Enshrouded

Developer: Keen Games GmbH
Release: Jan 24th 2024
Platforms:
Action
Adventure
RPG
Early Access
Creative
Immersive
Expansive
Buggy
Performance
Enshrouded Poster

" Immersive co-op action RPG with vast world and creative building but plagued by performance issues "

Enshrouded Review

Enshrouded is a highly praised early access survival RPG that blends open-world exploration, crafting, and building with solid RPG mechanics. Players appreciate its vast, handcrafted world filled with lore, diverse biomes, and atmospheric visuals. The voxel-based building system offers exceptional creative freedom, allowing for intricate and detailed constructions that stand out in the genre. The game supports both solo and cooperative multiplayer, with up to 16 players, making teamwork and shared adventures a highlight.

Combat is generally enjoyable and fluid, featuring dodges, parries, and magic, although some find melee combat basic and repetitive. The questing system encourages exploration without being overly linear, and the skill trees allow for diverse playstyles. Despite its strengths, the game is still in early access and has issues such as bugs, save corruption, and performance problems, especially shader loading and crashes on various hardware. Developers are active and responsive, frequently updating and improving the game. Overall, Enshrouded is considered a promising and immersive survival RPG with huge potential.

Highlights

Players especially praise the voxel-based building system for its creativity and detail, calling it one of the best in survival games. The handcrafted world is atmospheric and expansive, with beautiful graphics and varied biomes that enhance exploration. The co-op multiplayer experience is highlighted as a major strength, fostering camaraderie and fun. The RPG elements, including deep skill trees and customizable gear with dye and transmog systems, add depth and personalization. The questing rewards exploration and progression without feeling linear, and the combat, while sometimes needing refinement, offers engaging mechanics and variety. The developers' dedication to community feedback and frequent updates also receives strong praise.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on performance issues such as shader loading times, crashes (especially after updates), and high GPU usage even on powerful systems. The combat system—particularly melee—is described as basic and repetitive, lacking depth and variety. Multiplayer progression being shared server-wide frustrates some players who feel left behind or disconnected when playing asynchronously. Save corruption and bugs, including lost progress and quest resets, are significant pain points. UI and control schemes are reported as unintuitive and difficult to remap, reducing accessibility. Some find the early and mid-game grind tedious, and the world, while beautiful, can feel lifeless or linear in exploration. These issues limit the current experience but are expected to improve with ongoing development.

Pros

  • Voxel-based building system offers unmatched creative freedom and intricate detail.
  • Handcrafted expansive world with beautiful graphics and atmospheric environments.
  • Deep and flexible skill trees allow diverse character builds and playstyles.
  • Co-op multiplayer supports up to 16 players, enhancing social gameplay.
  • Questing system encourages exploration without forcing linear progression.
  • Developers are active, responsive, and provide frequent updates and fixes.
  • Customizable gear with dye and transmog systems for player personalization.

Cons

  • Performance issues including shader loading, crashes, and high GPU usage.
  • Melee combat feels basic, repetitive, and lacks satisfying animations.
  • Multiplayer progression is shared server-wide, causing disconnect among players.
  • Save corruption and bugs cause lost progress and quest resets.
  • UI and control schemes are unintuitive and difficult to remap.
  • Grinding for resources and progression can become tedious and slow.
  • Enemy variety and AI can feel repetitive and inconsistent.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

You are Flameborn, last ember of hope of a dying race. Awaken, survive the terror of a corrupting fog, and reclaim the lost beauty of your kingdom. Venture into a vast world, vanquish punishing bosses, build grand halls and forge your path in this co-op survival action RPG for up to 16 players.

Release Date Jan 24th 2024
Publisher Keen Games GmbH
Developer Keen Games GmbH
Platforms

User Reviews

Very Positive (36,331)
88% Positive 12% Negative