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To declare that the Soulslike sub-genre is a little overcrowded is akin to saying that Dark Souls is a little bit tricky. In other words, it’s a massive understatement. Despite the myriad of imitators, however, it’s fair to say that there are still meaningful experiences to be extracted from the rich soil sewn by FromSoftware et al. Enter: Jyamma Games’ Enotria: The Last Song, a Soulsborne action-RPG inspired by Italian folklore. Luckily, from the several hours I’ve played thus far, I’m happy to report that this is one Soulslike that should absolutely be on your radar.
Those familiar with the genre will instantly feel right at home in Enotria: The Last Song. Yes, you’ll be tackling challenging enemies and bosses in methodical, fluid combat, while resting at checkpoints peppered throughout the world. Of course, you’ll be accruing a currency — known in-game as Memoria — as you defeat adversaries, which can be spent on leveling up your hero and purchasing upgrades. Indeed, while the core tenets of the now-iconic blueprint are out in full force, what tends to make or break a new entry in the popular sub-genre is how it differentiates itself from the competition.
Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference
Up first, we have the Unraveling mechanic, which is ostensibly a sort of stagger system. In essence, as you deal damage to enemies, you’ll fill up a blue bar beneath the target’s HP indicator. Once this has been charged up, players gain the opportunity to execute a critical strike that inflicts significant damage to your foe.
It’s a straightforward system that does help to spice up moment-to-moment conflicts, especially when you factor in how some weapons boast higher Unravelling damage than others. Do you opt for the Greatsword that deals the most Physical damage? Or do you go with the Longsword that inflicts the most Unraveling damage? Both are solid options, though the choice is ultimately yours.
In conjunction with the Unraveling Mechanic, Enotria: The Last Song also has something dubbed the Awakened State. Essentially, when players defeat an enemy using the Unraveling system, your character will temporarily enter an Awakened State. This helps boost numerous stats, though this relies upon what Mask you’re wearing. For instance, one of the Masks you acquire early on in your adventure is called the Aspect of the Bruiser. With this Mask donned, you’ll earn a handy +8 boost to your Fortitude, which increases your Attack, Defense, and Health for a small window. On the opposite side of the coin, however, you’ll also receive a couple of minor debuffs: a -2 to Attunement and -2 to Erudition.
Naturally, each Mask offers a different set of boosts and debuffs. Players can equip up to three different Loadouts which they can switch to on the fly by pressing down on the d-pad. Depending on your playstyle, you’re given free rein to shape your character how you see fit.
Different But the Same
Outside of the aforementioned mechanics, you’ll also need to contend with Primal Elements, which basically function as the game’s Status Effects. These replace the typical Bleed, Poison, and Toxic debuffs that you’ll find in FromSoftware’s titles. In total, there are four Primal Elements in Enotria: The Last Song: Vis, Fatuo, Malanno, and Gratia.
Firstly, Vis inflicts Dizzy, which increases damage and Stamina regeneration, at the cost of lowering your defences. Fatuo, meanwhile, applies the Wicked debuff, which increases Elemental Power, but any damage dealt to you heals your enemy. Next, Malanno inflicts Sickness, which deals damage over time, much akin to Poison in Dark Souls. And lastly, Gratia leads to the Radiant effect, which causes health to recover over time, but triggers a powerful explosion when damaged. Due to the seeming complexity of some of these status ailments, it may take me some time to really gel with these new additions, but they’re welcome all the same.
From my time playing both the public demo on PS5 and the Summer Game Fest boss rush mode, I’m happy to report that I’m incredibly excited for Enotria: The Last Song. It feels rock-solid to play, boasts some beautifully designed locales, features plenty of epic boss battles, and manages to toe the line between paying respect to its inspiration while ploughing its own distinct furrow. Crucially, its combat is tight and satisfying, and its Italian folklore-inspired setting is a pretty unique selling point. While the true litmus test will be more deeply explored when the full game drops later this year, I’m quietly confident that Enotria: The Last Song will prove to be the best Soulslike to release in 2024. Watch this space.
Enotria: The Last Song is slated to arrive on September 19th on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
