-style is full of personality and details, and this is especially true for the monsters. The abominations are a festival of details, going from demons to ancient Egypt-inspired creatures, reaching being so complex that is challenging to understand what they are. The main characters will face huge and tough abominations, especially at the end of their journey, where the boss will take shape from their fears and sorrows. Every monster is also associated with a cryptic tarot deck, which provides information on their symbolism.

In the following article, you can check the four bosses at the end of each journey, including their analysis and symbolism. The description of the tarot card obtained after defeating each boss is reported in italics at the beginning of each description.

Memento Mori

Finally, the silent blade descends on the World in ruins. Nobody can be saved… goodbye. Nobody can save me… farewell. Nobody saved me…

Death pure and simple. Memento Mori is a terrifying being made of different bodies merged together, with a dragon-like appearance. The body is clearly separated in half, with a side completely skeletal and dead, a symbol of its connection with death like a proper god of the underworld. The boss also shows other peculiar features, for example, the centipede-like neck, a creature often associated with evil and death in Japanese folklore. However, the most disturbing detail is the living half of the face, which is in fact the one of a dog. The family dog of the protagonist.

The creature can attack both with the piercing tail and the main body, inflicting a huge amount of damage. But the highest threat of this boss is its Mephitic Breath, able to debilitate even the entire party with poisonous effects. The battle against Memento Mori is a huge skill check and a race against time. Will you kill it fast enough before the poison will do the same to the party?

Memento Mori is the final boss of Anne’s route. The girl is a skilled student from the local university, with a brilliant mind focused on science. However, Anne doesn’t have much outside of her studies, only her family and dog. But this is not enough for her, and quickly, her life becomes an oppressive trap. Too much care morphs into a prison, and Anne is trapped in there. Memento Mori in Latin is to “remember that you will die,” a constant paranoia of dying without achieving anything. And Anne’s paranoia takes the shape of her twisted dog and family, since the creature appears after her doppelganger family spoke to her. The boss is extremely disturbing, especially the way it asks Anne to bring it out for a walk, as if the monster still is her dog.

Lailah

Alone, from their first wailing, those babies do cry the loss of their mother. The hour of eternal sleep comes, forever extinguishing the light in the eyes of the innocent.

Lailah is probably the most challenging boss before the endgame. The flying demon has female features, with a pair of giant wings… and missing her lower half. Similar to the Philippine female demon also missing her lower half, the Manananngal, the boss is also keen to devour infants. Lailah is bold, and her face shows a sort of peaceful smile. The creature has a baby in her arms, an infant, held by the hands of this grotesque mother and connected to her body through a purple umbilical cord. However, in the middle of the battle, Lailah devours the baby, changing her appearance into a more feral form. Her peaceful smile will morph into a grin, while horns and an evil halo will appear on her head.

Lailah is a dangerous enemy, which can constantly fascinate the characters and send them to sleep, possibly doing some combos and unfair killings. She will wake up the sleepers with deadly Nightmares, inflicting heavy damage to the entire party. Especially after devouring the baby, Lailah can constantly fascinate the entire party, transforming every ally into a dangerous new threat.

Lailah is the final boss of Catherine’s route, a nun who will discover the horrible secrets hidden beneath her church. A grotesque secret made of carnivorous demons and children offered in sacrifice. Catherine’s journey will test her faith, and Lailah is the final trial between her faith and her new self-assuredness. Because Lailah represents a sort of reverted version of Holy Mary, a demon cuddling an infant. The connection is even more evident because, to access Lailah’s lair, the player must use a statue of Baby Jesus on Holy Mary to unlock the secret door.

Ben-Nut-Shu

Three are the personalities of one god, long lost in the eternal emptiness of an ephemeral existence. Which is their real face? Is it really that of a vengeful spirit?

The appearance of this boss is truly fascinating. Borne as a sort of forgotten Egyptian god, the figure is composed of three main targets. And at least two separate entities. The main body is a gigantic old man, a hooded god wearing pharaoh-like paraments and sigils, a terrifying monstrosity radiating power. The god has two giant arms, with incredibly narrow and long fingers, with the skin covered in ancient glyphs and chained at their wrists. The god is imprisoned in this dungeon lurking for freedom. The last entity is more simple but not less effective: a bird trying to fly toward freedom.

This boss is an easy battle, once you figure out how to defeat it. It is more a puzzle than a proper fight, but a very satisfying and well-implemented one. While the long arms will strike the party with attacks, the main body will only attack the bird, trying to sacrifice it. On the other hand, the bird will help the party by healing them. However, if you use multiple-targets attacks or directly target the bird, you will lose. So what is happening in this fight? Because the main body cannot be damaged, and destroying the arms is not enough to win. Only in this fight, each character has the Offering ability, which can slightly heal. Only by using Offering on the bird for long enough, the bird will run free. Subsequently, the main body will suicide.

This boss is the final enemy on Arthur’s route, an archaeologist who was adopted and mysteriously lost his father. While the Egyptian inspiration of the boss highlights the main profession of Arthur and his father, always wandering in tombs and ancient temples, the trinity of personalities of the god represents their family. The bird is an emblem of freedom, dreams, and hope, but also an unhealthy obsession for work or family, something that is necessary to let go to be free.

Gabriel

Farewell. Farewell to you, who I loved but didn’t know how to love. Farewell, heaven. Farewell, stars. Farewell, Fiore.

Gabriel is a tragic boss and a very tough opponent. The main body is a weak and harmless heart, which can be destroyed with a couple of attacks. However, the heart will soon shield behind a gigantic humanoid crow, a very aggressive and disturbing being. A human face, sleepy or sorrowful, is buried into the neck of the creature, swallowed by the black feathers. The creature resembles a distorted angel, not only because of the majestic wings but also for the huge halo on his head.

The battle is more challenging than could appear, and a lot depends on luck and raw attack power. The heart will immediately shield by creating multiple targets: the crow’s main body and its pair of wings. All the targets hit quite hard and can easily kill a party member in a single turn. Luckily, they have very few HPs, so it will be easy to expose the heart. The main problem? At every heart’s turn, the crow will generate again, bringing the exact same problems as the battle before. So, even if the heart is very weak, if you finish the crow with very few or no turns before the heart, the challenging battle will start again.

Gabriel is a tragic boss borne by an unspoken love story. He is the final boss of Michael’s route, a gangster with feelings for his best friend. However, both of them never spoke about their feelings… till it was too late. The heart shielding behind a ferocious beast is a clear symbolism of these hidden feelings, of burying the love under a mountain of appearance and toxic masculinity. So to truly reach the heart, it is necessary to defeat the monsters hiding and protecting that fragile and intimate feeling.

If you want to check the complete battles against these bosses, the following video in the Surreal and Creepy YouTube channel will satisfy your curiosity:

Grotesque monsters swarming the screen and staring at the player: the Insectmares from Mary Skelter Finale [Bestiary – Mechanic]

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Mary Skelter Finale is the end of the trilogy of dark Japanese dungeon-crawlers. Following for the last time the fight of the Blood Maidens against the immortal Nightmares to escape the living Jail, Finale is a huge game dense in new mechanics. And this time, the escape to the surface will hide even more dangers.

While the immortal Nightmares are still there, ready to chase the party around the mazes till they can be finally defeated (and you can check more about previous Nightmares in this analysis The Nightmares of Mary Skelter: fairytale characters reborn as twisted immortal stalkers), there are far more dangers, including a deranged and sadistic group of bloodthirsty girls: the Massacre Pink (or Genocide Pink in Japan). However, there is also a smaller but even more peculiar enemy waiting to surprise the party while exploring the Jail: the Insectmares.

This new danger comes from swarming enemies that can surprise the party during any battle, literally enveloping and crawling not only on the character but on the screen itself. Like under a sort of living negative effect, when a character gets swarmed by Insectmares, they receive several maluses. These range from the obvious bothering of having the screen almost entirely occupied by crawling creatures, to the impossibility of using any skill, attacking, or even trying to escape. Moreover, Insectmares also work as general malus, lowering, for example, defence or accuracy. And, as an untreatable plague, it is also quite difficult to get rid of Insectmares, which will continue to crawl on the affected character even when the battle ends. In fact, the only way of removing the Insectmares is by using blood, and a huge amount of it, coming or from the enemies critically killed, or by throwing essential blood packs.

The Insectmares are a new level of immune defense of the living Jail. If Nightmares can be the equivalent of macrophages or lymphocytes, actually hunting down external pathogens, Insectmares are more similar to antibodies, enveloping the external elements thus facilitating their destruction. In fact, the Insectmares are linked to the “angry” level of the Jail. Because if you fight or escape too many battles, or are chased by a Nightmare, without satisfying the Jail needs, such as Sleep or Hunger (yes, the dungeons here have feelings, you can read more here: Mary Skelter Nightmares: When the dungeon is a colossal living creature with its own needs), then the Jail will get angry. The higher the fury of the Jail, the higher the probability of being swarmed by Insectmares. This can happen at any moment: when in battle, exploring, and even when running away from a Nightmare. And the fact that this living and permanent negative status can appear in any battle, even bosses, regardless of their specific skills and powers, adds an additional level of anxiety and complexity through the game.

An additional details about the Insectmares lies in their name. While the English translation relies on their general insect-like aesthetics, together with their swarming behaviour, the original Japanese name is Babymare. This creepy name opens a new world of interpretation, somehow implying that they are a juvenile or larva stage of a Nightmare, their “baby” form.

Talking about their appearance, Insectmares are in general colorful beings, usually animal-based, but sometimes they can be more humanoid. However, while advancing in the game, they tend to get more grotesque, resembling animal-carcasses or disgusting anthropomorphic mutations. And yes, the fact that these creatures are literally crawling on you is quite disturbing.

Let’s have now a more detailed look at some of the Insectmares ready to crawl on you in Mary Skelter Finale. Since they lack a name, I simply created an unofficial one based on their appearance.

Stuffed Cows

The colorful cows cover the entire screen, appearing more like silly animations than disturbing beings. Worth to specify that these Insectmares are involved in the first tower of the game, associated with gold and judgment. As previously said, the Insectmares tend to get more and more disturbing in later towers, so, in the beginning, simply accept to be swarmed by silly and colorful cows. But wait, by closely looking, those cows have completely insane expressions, and their bodies look like stitched together. Well, maybe even in the beginning, Insectmares can be creepy.

Humanoid Bees

From one of the first dungeons, these Insectmares really fit their name. In fact, they appear as humanoid bees, with big red lights behind, colorful wings, a dangerous sting, and a set of peculiar humanoid features. The face is completely human, with a dumb-looking expression, pale void eyes, and a disgusting long tongue. They are in general more silly-looking than other Insectmares, but since they are in one of the first colorful dungeons, they still fit in the overall atmosphere.

Carcass Penguins

The penguins are grotesque and disgusting Insectmares, with beaks full of pointed teeth and feral expressions. Their bodies are already decomposing, appearing as decaying carcasses, with the ribs gorily erupting from their chest. At first glimpse, they could look like crows, but at a closer look, they are in fact penguins. This is supported by their appearance in one of the first towers, a cold and frozen environment. The simple idea of being surrounded and swarmed by a flock of these repulsive creatures is sufficient to send a chill down the spine. These Insectmares really break the rule, appearing as terrifying and grotesque beings in one of the first towers.

Eye Moths

The Eye Moths are the common Insectmares in a tower associated with blood and beauty, where gorgeous mirrors are scattered around, and blood is pumping from the ceiling. The moths are of a colorful ruby, to connect them with the blood-related topic of the tower, with a pair of gigantic eyes on their wings. They are quite graceful in appearance, and far less grotesque than the other Insectmares. However, when almost completely swarming the screen, having those giant eyes staring directly at the player creates a really uneasy feeling, almost breaking the fourth wall in a really unsettling way.

Three-headed Horses

The creepy climax of a Saturday-morning cartoon that went terribly wrong, these three-headed horses are probably the most disturbing Insectmares. The horses appear in the circus/carnival tower, a place of deadly games and disturbing beings. And their are really fitting there. The frontal face has a disturbing and insane smile, while the skin of its cheeks grotesquely melt with the other heads. And if you closely look at, the right head has its eyes almost melted inside the other skin. There is not a detail that it is not truly disturbing in this design, including the exposed ribcage with the heart beating inside. One of these creatures is already disturbing enough, but these small guys attack in a swarming and grotesque pack. You cannot unsee those terrifying faces staring directly at you through the screen.

Straw Dolls

One of the last Insectmares, these dolls are truly disturbing beings with nothing remotely cute or animal-based in their design. They live in a tower that looks like an hospital, full of living flesh and hanging ropes, so it is not a surprise that their appearance is so grotesque. The face is the most grotesque detail, composed of hard skin stitched together with red strings, even going inside a porcine nose. The mouth and eyes are completely filled with nails, an extreme and disturbing correlation with straw dolls stabbed with nails in black magic rituals. The limbs and body are simply straw bands roped together. The Straw Dolls are pure nightmare fuel, and simply seeing their stitched faces full of nails staring at you so close on the screen is already a gigantic malus on its own.