The group at Jyamma Games has released their third developer diary, detailing some of the creative processes that went into developing the upcoming Italian-inspired Soulslike game. Enotria: The Last Song. This special developer diary, revealed at Gamescom 2024, talks in more detail about the level design, asset creation and accessibility design that went into developing the journey through Enotria: The Last SongHere’s a closer look at some of the things the developers talked about and what players can expect when the title launches in September.

Making a Soulslike accessible to everyone through intelligent UI design

One of the challenges Jyama Games faced when developing Enotria: The Last Songwas how to make it more accessible to all players without compromising the gameplay elements too much in one direction. The group behind Enotria: The Last Song understands that the Soulslike genre comes with certain expectations. While the overall difficulty level that appeals to hardcore gamers is one of the main selling points for a Soulslike game, developers don’t believe that a game should be difficult just for the sake of it. The UI and UX designers at Jyamma Games understand this and have put a lot of thought and effort into developing the combat and gameplay experience in Enotria: The Last Song.

This includes looking at things like accessibility and making sure all players have the tools they need to use their skills to defeat their opponents. Things like larger text for visually impaired players and better visual cues for hearing impaired players are just some of the things the developers took into account when designing the experience in Enotria: The Last Song.

The importance of good level design

One of the main focuses of any good Soulslike experience is the level design. Levels should be challenging and exciting and fun to navigate. They should also offer good variety. Jyamma Games took all of these points and more into account when designing the individual areas in Enotria: The Last Song. As with other Soulslike experiences, players are guided through a series of areas, each with its own unique identity that makes it look and feel like a living and breathing space. The developers have stressed that they Enotria: The Last Song to have its own unique and vibrant identity while retaining some of the nicknames and elements that make for a good Soulslike experience.

Each zone in Enotria: The Last Song will appear as a labor of love, with carefully crafted assets filling each room with detailed items and decorations. The many locations spread across Enotria: The Last Song will have their own stylization that helps them stand out from the others. Quinta, for example, features an architecture based on Tuscany, while Falesia Magna is inspired by the ancient Etruscans, mixed with the imperial structure of Rome. Many of the zones in Enotria: The Last Song are rather sunny and beautifully vibrant, a direct insult to the traditionally dark and gloomy atmosphere of most Soulslike games. However, there are still some very bleak areas in Enotria: The Last Songincluding the dark and menacing Mantelloni Garden. It’s clear that Jyamma Games has spent a lot of time researching and internalizing Italian history and folklore, and these elements stand out in the level design and asset creation for their upcoming release.

Enotria: The Last Song will be released on September 19, 2024 for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S