The survival game genre tends to produce lots of surprise hits. Whether it’s how fun they are to play with friends, the high stakes of their gameplay, or the creativity they unleash, games likeMinecraft, Rust,andValheimare some of the most popular titles of the past several years. It’s clear thatEnshrouded, an upcoming Steam early-access survival title from Keen Games, wants to be next in line.
It’s impossible to predict ifEnshroudedwill be the game that followsBattleBit RemasteredandDave the Diverin its virality on Steam, but that might be in the cards. An early hands-on look did indicate that the game is adopting elements of all the genre’s greatest hits, which could make it appealing enough to become a massive success. It’s essentially a melting pot of ideas from the industry’s best games with survival elements, but one that’s still able to maintain a distinct identity in the process.
Playing the greatest hits
My hands-off demo ofEnshroudedwas bookended developer showing off a homestead they had built with the game’s creation tools. The more realistic look of the game is reminiscent ofValheimorRust, but its building plays out more likeMinecraft. It’s voxel-based, which essentially means every voxel can be added or removed from a building likeMinecraft.It doesn’t rely on realistic physics systems, so players don’t have to worry about their builds toppling over while building.
That voxel-based object modification has implications elsewhere in the game, too, as most of the environment is completely terraformable. Need to get through a wall? you’re able to break through it with a strong enough pickaxe. Need to climb a cliff? Carve out some stairs and walk up.Enshrouded’sbuilding and terraforming are taking all the right cues fromMinecraftbut don’t look like a direct copy with its more realistic aesthetic. While those gameplay elements hue more towardMinecraft, the adventuring and survival aspects of the game look a bit more likeValheim.
Players won’t have to deal with a constantly draining health meter; likeValheim, food’s primary purpose is to give timed buffs to enhance the player’s stats and abilities. To gain resources, players will have to venture out into the world, sometimes guided by quests. Combat against regular enemies and bosses is frequent.Enshroudedprioritizes dodging and parrying enemy attacks over all-out offense and often rewards successful encounters with a new, more powerful weapon or piece of armor. Players will have to watch how long they spend in these enemy-filled areas, though, as they are sometimes filled with a thick fog that will kill players if they stay in it for too long.
Overall,Valheimplayers will likely appreciate the more hardcore sense of exploration and combat elements ofEnshrouded, whileMinecraftplayers will like the building and terraforming. The inspirations from other games don’t stop there. Players can find specialists and build rooms for them back at their base, likeTerraria. There’s even a glider, dungeon-crawling, and a climbing-and-running stamina meter likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom.
What I’ve yet to see is how multiplayer works, which seems like it will have hues ofValheimorRust. Players choose to play together or independently and have to deal with the impact others leave on parts ofEnshrouded’sworld. It even features expanded versions of the skill system and multiplayer features fromPortal Knights, the previous title developed by Keen Games.
In a lot of ways, this makesEnshroudedsound a bit derivative. It kind of is, so don’t come to this game if you’re looking for a wholly original idea. Still, by serving as a melting pot of the survival crafting genre’s best mechanics, Keen Games seems like it was able to blend everything together to create a game that feels distinct as an amalgamation of ideas. Because it looks to be pulling the best elements from the genre’s greatest games, it might actually pull off being the next survival crafting game hit.
Enshroudedwill launch in early access later in 2023, in which Keen Games plans to keep it for about a year.
