Enshrouded Early Access Review: Unveiling a Promising Survival Crafting Experience with Technical Hiccups

In the realm of survival crafting games, Enshrouded emerges as a title that captivates players with its unique blend of building, exploration, and combat. Developed by Keen Games, Enshrouded transports players to the vast and enigmatic world of Embervale, a realm shrouded in a mystical fog known as the Shroud. Since its early access release on January 24th, 2024, Enshrouded has garnered both praise and criticism, leaving many wondering if it has the potential to become a genre-defining title. Delve into this comprehensive review as we dissect the game’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall experience, offering a detailed analysis of its current state.

Gameplay and Features: A Blend of Building, Exploration, and Combat

At its core, Enshrouded adheres to the familiar formula of survival crafting games, tasking players with gathering resources, constructing structures, and engaging in combat. However, the game’s unique selling point lies in the Shroud, a magical fog that blankets vast regions of the map and poses a constant threat to players. While venturing into the Shroud, players must manage a relentlessly ticking timer, adding an element of urgency and strategic planning to their exploration.

While the concept of the Shroud is intriguing, its execution often becomes more of a hindrance than an enhancement to the gameplay experience. Its oppressive atmosphere and limited visibility can be frustrating, and the constant time pressure detracts from the sense of freedom and exploration typically found in survival crafting games. Moreover, the rewards for venturing into the Shroud often feel underwhelming, making the risk-versus-reward balance somewhat skewed.

Despite this, Enshrouded’s true strength lies in its building system, which stands as one of the best in the genre. Keen Games has leveraged their experience with Portal Knights, their previous voxel venture, to deliver a highly intuitive and versatile building system. Players can effortlessly create intricate structures using pre-made shapes, which can be further customized and modified to suit their creative vision. The variety of building materials and the ability to unlock new recipes through exploration add depth and longevity to the game’s building aspect.

Combat and Exploration: Fulfilling Yet Flawed

Enshrouded’s combat system draws inspiration from Valheim, featuring a combination of dodging, parrying, and a diverse range of weapons. While the combat is functional and provides a decent challenge, it lacks the depth and complexity found in more refined action RPGs. The weapons feel somewhat generic, lacking distinct characteristics or special abilities that would make them truly memorable.

Exploration in Enshrouded presents a mixed bag. The world of Embervale is vast and visually stunning, boasting diverse biomes and an array of points of interest to discover. However, the absence of fast travel options and the sheer size of the map can make traversing long distances a tedious task. Additionally, the quests and objectives can feel repetitive after a while, lacking the variety and creativity that would keep players engaged for extended periods.

Technical Issues and Early Access Quirks: A Work in Progress

As an early access title, Enshrouded is not without its technical imperfections. Players have reported crashes, performance issues, and occasional bugs that can disrupt gameplay. While these issues are to be expected in an early access game, they can still be frustrating and may deter some players from fully immersing themselves in the experience.

The game’s user interface also has room for improvement. Certain aspects of the inventory management and crafting systems can be cumbersome and unintuitive, leading to unnecessary frustration. Furthermore, the lack of a dedicated tutorial or comprehensive in-game guide can leave new players feeling lost and overwhelmed.

Conclusion: A Promising Foundation with Room for Growth

Enshrouded emerges as a promising survival crafting game with a solid foundation and immense potential. The building system is truly impressive, offering a level of creativity and versatility that is rarely seen in the genre. The world of Embervale is also visually captivating, featuring a variety of biomes and points of interest that encourage exploration.

However, the game’s uninspired premise, repetitive quests, and lack of polish in certain areas hold it back from reaching its full potential. The Shroud, which is intended to be the game’s unique selling point, often feels more like a hindrance than an enhancement. Additionally, the technical issues and early access quirks can be frustrating and may deter some players from fully immersing themselves in the experience.

Overall, Enshrouded is a game that shows promise but still has a long way to go before it can truly compete with the top titles in the survival crafting genre. With continued development and refinement, it has the potential to become a truly great game. For now, it remains a solid option for fans of the genre who are willing to overlook its flaws and embrace its potential.