The release ofDark Soulsin 2011 will likely go down as one of gaming’s most pivotal moments, but looking back on it with the benefit of hindsight shows that it’s a wonder the game was as successful as it was. The movement is somewhat janky, the story and objectives are obtuse at best, and the game and its world are actively trying to kill the player at every step. But despite that, and partly because of it,Dark Soulswould inspire a whole slew of games following in its footsteps, with Jyamma Games’Enotria: The Last Songsimply the latest in a long list of contemporary genre titles. For all its similarities, though,Enotriastrikes out on its own in some important ways.
Like other modern Soulslikes and games that borrow elements of the FromSoftware catalog,Enotria: The Last Songowes a major debt of gratitude tothe originalDark Souls. But it also introduces several new ideas, whether through the mixing of genre staples likeLies of Por branching out on its own likeLords of the Fallen, to help it stand out in an increasingly crowded subgenre. By borrowing the core elements of a classic title and injecting modern sensibility, these games show that the genre is continuing to evolve from the blueprint FromSoftware created nearly 15 years ago.
Enotria’s Complete Lack of Multiplayer Is a Double-Edged Sword
Theworlds of Soulslike gamesare often dreary places where the feeling of isolation adds to the atmospheric qualities of the genre. But that never stopped multiplayer from being a core component, withDark Soulssignificantly improving the PvE and PvP multiplayer modes that were introduced inDemon’s Souls. Since then, most Soulslikes continue to incorporate some type of co-op against challenging bosses or a PvP mode for players to duel one another, but not all. Important outliers show that Soulslikes can be satisfying as purely single-player experiences, andEnotria’s lack of multiplayer continues this trend.
Jyamma Games' breakout title joins an esteemed list of games likeSekiro,Lies of P, andRespawn’sStar Wars Jedigamesthat offer quality single-player experiences without a need for multiplayer. But it also raises the question of what the game could have been like with a co-op PvE mode, especially where some of its more challenging boss battles are concerned. While Soulslike games don’t necessarily live or die by their multiplayer component, the inclusion of one is rarely something that players would view as a misstep.
Enotria and Other Modern Soulslikes Raise the Question Of How the Genre Could Evolve
Outside the core mechanics that players have come to recognize as staples of Soulslikes, the modernnon-FromSoftware gamescontinue to establish that there’s still room for evolution within the genre.Enotriafeatures plenty of elements that run counter to what players might expect from a Soulslike, whether through its uncharacteristically bright and beautiful setting, multiple builds, lack of an equipment durability system, or complete lack of any stealth mechanics. And it’s simply the latest game in the genre to do this, with other noteworthy entries likeLies of P,Lords of the Fallen, andRemnant 2proving that there’s still room for innovation, even when adhering closely to FromSoftware’s blueprint.
Fifteen years ago, the idea of a game likeDemon’s SoulsorDark Soulsincorporating third-person shooter mechanics would have seemed impossible, but Gunfire Games has proven not once, but twice that it’s a formula players enjoy returning to time and again with theRemnantgames.Lords of the FallenmixedLegacy of Kain’s dual-world traversal mechanic into a Soulsike to great effect with itsUmbral Realm. Similarly,Enotriatakes some calculated risks in how it strays from the established conventions of the Soulslike genre, but those risks landing with players creates air and opportunity for future games to innovate in surprising ways.
