Enshrouded Early Access Review: A Gorgeous, Engrossing, and Buggy High-Fantasy Survival RPG
3 min readEnshrouded, the latest high-fantasy survival RPG from the developers at Enshrouded Studio, has captured the hearts and minds of many players with its stunning art style, vast open world, and intricate crafting systems. However, despite its many strengths, the game also comes with a few notable weaknesses that can make the experience less than perfect. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of Enshrouded, exploring its features, strengths, and weaknesses, and providing our thoughts on whether it’s worth checking out in its Early Access form.
First, let’s talk about the visuals. Enshrouded boasts a breathtakingly beautiful high-fantasy art style that transports players to a world of magic, mystery, and wonder. The game’s environments are richly detailed, with lush forests, towering mountains, and sprawling ruins that beg to be explored. The character models are equally impressive, with intricately designed armor sets, weapons, and creatures that bring the world to life. The game’s use of lighting and particle effects is also noteworthy, adding a sense of depth and immersion to the experience.
But Enshrouded isn’t just a pretty face. The game offers a vast open world that encourages exploration and discovery. Players can build their own bases, farm crops, and craft a variety of items using the game’s intuitive crafting system. The game also features a dynamic day-night cycle, weather system, and a host of NPCs that add to the richness of the world.
One of the most unique features of Enshrouded is its Shroud mechanic. The Shroud is a mysterious force that covers much of the game’s world, twisting its denizens and making everything caught within look like Xen from the Half-Life series. The Shroud also poses a threat to players, as they can only survive within it for a limited time before they succumb to its effects. This adds a layer of danger and excitement to the game, as players must navigate the Shroud to discover new areas and resources.
However, despite its many strengths, Enshrouded also comes with a few notable weaknesses. The game’s story, for instance, leaves something to be desired. While there are interesting lore tidbits scattered throughout the world, the game’s main questline is lackluster and fails to engage players in the same way that other high-fantasy RPGs do. The game’s puzzle design is also hit or miss, with some puzzles being well-designed and others feeling like an afterthought.
Another issue is the game’s combat. While the game offers a variety of weapons and abilities, the combat can feel clunky and unresponsive at times. This can make encounters with enemies feel less satisfying than they should, and can detract from the overall experience.
Despite these weaknesses, Enshrouded is still an impressive game that offers a rich and immersive world to explore. Its beautiful art style, vast open world, and intricate crafting systems make it a must-try for fans of the survival RPG genre. And with regular updates and improvements being made in its Early Access form, it’s an exciting time to jump in and join the community of players building and exploring in the world of Enshrouded.
In conclusion, Enshrouded is a gorgeous, engrossing, and buggy high-fantasy survival RPG that offers a rich and immersive world to explore. Its stunning art style, vast open world, and intricate crafting systems make it a must-try for fans of the genre. However, the game also comes with a few notable weaknesses, including a lackluster story and clunky combat. Despite these issues, Enshrouded is still an exciting and engaging experience that is worth checking out in its Early Access form. So, if you’re looking for a new high-fantasy RPG to lose yourself in, give Enshrouded a try and join the community of players building and exploring in this magical and mysterious world.