We are all probably still feeling the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Earth Tree in our bones, after all, it was only three months ago that we plunged into the Shadowlands and caused chaos there.
Nevertheless, the next Soulslike is just around the corner, and it is trying to lure us out of the dreary autumn with sunny Italy. Enotria: The Last Song by developer Jyamma Games is the studio's first major game, as it has previously only worked on simple mobile games. Is this step too big or can Enotria convince – and above all: has it lived up to the saturated Soulslike market add something new?
Great Theater in Enotria
Enotria, the land where the action takes place, was once beautiful and filled with the joy of its people. Enotria is still beautiful, but in the meantime a curse called Canovaccio has spread across the state. The curse forces the inhabitants to be trapped in a role from which they can no longer escape.
This role is symbolized by the masks worn. We are thrown into this world, but compared to the others we are maskless. We can therefore choose our own role and want to free Enotria from its dark fate. In doing so, we look for those who keep the play going in order to finally free Enotria from its curse.
The play with its fixed roles is based on Italian culture. After all, masks were also worn in contemporary Commedia dell'arte and the actors usually played one role throughout their entire career.
Source: Jyamma Games
Italian Unreal Engine flair
Accordingly, Enotria's main graphic model is Italy. Quinta was modelled on Tuscany, Litumnia on Venice and the Falesia Magna are reminiscent of the white rocks in Sicily. In all three areas, the ruins, enemies, cityscapes and nature are modelled on the real places. You can see the love of detail that the developers put into the look of the game and, apart from the inhabitants who attack us, we really felt a bit like we were in Italy.
Spongy gameplay
What spoils the mood a little, apart from the great graphics, is the controls. As usual in the genre, we have the well-known dodge move, light attacks, heavy attacks, parries and limited healing potions.
All movements feel sometimes more, sometimes less spongy, but parrying in particular becomes a problem over the course of the game. The bosses sometimes delay their attacks a lot and in many cases dodging is an inelegant solution that doesn't feel wanted. We are forced to parry, and that isn't always fun.
The timing is sometimes too tight or unclear and when we are hit, we have a period of time in which we can't do anything except dodge or get hit again. We are indirectly rewarded for the parries. A bar fills up for each attack and parry made and when it is full, the opponent is briefly stunned and we can critically hit him with a light attack.