Polo

> Ready or not, here I come.
>
> **Polo**, The Friends We Left Behind

**Polo** is a boss in the fourth level of The Friends We Left Behind. He is one of the main antagonists of the game, and appears alongside Marco in the bathroom.

## Background

   Though Polo's exact background is unknown, it is implied in the game that Polo is the Imaginary Friend of Niccolo Gallo.

Polo and Marco appear to have some kind of connection, though their exact relation to each other is unknown, but they haven’t seemed to always known each other as seen in the Imaginary Friend Asylum.

## Personality

According to Grant Marrs' TikTok, Polo "...regards himself in high esteem." This is evident from his interactions with Marco and the player, who he likes to belittle, implying that he believes himself to be better than others.

He is further expanded in the games prequel showing that he seems to be quite cautious warning Anthony Rivers of his endeavors, however he won’t directly stop them in his actions either.

## Appearance

Polo is the purple Imaginary Friend. He has a lean, tall appearance. He wears a renaissance period flat cap on the top of his head, and a light grey mask lined with pearls on his head. He has two large downturned ears/horns on either side of his head.

Polo wears a collared, striped pastel purple shirt with large puff sleeves. It has stitches on the sleeves and a bow in the middle of the collar. Over top of his shirt, he wears a purple tunic with pearls lining the bottom edges, and a dark purple and silver belt around his waist. Polo has a purple striped scarf with two silver coins dangling at the bottom. His neck is adorned with a pearl necklace with colored charms of different faces on it.

## Gameplay

In the fourth level, the player is trapped in the bathroom with Polo and Marco. The player must avoid Polo and Marco, whilst trying to lure Polo in by flushing toilets. When the level begins, look behind you and fill your bucket with water. This will enable you to flush the toilets, since there is no electricity in the asylum. Holding the bucket means you will not be able to hear either Polo or Marco, since your parabolic mic will no longer be in use.

Polo endlessly wanders the stalls back and forth, while Marco is switching between bathtubs. You will know which tub Marco is in because a rubber ducky floats at the top of whichever tub he is in. He switches roughly every 2-10 seconds, depending on the difficulty.

After filling your bucket, choose a toilet to flush. Polo will hear it and rush after the player the moment you flush a toilet, so you need to slide away out of the stall quickly after doing so. After Polo enters the stall, quickly re-enter it and open the door. Polo will be distracted and facing the other way for just a moment, so it is imperative this is done quickly. If timed correctly with Marco's tub mechanic, Marco will be able to enter the stall, and he and Polo will crash into each other. To complete the level, go into the same stall as them, and take a photo.

If you fail to get them to crash into each other, the player will have to refill their bucket in the first toilet stall at the beginning of the level.

### Extra Tips

* Standing up is unnecessary - stay crouched down to save time.
* Since it's difficult to time Marco's mechanic correctly, For this reason, it's best to flush a toilet far away from Polo and open the stall door, and keep repeating this step until Marco runs in. This may take a few tries as the timing needs to be right.
* This level is not very dependent on sound, and it is more useful to keep the bucket on hand rather than swapping it for your parabolic mic.

## Jumpscare Quotes

* *"I'll put your neck in the door for that!"*
* *"Marco and I can play this game by ourselves."*
* *"You'll be more fun as a corpse."*
* *"Come, and meet your demise!"*
* *"I found you..."*
* *"You're terrible at hiding."*
* *"Hush, now..."*
* *"Now, to dispose of you."*

## Trivia

* Polo's behaviour is similar to a Italian stage actor.
* According to a video from Grant Marrs' TikTok and YouTube, Polo was inspired by Waluigi.
* Polo can be seen fanning himself in the background of Marco's jumpscare, in The Friends We Left Behind, as well as when you are not interacting with him in Imaginary Friend Asylum.
* In *The Friends We Left Behind* Discord server, Grant Marrs said that Polo was originally going to be orange.

## Gallery

Official concept art for Polo by Grant Marrs.