Summary
Black Myth: Wukongmay not be a Soulslike, but it doesn’t have to be one to play like one. With some of the most challenging boss fights ever seen in a standard action RPG,Black Myth: Wukongis about as close as it can get to being a Soulslike without actually being one.Enotria: The Last Song, on the other hand, is as Soulslike as they come, not only featuring challenging combat but also unforgiving mechanics to go with it. Yet, somehow,Enotria: The Last Songhas found a kinship withBlack Myth: Wukongin one of the most unfortunate ways.
Black Myth: Wukongis undoubtedly one of 2024’s breakout stars, now maintaining an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam with over 300,000 reviews. However, it is far from perfect, andEnotria: The Last Songhas chosen to double down on one of those imperfections.
Enotria: The Last Song Doubles Down on Black Myth: Wukong’s Invisible Walls
Black Myth: Wukong Is Littered With Immersion-Breaking Invisible Walls
Black Myth: Wukongmay be one of 2024’s biggest video games in terms of its success, but it is often held back by countless invisible walls. It might actually be safe to say thatBlack Myth: Wukonghas more invisible wallsin its otherwise open environments than most of the games released in the last decade. As players exploreBlack Myth: Wukong’s world, they will frequently encounter areas that appear traversable, only to discover those areas are blocked off, not by a legitimate geographical or manmade structure, but by a wall they can’t see. This ultimately breaks any immersion players might experience and wastes a bit ofBlack Myth: Wukong’s stellar visuals in the process.
Invisible walls, unless designed as a spoof, are an unfortunate design choice in modern games, simply due to the technology and expertise available in the industry today. However, such is the case withBlack Myth: Wukong, and the general design philosophies of its gameplay have allowed it to succeed regardless. Nevertheless, to now see thatEnotria: The Last Songhas taken up the invisible wall mantle is disheartening, hopefully not signifying a new trend in the industry.
Enotria: The Last Song Uses Invisible Walls to Limit Exploration and Box Players In
Just asBlack Myth: Wukongdid,Enotria: The Last Songuses invisible walls to limit exploration in itsDark Souls-inspired world. There is quite a bit less ground to cover inEnotriathan there is inBlack Myth: Wukong, perhaps justifying the latter’s use of invisible walls a bit more than the former’s, but there is still very little room to support their use. It’s a bit more difficult to encounter an invisible wall while exploring inEnotriathan it is inBlack Myth: Wukong, simply becauseEnotria’s level designtakes advantage of verticality to extend the bounds of its map and, therefore, fewer invisible walls are needed.
However, it is still just as immersion-breaking to encounter an invisible wall inEnotriaas it is inBlack Myth: Wukong.
UnlikeBlack Myth: Wukong,Enotriauses semi-invisible walls to trap players in its boss battles, including optional bosses. As players have long been able to escape optional bosses if they wish to in a Soulslike game, it’s disappointing thatEnotriawould then choose to force players to fight and defeat those bosses lest they lose the Memoria they’ve worked so hard to obtain. These walls are invisible from afar but show themselves once players run into them, thereby once again breaking any immersion players might have been experiencing up to that point. It’s an unfortunate design choice, but changes to this aspect of the game aren’t even highlighted inEnotria’s improvement roadmap, meaning players are likely stuck with them for now.
Enotria: The Last Song
WHERE TO PLAY
Enotria: The Last Song is an Action RPG SoulsLike set in a fantasy world based off Italian folklore and culture.It aims to take the genre in a new direction, with a vibrant and sun-lit world based off Italian summer where the gameplay allows you to alter the world & enemies in systemic ways.It is defined as a Souls-Like but unlike other souls-likes we are depicting a world based on Italian summer colours, as we call it, ‘‘Summer-Soul’'.The objective is to bring Italian rich past and culture to the fore in a new way that is appealing to the broader public.What we need to convey from the art direction is the colours, vibrancy and general feeling of visiting Italy.Enotria: The Last Song wants to capture the heart & soul of souls-likes fanbase, with rewarding exploration, diverse player builds, varied enemy designs while giving a unique twist.With Ardore, the player always has access to different strategies, allowing them to influence enemies behaviors, dynamically alter the world around them, solve puzzles & harness the very elements of Enotria.
