The Last Song Mostly Plays It Safe

Jyamma Games’ Enotria: The Last Song is yet another Soulslike to grace the stage in an attempt to evolve the formula that FromSoftware created and has established over the last 15 years. There is a burning question some fans may want to see answered, and that is whether Enotria: The Last Song accomplishes that goal of innovation. This often happens with new Soulslike games, and it’s become a sort of rite of passage.

While Enotria: The Last Song strives to be unique in a variety of ways, it doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel. Its creative systems and distinctive artistic expression all make up its most defining characteristics, but it might still mostly be just another Soulslike.

Enotria: The Last Song Is Mostly Just Another Soulslike

Enotria: The Last Song’s Uniqueness Largely Fails to Stand Out

It could be that Enotria: The Last Song just dropped at the wrong time, shortly after Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and, although technically not a Soulslike, Black Myth: Wukong, and that’s why it’s difficult to look beyond its generic formula and see its uniqueness. Regardless, however, much of Enotria just feels like everything that has already been done before. What ultimately does set Enotria: The Last Song apart from other Soulslikes is its atmosphere, as most games in the genre are known for being dark and foreboding, while Enotria is very bright and exaggerated the majority of the time.

Apart from Enotria‘s atmosphere, the game does boast some creative systems unlike those found in other Soulslike games. Enotria‘s elemental system, for instance, is a concept that games like it rarely take advantage of, intending to encourage players to approach each fight strategically as opposed to sticking with one build. This idea also factors into Enotria‘s loadout system, which allows players to create and customize three unique loadouts that they can swap to at any time.

For example, Enotria‘s Malanno element has all but taken over the game, as it has a natural advantage over Enotria‘s other elements and is therefore a top pick among players looking for the best build in the game. Furthermore, Colossal Greatswords are widely considered one of Enotria‘s best weapons, if not the very best weapon type in the game. As such, many players have been able to power through the entire game using a Colossal Greatsword and the Malanno element, thereby removing the need for Enotria‘s elemental and loadout systems. Inadvertently, this makes Enotria just another Soulslike game, as this is all the same pattern that has repeated itself throughout the genre’s history.

Enotria: The Last Song Doesn’t Stray Too Far From Dark Souls

While some might not consider it a shortcoming, Enotria: The Last Song doesn’t stray too far from the original Dark Souls. Progressing through each region, it’s easy to see Dark Souls‘ influence on Enotria in everything from the movement and animations of the Maskless One to the level design. Unlike more recent Soulslikes like Elden Ring, Enotria‘s level design relies heavily on verticality and dense environments. There is also not a map screen in Enotria, much like the original Dark Souls. As far as movement goes, Enotria is janky to its core, conjuring memories of the first Dark Souls game that could be considered far too dated to return to.

Enotria‘s tendency to play it safe and go back to basics with its formula might be embraced by fans of the first Dark Souls who say it is still the greatest Soulslike game ever made, but that also simultaneously dates Enotria and works against it. In light of that, Enotria is one of those games that can be truly appreciated by those who prefer its classic design choices and held in contempt by those who have since moved on.