Since its release in 2011, Dark Souls has redefined the action RPG genre with its engaging yet brutal difficulty and intricate world design that has captivated players for years. However, as the genre evolved, games like Elden Ring, and Bloodborne not only increased the combat fluidity and depth of the narrative but also showcased how the shortcomings of the original title.
Due to this, players now expect every new game to take inspiration from old games but innovate it with modern mechanics and fluidity. Unfortunately, it looks like Jyamma Games’ Enotria: The Last Song didn’t get the memo as it is trying to take a page from Dark Souls‘ playbook, particularly its most frustrating feature: the non-fluid combat mechanics and slow camera movement, leaving players confused.
Enotria: The Last Song Falling Apart Under the Weight of Dark Souls‘ Nostalgia
Despite its sluggish and weighty combat, Dark Souls stuck a chord in every player’s heart and redefined the action RPG genre in 2011. However, the gaming industry’s fast evolution, especially of the Soulslike genre, has highlighted these dated mechanics, which now create nostalgia but also make the combat less forgiving and frustrating.
With huge successes like Elden Ring and Sekiro bringing the Soulslike genre into the mainstream player’s attention with fluid gameplay and smoother movements, revisiting past titles like Dark Souls has become a rough experience and only be done to face the challenge.
So when a recent title, Enotria: The Last Song, released on September 16th, openly embraced the worst elements of the old title, players are confused as to why anyone intentionally wants to replicate those shortcomings.
While some will fully embrace the experience as it will bring in nostalgia, for most new players, it will make the gameplay frustrating due to the pointless dodging, a camera that behaves randomly, and sluggish character movement. These issues are even more prominent when players are facing a boss as there is no room for mistakes and split-second decisions decide survival.
Overall, for the veteran soulslike players, this will bring a sense of nostalgia as they will remember the clunkiness that they felt when they first started their journey. However, this will leave newcomers in a lot of trouble, now they need to understand the unwritten rules that govern combat and basic exploration. Unlike modern titles that prioritize accessibility, Enotria’s adherence to Dark Souls‘ more punishing mechanics can be daunting.
Developers Need to Step Up and Implement Necessary Improvements
After hearing all the complaints and issues with the game, Jyamma Games has acknowledged the problems and even provided players with an improvement roadmap to fix most of the issues, particularly around character movement, which was unbearable for many.
The main issue with this roadmap is that the update for the character movement will be implemented slowly until January, meaning players are stuck to continue with the game’s shortcomings for the time being.
Although this was an important step in the right direction, to make Enotria: The Last Song a compelling and engaging game, Developers also need to pay more attention to the problematic camera behavior and the random enemy interactions.
The initial launch of Enotria highlights that nostalgia is a powerful force and can draw in players, but in order to impress and retain these players, the game also needs to show innovation and meet the current standards that these players have come to expect, rather than simply replicating outdated mechanics.
In the end, as the Soulslike community continues to grow at a rapid pace, there is still some hope left that Jyamma Games can refine its game to the point that it can blend the essence of Dark Souls with the improvements that modern audiences now expect.
What is your favorite Soulslike Game? Tell us in the comment section below.
