Review

Enshrouded has what it takes to be a big survival hit

24/1/2024

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Survival games in Early Access are a dime a dozen. But Enshrouded stands out from the crowd with its versatile building system and fascinating world.

Valheim converted me and my buddies into survival fans. Since then, we’ve been on the lookout for the next big adventure – a chance to explore a world together and build a sprawling base. Enshrouded offers exactly that. I tried out the PC game before its Early Access launch.

On paper, Enshrouded by German studio Keen Games looks like any other cooperative survival game with build mechanics. There are hundreds of them on Steam, if not more. The genre combo is on the upswing, and Enshrouded could fly particularly high. As you’d expect, its three core mechanics consist of exploring an open game world, a crafting and building system and battles. I can experience the whole thing alone or with others on servers for up to 16 people.

The building system is extremely flexible.
Source: Keen Games

Building at the core

I take on the role of Flameborn, the last hope of a dying people. My ancestors unleashed an all-destroying plague, the titular Shroud, across the realm of Embervale. Now it’s up to me to spoil their evil plan. As is standard, I start with not much more than a loincloth. After collecting a few sticks and stones, I can erect a Flame Altar. This forms the cornerstone of my base, the place where I can construct buildings. The building system is Enshrouded’s best feature. Its in-house Holistic Engine is based on Voxel. In contrast to two-dimensional pixels or polygons, Voxel allows for more creativity when building according to the developers. I know Voxel primarily from the 25-year-old Outcast, but I’ve been a big fan of it ever since.

Step one, erect a Flame Altar. It forms the heart of a base.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Within a very short time, I build my first pretty little stone house. This system reminds me a lot of Valheim, only prettier and more flexible. The choice of building materials grows rapidly and ranges from entire wall or roof elements to individual bricks, as we know them from Minecraft. Even absolute construction newbies like me can craft magnificent buildings in no time at all. The Beta already impressively demonstrated what more talented builders can create. Everything from cosy Hobbit holes to imposing castles.

Crafting is part of building. Here, too, I unlock numerous recipes in just a few hours. Either by finding new resources or by freeing NPCs like Balthazar the Alchemist or Oswald the Blacksmith and bringing them to my base. They’ll keep me company until my friends hopefully populate the server at the official launch.

Since I’m playing another survival game at the same time in the form of Palworld, I miss the fact that not all resources available in the base are automatically used when crafting. I find micromanaging the various resources, spread across rows of crates, to be the most cumbersome aspect of such games.

A handmade world

The world isn’t procedurally generated as in most genre competitors. Embervale looks the same for everyone. This should make for a more lively and organic world. From what I've seen so far of the gigantic world, that's completely true. Some important locations are marked on the map, either because I have a quest to complete or because I discovered a clue somewhere. Alternatively, I let my gaze wander over the expansive landscape and travel to where adventure calls.

Visually, Enshrouded has a lot to offer. At first it looks monotonous with the typical green-brown colour palette of medieval fantasy games. But the fantastic lighting effects, especially at sunrise and sunset, transform the landscape into a completely different world. The many abandoned ruins of castles and houses also invite exploration. And the poorly lit dungeons, which often go deep underground, are a must on any round trip. Wherever I go, I always see something new on the horizon that I want to explore.

At first, the world looks like standard medieval fantasy, but Embervale has much more to offer.
Source: Keen Games

And then there’s the Shroud, an eerie blue mist that envelops entire regions. I can only stay in it for a few minutes before the poisonous air kills me. Due to the poor visibility, it’s easy to get lost. If I then venture into one of the extensive mines, particularly good navigation skills are required. More than once, a wrong step sent me into a lava lake. It took me a while to find my corpse containing all my loot. And right at that moment, huge bugs appeared and pushed me right back into the lava.

More dangerous than these quadrupeds are the zombie-like creatures that hunt me down in the Shroud. To avoid having to keep an eye on them and the ticking clock at the same time, I set out for the root of this blue plague. It springs from a red, tree-like plant. As soon as it’s felled, the fog lifts and monsters cower from me.

The Shroud contains particularly tough enemies. But you can also find rare materials there.
Source: Keen Games

When exploring, I have two useful tools. Both require crafting first. One is the Grappling Hook, which I can use to pull myself up or swing over chasms. The other is the Glider, a must-have for every open-world game since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With it, I can cover long distances in no time at all.

More freedom and teamwork when battling

What would a survival game be without a combat system? In addition to the usual sword and bow combat, Enshrouded also offers magic. Spells are cast with magic wands, which, like bows, must be equipped with ammunition such as ice or fire. I can further customise myself with the skill tree. There’s Healer, Ranger, Wizard, or any combination of these to choose from. I go for Beastmaster. Now nearby fauna will help me in battle. I also master the Barbarian’s jump attack, one of my favourite skills in any game. The skill tree isn’t exactly extensive, but I’m still looking forward to how classes play together in co-op.

Lighting effects are used in a particularly atmospheric way.
Source: Keen Games

Initially, battles against bandits, animals and monsters don’t require much skill. Raising your shield at the right moment is usually enough to stun opponents and render them harmless with a few more blows. Even the first boss is quickly defeated with enough arrows and the odd dodge roll. But the world undoubtedly holds much greater challenges if the trailers are anything to go by.

The skill tree offers a class system that’s particularly interesting for groups.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

To prepare for this, I busily brew potions and forge weapons and armour. I also regularly find useful items in chests and on defeated enemies. They come in different degrees of rarity, which fuels my hoarding instinct even more. I already upgraded my legendary flaming sword to max level at the blacksmith’s for a corresponding fee.

Already feels complete

Keen Games has crafted a great mix of exciting game world, complex building and a flexible skill system. I already know that I’m going to spend hours building completely impractical but colossal castles. In addition, the massive, hand-designed world is open for me to explore. I was completely absorbed within the first few hours.

Although the game’s still in Early Access and will retain this status for at least a year, it looks complete. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what else Keen Games comes up with. I’ve only scratched the surface of Enshrouded and can’t wait to dive further into the adventure.

Enshrouded is available for PC and was provided to me by Keen Games. Age rating: USK/Pegi 12.

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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