Besides the Elden Ring DLC, there has not been a soulslike game that's captured my attention this year. Enotria: The Last Song is one of the best soulslike games to release this year because it actually brings fresh ideas to the genre.
This information is subject to change - including future game updates and potential differences between PC and PS5 gameplay.
I think I officially need to rebrand away from cozy gaming. After resisting the temptation to buy the biggest cozy game releases this September like Critter Cove and Chef RPG, I pounced on the chance to play Enotria - the most recent AA soulslike title - the day that it released. After seeing that Enotria Steam reviews were mostly positive after the first few hours, I purchased Enotria despite the hefty price tag of $50.
$50 is a steep price tag for a mid-length soulslike from a new publisher, but I was desperate for the copium of playing a new soulslike game. The Shadow of the Erdtree Elden Ring DLC, with a similar 40 hours in gameplay, was only $40. I'm used to indie soulslike games being around the $30 range, like Thymesia and Death's Door.
The hefty price tag likely comes from the development in Unreal Engine 5, an expensive engine that pays off in beautiful graphics. While Enotria is a beautiful game, full of stunning vistas that I expect out of a great soulslike, it also has major optimization issues. In general, these are the pros and cons of the latest soulslike release:
Pros:
Beautiful visuals in a unique landscape
Unlimited build customization
Multiple loadouts available to switch on the fly
You can increase multiple stats with each level
Ability to combine elements to create new ones
Over 100 unique weapons and more than 40 spells
Ardore unlocks hidden stairways and environmental paths, similar to the lamp in Lords of the Fallen
Cons:
Price tag
Poor game optimization
Forced parries - you can't dodge roll out of everything
Bosses can animation cancel (I saw it with my own eyes)
Small adaptability features
Although I tried to make equal lists for pros and cons, some of the cons are clearly a personal preference. In my opinion, Enotria is one of the best soulslike games to release in 2024, second to Shadow of the Erdtree.
Stunning Visuals and Unlimited Build Combinations
Enotria: The Last Song is built in Unreal Engine 5, the same game engine that Black Myth: Wukong used. When the game is working, the player enjoys tons of beautiful visuals. After completing the tutorial, the player walks into a dystopian Italian countryside full of endless fields of sunflowers - with red-eyed farmers waiting to gut you. The vistas for the first major city are breathtaking, and the new area unlocked after fighting the first boss - the Monastery of Maja - is even more beautiful in Unreal Engine 5.
The Enotria Steam description claims that the players have over 150 million build combinations, which I think anyone would assume is a gross exaggeration. But after playing through the first areas of the game, I can see where they got that number.
There are over 30 masks in the game - masks that provide special abilities and allow the character to take over their persona. The farmer, the lumberjack, the jester, and so on. I was pleasantly surprised that masks don't just drop off of bosses but can drop off of regular enemies as well. It pays off to farm mobs in the early game to collect mask shards and rare weapon drops.
Unique Leveling System and Loadouts
On top of the masks, there are 5 starting classes that players level up with their memoria (souls). Enotria brings a really unique idea to the genre with the 5 classes. Instead of using memoria to level up individual stats, you level up one of the 5 classes.
For example, leveling up the Bruiser increases Attack, Defense, and resistances with every level. Leveling up the Assassin levels up both Attack Power and Luck. Being able to level up multiple stats at once makes levels feel very valuable. There's an instant difference in gameplay after a few levels.
On top of 30 masks and 5 classes, there are also over 40 unique ultimate abilities that players can equip in 4 slots. These abilities are charged by landing attacks. These abilities let the player draw a different weapon for a unique move and imbue your main weapon with one of the 4 elements - Vis, Malanno, Fatuo, and Gratia. You can also combine these elements into new ones, like combining Gratia and Fatuo into Wicked, which heals the player when you land attacks.
The biggest customization feature in Enotria: The Last Song is the skill tree, the Path of Innovation. Skills are unlocked with points received from picking up lore or killing bosses and elite enemies. Players can unlock skills from any tree and equip 6 of them to each loadout. This is another way that players can combine elements and different builds to create their own unique playstyle.
I was impressed by some of the starting skills such as unlocking thorns - a passive ability that damages enemies when they damage you. Thorns is normally a high-level skill in other soulslike games.
Poor optimization - Is it your computer or is it the game?
It's an age-old question, and the answer is usually a little bit of both. Enotria: The Last Song had a demo with a lot of performance issues, and unfortunately for me, those issues persist on my computer. I think these performance issues are causing the overall low critic rating, with only 33% of game critics recommending Enotria.
I was really surprised that I had performance issues on my computer since I'm able to play Black Myth: Wukong with all the settings on High with no stuttering at all. I figured after Black Myth; my computer could run anything. That's the difference that optimization makes.
My computer only has 16 GB of RAM, and Enotria was consuming 90% of my memory, whereas Black Myth: Wukong only takes up between 50-60%. Should I invest in more RAM? Absolutely. Although I'm able to play games like Elden Ring, Black Myth: Wukong, and World of Warcraft with little issues, my computer can't handle games that aren't perfectly optimized.
My boyfriend's computer has 64 GB of RAM, and he is able to run Enotria perfectly fine with no stuttering. That's why I say it's a little bit of both - the developer has not optimized the game, and your computer may just need an upgrade as well to make up the difference.
Adaptability and Animation Canceling
A lot of soulslike fans were frustrated by the Adaptability skill in Dark Souls 2, and rightfully so. Adaptability was a skill that leveled up the number of frames you had to dodge roll out of enemy attacks. Having low adaptability was brutal, and forced players to spend souls leveling up the dodge roll instead of other much needed stats. There are skills in the Path of Innovation that increase the efficiency of parries and dodge rolls, which I personally am not a fan of.
Almost all soulslike games don't let players animation cancel. If you commit to a light, heavy, or special attack, you've committed to completing the animation before moving on. The first major boss in Enotria is Curtis, the Prince of Laughter. Although this first major boss was reasonably difficult with unpredictable movements and changing, magic infused weapons, I also saw this boss animation cancel. Animation canceling is an unfair tactic that I'm hoping is just an error in game's AI. If enough people bring attention to it, hopefully the developers will patch it. I'm all for soulslike bosses being difficult, but bosses being able to animation cancel when the players cannot is unfair.
Conclusion - Enotria is worth the money if you have the right system for it
Should you buy Enotria: The Last Song? My answer is yes - if you have at least 32GB of RAM.
Enotria brings a lot of fresh ideas to the soulslike genre. I really enjoyed all of the unique combinations you can make between masks, skills, and special abilities. And I think a lot of the starting skills in the tree are impressive, such as starting with thorns. When the game works, the visuals are stunning, and the area designs are beautiful.
The unique movement ability Ardore lets you reveal hidden staircases, ladders, and other environmental pathways. It feels like a nod to Lords of the Fallen - without having to fully transition into a different world and then find a way out.
The main issue that Enotria: The Last Song has is optimization. The developers wanted a beautiful game built in Unreal Engine 5 but didn't take the time to optimize it, consuming 90% of my 16GB of RAM. I would say it's just my computer if it wasn't able to run other larger games built in Unreal Engine 5 as well. The game is also much more expensive than other AA soulslike titles, and I think this contributes to the game's poor critic recommendations.
With better optimization and small patches, Enotria: The Last Song could easily be one of the best soulslike games released in 2024. Enotria: The Last Song released on September 16th, 2024 for PC and PlayStation 5.
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