Enotria’s First Major Difficulty Spike Fuels a Soulslike Criticism

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Enotria's First Major Difficulty Spike Fuels a Soulslike Criticism

Key Takeaways

  • Enotria: The Last Song fully embraces artificial difficulty spikes, a common criticism of the Soulslike genre.
  • The game’s second region introduces a fake challenge with enemies simply having significantly larger health pools.
  • Players may need to spend hours farming Memoria to progress smoothly, highlighting the need for authentic, rather than artificial, challenges.

As a seasoned Soulsliker with countless hours spent in games like Dark Souls and Sekiro, I must confess that my heart skipped a beat when I heard about Enotria: The Last Song. The tantalizing promise of a fresh Soulslike experience was enough to pique my interest, but alas, it seems the game has fallen into the trap of artificial difficulty spikes, a pitfall all too familiar to fans of the genre.

Although Enotria: The Last Song falls into the vast category of games in the Soulslike genre, it does possess distinctive characteristics aimed at distinguishing it from others. However, even with these unique traits, Enotria: The Last Song is not immune to a critique often leveled against games within the Soulslike genre.

Over the past ten years, the Souls-like genre in video games has gained significant popularity, leading to a crowded market filled with games labeled as Souls-likes. Yet, even ardent fans have criticisms for this genre, and Enotria: The Last Song has recently been added to that list.

Enotria: The Last Song’s First Major Difficulty Spike Is Entirely Artificial

Soulslike Games Are Often Criticized for Relying Too Heavily on Artificial Difficulty

A common complaint about the Soulslike genre is its tendency to use artificially increased challenge levels. The term ‘artificial difficulty’ has been used for a while and is more noticeable in older games that are shorter compared to modern ones. Short games may employ artificial difficulty as an economical method to prevent players from completing them too swiftly, and longer games that use this concept tend to fall back on it when their innovative gameplay ideas run out.

Artificial hardship often presents itself in multiple ways, yet one prevalent example is boosting enemies’ health reserves to extend the Time-to-Kill. This tactic is frequently found in Soulslike games, and it has attracted significant criticism. Given that the Soulslike genre is centered around a demanding experience, its passionate followers anticipate games that test their strategic thinking rather than merely extending playtime for each game. Soulslike titles overly dependent on this kind of artificial difficulty may force players to spend countless hours farming, only to make their characters powerful enough to overwhelm, instead of outwit, tough opponents.

Enotria: The Last Song’s Second Region Is a Massive Artificial Difficulty Spike

Just like many Soulslike games, Enotria: The Last Song embraces a frequent critique of the genre when players progress into its second region. While the initial region in Enotria is typical of Soulslike games, guiding newcomers through the game’s unique mechanics and gradually presenting tougher opponents, this familiarity can make it easier for players to navigate and emerge more skilled. However, the game’s second major region presents a deceptive challenge that appears as heightened difficulty.

As I ventured deeper into Enotria, I noticed a sharp increase in difficulty when battling the gatekeeper boss marking the transition between the game’s first and second regions. The run-of-the-mill enemies in the second region were tougher than any I’d faced before, boasting much larger health pools. To add insult to injury, these adversaries shared attack patterns similar to those I’d encountered earlier, leaving little room for growth as a player. The only way to progress was by grinding Memoria, improving my gear, and leveling up my stats—a tedious but necessary grind if I wanted to keep moving forward.

Regrettably, this persistent pattern extends to Enotria‘s third region, with no indications of letting up. This applies to a considerable number of the game’s prominent bosses as well.

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2024-09-19 20:34