Summary
Soulslike fans are eating well right now. The release ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has provided fans of the sub-genre with hours of brand-new content, including armor and weapons, as well as plenty of challenging bosses to fight and areas to explore. Besides this, several other games on the horizon should bolster the genre even further, withFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn,Black Myth: Wukong, andEnotria: The Last Songall set for release before the end of September. While each attempts to put its own stamp on the soulslike genre, the latter in particular will delve into Italian folklore, a setting that hasn’t really been explored before. Fans ofSteelRising, a soulslike with a similarly unique setting of 18th-century France, should keep a keen eye onEnotria.
Solid, if unspectacular, developerSpiders didn’t get everything right withSteelRising. The combat and boss fights did not really do enough to stand out in an already crowded genre. The setting, however - an alternative historical version of the French Revolution during the 18th century, was the standout part of the game. Exploring a war-torn Paris, and conversing with historical figures such as King Louis 16th and Marie Antoinette while battling crazed automatons throughout the city made the experience memorable. There’s no doubt thatEnotria: The Last Song’s setting can elevate it in a similar way.
Enotria: The Last Song Features an Unusual Setting
The real Enotria was founded in 5th Century southern Italy. The name translates to ‘the land of wine’ as the land itself incorporates vast vineyards and hillsides. Developer Jyamma Games clearly has a passion and love for the setting, and this shows in every facet ofEnotria: The Last Song’s world. Cities are bustling with music and wine, sunlight steeps through the gaps in buildings, and each of the world’s occupants is busy playing their part, under the control of a mysterious force known as the Canovaccio.
Everything inEnotria: The Last Song, whether its places, weapons, or important characters, is based on real-life aspects of Italian culture and folklore. Jyamma Games is keen to really bring the world to life, striking a fine balance between historical realism and fantastical elements necessary to make an exciting action RPG. That being said, a soulslike is only as good as its combat mechanics, and this is something that the Italian developer is all too aware of.
Enotria: The Last Song Will Be Gameplay-Focused
Enotria’s combat will emphasize aggression, encouraging the player to stay on the front foot as much as possible. There will be no giant shields for players to hide behind. Instead, they must dodge and parry their way to victory, using a variety of weapons for short and ranged attacks, and abilities for magic/elemental damage.Build variety has become an important component in a soulslike’s success, and it’s in this area in particular thatEnotriais looking to innovate. The game lets players store several custom-builds at once, including weapons, armor and skills, being able to switch between them in the blink of an eye.
Build variety has become an important component in a soulslike’s success, and it’s in this area in particular thatEnotriais looking to innovate.
This level of variation has not really been possible in the genre before, as most other soulslikes require the player to either respec completely, or change all of their equipment from the menu to switch their build.Enotriais looking to do away with all of that, hopefully creating some eye-catching, fluid combat situations as a result. WhereasSteelRisingplaced an emphasis on its settingto the detriment of its combat,Enotria: The Last Songlooks to prioritize both equally, and for lovers of Italian folklore or the genre as a whole, it’s a game with a huge amount of potential.
Enotria: The Last Song
WHERE TO PLAY
Enotria: The Last Song is an Action RPG SoulsLike set in a fantasy world based off Italian folklore and culture.It aims to take the genre in a new direction, with a vibrant and sun-lit world based off Italian summer where the gameplay allows you to alter the world & enemies in systemic ways.It is defined as a Souls-Like but unlike other souls-likes we are depicting a world based on Italian summer colours, as we call it, ‘‘Summer-Soul’'.The objective is to bring Italian rich past and culture to the fore in a new way that is appealing to the broader public.What we need to convey from the art direction is the colours, vibrancy and general feeling of visiting Italy.Enotria: The Last Song wants to capture the heart & soul of souls-likes fanbase, with rewarding exploration, diverse player builds, varied enemy designs while giving a unique twist.With Ardore, the player always has access to different strategies, allowing them to influence enemies behaviors, dynamically alter the world around them, solve puzzles & harness the very elements of Enotria.
