Forget Shadow of the Erdtree or Black Myth: Wukong - the dark-horse soulslike of the summer is this Italian-inspired RPG that's dripping with Catholic guilt

GamesAction RpgEnotriaForget Shadow of the Erdtree or Black Myth: Wukong - the dark-horse soulslike of the summer is this Italian-inspired RPG that’s dripping with Catholic guiltWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesAction RpgEnotriaForget Shadow of the Erdtree or Black Myth: Wukong - the dark-horse soulslike of the summer is this Italian-inspired RPG that’s dripping with Catholic guiltWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Jyamma Games)

Enotria

Enotria: The Last Song - Summer Game Fest 2024 Trailer - YouTubeWatch On

Enotria: The Last Song - Summer Game Fest 2024 Trailer - YouTube

Enotria: The Last Song - Summer Game Fest 2024 Trailer - YouTube

Enotria: The Last Song - Summer Game Fest 2024 Trailer - YouTube

Enotria spends little time dwelling directly on its narrative, preferring, like many soulslikes, to allow the world to tell the story for it. Here that’s built on the Commedia dell’arte, a form of theatre popularized in Italy around the 16th century, and best known for its masked character archetypes. The exaggerated visages of those characters are resurrected in Enotria, allowing you to claim the masks of defeated foes to rebuild your playstyle around them. Slightly more subtle but just as present, however, is religion - my first fight takes place in a church, the faces of saints and angels scratched away from its hand-painted frescoes. In another fight, my fallen foe appeals to a statue of a Madonna, crying out to not be forsaken. Catholicism is only one part of this world built primarily around folklore and theatre, but Enotria’s religious undertones are some of the most interesting aspects of its narrative so far.

That means that Enotria isn’t limited to a specificFromSoftsimilarity. One of the bosses I faced hit fast, encouraging a parry-based approach, which thanks to ‘Unraveling’ - Enotria’s answer to Sekiro’s balance system - would eventually allow me to stagger him and go in for a massive attack. Another, however, was more fragile, encouraging a more intimate, Bloodborne style approach as I dodged-rolled around inside his attacks. The gluttonous final boss I faced, however, punished being that close with massive AoE attacks, but couldn’t out-damage a lifestealing loadout and the blows from my powerful greatsword.

Enotria sells itself on its sun-soaked Italian vistas, an attempt to lighten up the traditional soulslike setting with an aesthetic that would scour the darkness from Blighttown itself. But even in my brief time interacting with its world, I found a more fascinating world in its blend of theatre and religion. Couple that with a classic soulslike feel that still manages to push the envelope through its vastly-changeable systems, and this is quickly proving to be a game that deserves all the buzz it’s getting. Having hopefully done enough to step out of the Erdtree’s shadow, its September release date could make it the perfect follow-up for those finished with FromSoft’s next release.

I was already kinda down for Enotria’s Italian soulslike, and now I’ve seen its trident-blunderbuss, I’m all in.

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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2

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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

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Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4

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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

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Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Nicola Coughlan as Joy in Doctor Who Christmas special Joy to the World

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1

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

3

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

4

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

5

Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

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