Enshrouded Review

Based on an early access version of the game dated January 24, 2024.

Perhaps no gamer can complain about the lack of choice when it comes to various survival or crafting games. Not counting Palworld, a completely different tittle in terms of scope and popularity, one can immediately think of such games as V Rising, Valheim and the more "ancient" Rust, specialized Minecraft servers. Fortunately, the authors of Enshrouded did enough already in the early version of the game to make the tittle have differences from other games of the same genre.

Here's a little prelude: I haven't finished exploring all the available (at the moment) Enshrouded content, so just as the game is in Early Access, this review can be considered early and raw. Since it's about a survival game with crafting elements, it's hard to pinpoint the end point of the content. I also didn't get a chance to try out a multiplayer session, so I went through it alone, but I already have a pretty clear idea of how things would work in co-op with friends.

The game starts with a story cutscene and then loads a brief tutorial in a crypt, considered a safe zone. You will learn how to move around and jump. While the other survival games listed above also start somewhere in a safe zone, they usually don't have any storyline. V Rising hints at a big war between vampires and humans, while in Valheim you find rune slabs that give a glimpse of what's going on in Midgard. In terms of story, Enshrouded offers so much more!

You are a Fireborn, a nearly extinct species of humans, and the world is mostly consumed by some entity called the corrupting fog. Your goal is to free the world from the fog by creating Flame Altars to aid the perishing race. Lighting fires to defeat the darkness? Sounds familiar, but who feels bad about it?

Once outside the crypt, you can admire the beautiful scenery, get a glimpse of the vast world you'll be exploring for the next few hours, and this is where the magic of Enshrouded began to take hold of me. The environments look fantastic and the views are incredibly detailed. It's that rare moment when the thought "oh, I could go there" crossed my mind, because really, whatever you see right now, you can go there any time you want.

To get to the plains, however, you need to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of corrupting fog. Certain areas of the map are covered in fog, and while you're in it, a countdown is triggered. You can't travel or build quickly while in this haze, so you need to either defeat the source of the fog or escape its range before the countdown ends. The otherworldly atmosphere of the misty areas looks great - memories of exploring Zangartopi in the days of good old World of Warcraft come to mind.

Crafting and building systems are well developed, but there is still a lot to be done. There are some other oddities, but they are probably worth talking about after version 1.0 is released (if there are any left).

As with all survival games, you must gather resources to build a base, which can then be filled with workbenches that allow you to upgrade your gear. You then take that improved gear and seek out more rare materials to improve your base and gear, and so on. Progressing alone is incredibly difficult, as you have to fight and gather resources on your own. It's probably much more fun, easier and faster to do it in a team.

To progress, however, you also need to hunt down specific bosses that have special Cores, which are used to upgrade the Altar of Flame and allow you to access larger tracts of land or give you some global benefits like character bonuses and increased time in the mist. There's also a pretty nifty skill tree, allowing you to make your character broadly or narrowly specialized. You can customize skills to gather resources more efficiently, be a stronger melee warrior, or turn into a true mage with nearly limitless mana. In this respect, the character customization is an order of magnitude higher than in the competition (unless you take mods into account, of course), as you can specialize in one of twelve (or so) different archetypes - from warrior to tank, from scout to stealthy assassin, from battle mage to healer, and so on.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the best part of Enshrouded: movement. In addition to the standard running, climbing, and jumping, Enshrouded gives you the ability to grab onto certain hooks and eventually glide. By building a glider, you can enjoy the beauty of the world from above. Jump off the fast travel tower in the direction of your favorite landmark. Believe me, it will be unforgettable! You can also upgrade your glider several times, which will allow you to travel long distances.

Enshrouded is undoubtedly a game that should be played with friends, as it was a bit difficult for me to go through it alone. The layout of the game world, the numerous landmarks, the beautiful scenery all look incredibly cool. The crafting and building system will have to be worked on a bit more, but perhaps only minor changes and improvements to elements that detract a bit from the game are needed. Regardless, the detail put into the world and environment was enough to convince me that this is a truly magical place. And I can already envision the way many gamers are losing days of their lives immersed in exploring Enshrouded.