Summary
This year’s deluge of Soulslike and Soulslike-adjacent games continues with September’sEnotria: The Last Song. Similar to Game Science’sBlack Myth Wukong,Enotriais the debut AAA title from Italian studio Jyamma Games and utilizes the developer’s country as a setting to giveEnotria: The Last Songa distinct atmosphere that taps into the developers' culture. Of course, the Soulslike genre is becoming an increasingly crowded space, prompting developers to implement unique mechanics in their games in hopes of helping them stand out among the pack. One ofEnotria’s best aces up its sleeve is the game’s approach to character builds, both in terms of variety and flexibility.
Enotria’s defining feature as a Soulslike, and one which is sure to draw the attention of genre fans, is the ability to instantly swap between three customizable builds without needing to respec. The different masks that the titular main character can equip can be customized and hot-swapped on the fly, allowing players to have specific loadouts at the ready for dealing with mobs, ranged enemies, or bosses. It’s a great way to encourage players to experiment with different gear and loadouts to find what works best for their playstyle, and it also happens to take apage out of the Metroidvania playbookin a way that other games should follow.
Enotria’s Approach to Builds is an Evolution of Both Soulslike and Metroidvania Elements
The inner circle of the Venn diagram containing Metroidvanias and Soulslikes continues to get bigger by the day, which makes sense given how well both genre’s mechanics complement each other. While it’s nowhere near the same level of"Soulsvanias" likeDeath’s GambitorSalt and Sanctuaryin terms of its build crafting, the recently releasedFrontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortuneimplements the ability to swap between three different characters, each with their own loadout.Erzaalready bears a striking resemblance to the well-receivedBloodstained: Ritual of the Night, but its implementation of an oft-requested feature that still has yet to find its way intoBloodstained(loadout-swapping) immediately sets it apart from its inspiration.
The ability to hot-swap between builds inEnotriathanks to the masks that the player can equip is also somewhat similar to anotherunconventional Soulslike,Mortal Shell. Rather than restrict players to one specific build,Mortal Shellallows players to switch between equippable “Shells,” though this freedom comes at the cost of customization and specific gear optimization. Comparatively,Enotriaseems to find a comfortable middle ground between the two, offering players the opportunity to customize the loadouts attached to each mask while also preventing them from needing to stick to one specific build short of a total respec.
How Future FromSoftware Games Could Follow Enotria’s Lead
FromSoftware continues to be undisputed in terms of its design and craftsmanship of games withinthe “Souls” genre. Fitting, considering the studio’s ownDark Soulsis where the subset of difficult, combat-focused action RPGs gets its name. That said, there’s nothing preventing the studio from iterating on the ideas of other talented developers who are attempting to move the Soulslike needle forward, and that’s whereEnotria’s multiple-build system comes in. FromSoftware has already made changing builds easier than ever before inElden Ringthanks to the abundance of Larval Tears, and the studio’s next game could take things even further.
AnElden Ringfollow-upor brand-new IP utilizing Soulsborne mechanics that allows for multiple builds in a single playthrough would be a great way for FromSoftware to continue inching toward greater accessibility. Further, to prevent players from completely breaking the game’s balance, the existence of multiple builds in a single playthrough could have a trade-off in the form of no respec options. Whatever the case, having multiple builds available at a moment’s notice depending on the situation would practically be a dream come true for a Soulslike, andEnotria’s realization of that dream makes it worth fans' attention.
