REVIEW: ‘Enotria: The Last Song’ Masks Its Own Potential (PC)

The term soulsborne or soulslike, is no stranger to those familiar with FromSoftware titles. Relentless and punishing, the genre’s central theme is to push players to new limits. Enotria: The Last Song by Jyamma Games draws inspiration from the genre and calls to the soulslike fanbase. Only, it’s asking them to experience a brighter side of things.

Dark fantasy elements are also a hallmark of the genre, evoking a deeply atmospheric, haunting beauty. Enotria, however, radiates warmth and vibrance through its sunlit, summer colors. It is a welcoming invitation for players to explore Italian folklore and culture. Aside from its visual departure, Enotria incorporates flexible customization that holds engagement and curiosity.

Referred to as the Maskless One, you awaken in a cave to an unknown voice. The people of Enotria, rich in culture and the arts, are enveloped in a state of stagnation. Stripped of their selves and forced to be part of a greater act, they must perform to appease whoever or whatever has taken control. True to its genre, the narrative for Enotria: The Last Song is one shrouded in mystery and ambiguity. It is through progression and lore-seeking, however, will players piece the entirety of the story together.

The short time spent in the damp cave is where you will get your bearings down. This initial starting area serves as a proper build-up to what Enotria aims for players to visually experience. Upon exiting the cave, fields of tall sunflowers sway against a light, pollen breeze. The summer’s evening light casts a golden glow, as it sneaks behind a distant towering landscape. The softness of the oceanic blue waves within view, crashing against itself, can be faintly heard. This is the welcoming invitation from Enotria.

It’s not always sunflowers and sunlight though. As you progress, new areas will have you weaving through catacombs and looming castles. Shortcuts like doors and ladders connect most areas, transitioning you quickly from the bright outer world to its dark, hidden secrets. Within each area resides its own set of enemies. Some prove to be more formidable than others through status afflictions called Primal Elements. This is where dual conditions come into play with combat.

Some Primal Elements can do more harm than good if not wielded properly. Vis, for example, inflicts Dizzy which increases damage output and stamina regen, but at the cost of lowered defense. This means should you inflict an enemy with Dizzy, they will be dealing heavier blows so it’s best to finish them off quickly as their defenses are also lowered significantly—a strategy to consider if you aim to move quickly, and skilled at dodging and parrying effectively. It took me a few rinse-and-repeats to fully grasp the varying afflictions that also work conjunctly to Enotria’s load-outs and skill tree. Once I started tinkering around with different combinations, I realized I was only scratching the surface.

As the Maskless One, players come to acquire different masks with different perks. Holding three masks at a time, players can swap between them at any moment. While each mask outfits your player uniquely, building your character is through experience points. Experience can be spent leveling up stats like health and stamina or fortifying your weapons. Additionally, Path of Innovators is a skill tree system that unlocks traits that can be equipped for each mask. With four branching paths, the combination of traits creates flexibility suited for any encounter big or small.

One of the engrossing elements of any soulslike is the combat. Especially with boss encounters. It’s an entrancing, macabre dance of perseverance against seemingly insurmountable odds. A back and forth battle that could take hours. While these beings visually tie well to their environment and look great, some fall short in variety and challenge.

Limited to a small set number of movements and patterns, it was about the right loadout and timing for me. As someone who isn’t always quick at pattern recognition, encounters felt more relaxed. Unfortunately, this lack of depth and intensity meant I sparingly gained a profound sense of gratification for my stubborn perseverance. Additionally, the hitbox felt inconsistent at times, which made critical hits difficult to execute after staggering an enemy.

While captivating early on as it sets the stage, Enotria: The Last Song proves to be too ambitious in standing out as a soulslike over time. Rather than explicitly telling the story of this rich world for players to hear, it leans toward the familiar vagueness of the genre. In turn, it spotlights the potential of how its combat and systems could have been more polished. None of these points make it a poor overall experience but they are areas in which it could stand on its own given more time.

Enotria does succeed in creating an inviting and intriguing space that might even beckon new players to the genre. However, they may still struggle to accustom themselves to a system that requires a bit of time and effort for its deep customization capabilities. Still, Enotria: The Last Song is a solid entry to the genre. Its beautiful design, deep customization, and satisfying gameplay invite players to experience its take on the soulslike formula.

Enotria: The Last Song will be available on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on September 19th, 2024.