Dig tunnels and build huge castles in shrouded
Highlights
- Enshrouded is a voxel-based game with a smooth and easy building system, allowing for detailed creations and impressive builds.
- The game offers more than just building, with combat, exploration and progression mechanics that are equally impressive and exciting.
- Enshrouded takes inspiration from games like Valheim, but sets itself apart by building detailed rules, combat mechanics, and larger co-op servers. It has the potential to become a popular game in its own right.
Enshrouded has been on my radar since its closed beta and players have been coming up with crazy creations. Not only did they build massive sky castles, they also built brilliantly detailed country mansions, sprawling cathedrals, and cozy taverns. Given the advantages of a Minecraft-like building system alone, Enshrouded seemed like a system to look forward to.
Everything is voxel based, which means building is smooth and easy. The outlines of some structures simply fit together, and then you can switch to individual blocks to add more detail. This is a great system and I can already envision some amazing designs coming out of this game when it gets early access. But there is much more to it than just building beautiful country homes.
I caught a glimpse of the game in a hands-on preview at Gamescom last month and a review from developer Thorsten Ropke on what we can expect from the open-world survival RPG. Everything I saw, from the detailed building mechanics to the combat, world exploration, and progression, amazed me. With co-op support for up to 16 players, Enshrouded feels like the kind of game that will arrive quietly, then explode in popularity. It’s still relatively early, but Ropke tells me the plan is to have a fairly large early access period where tweaks are made based on player feedback. It’s a development plan that quite a few developers talked about at Gamescom this year.
There are clearly elements of Valheim’s DNA in Keen Games’ RPG making, and as a result Enshrouded will face a lot of comparisons. Progression is tied to certain areas and resources, usually defended by a big boss, and you can build houses, play with your friends, and use magical weapons. These are the staples of the genre and anyone who has enjoyed these types of games in the past will get the same kicks from Enshrouded. However, the combat, detailed base building, and larger co-op servers help set this game apart.
As you progress, you’ll encounter enemy camps in the wilderness which can be cleared to unlock various NPCs and powerful loot. Combat is complemented by a large skill tree, and there are no RPG class restrictions here – you can take any angle you want. From the brief glimpse I saw, it looked like the tree was still divided into more popular class archetypes, such as Wizard or Archer, but there were also skills that affected your movement abilities. Combat feels straightforward but satisfying, with unique skills (like dodging or jumping attacks) that add a bit of variety.
As you may have guessed from the name, large swathes of the map are covered in the “Shroud”, which must be cleared by defeating the boss and chopping up the Shroud’s root. You can only spend a certain amount of time inside the Shroud, although there are plenty of places to replenish your available time while exploring the Mist. Once the root is cut, the area becomes clear, and its resources and other valuable areas can be explored at will. However, the fog only disappears for a short time – it will reappear, along with the boss and Root, so that the content can be replicated or enjoyed by one of the other fifteen players on the server.
Enshrouded is a familiar game in many ways, but it also breaks away from the stereotypes of the genre and offers something new. If Keen Games can maintain their idea of a decent early access period with a focus on player feedback, there could be a new player to compete with the likes of Valheim. Enshrouded will be part of Steam Next Fest in October as well.
