Enshrouded Marks a Milestone with 1.0 Release
I’ve previewed Enshrouded twice. First, back in 2023 when it was little more than a playable demo, then in 2024 when it officially entered early access. Every time, I’ve found elements that impressed, including a growing sense that game would ultimately be something special. Now Enshrouded is out of early access with a 1.0 release. As many players are discovering, it gets a lot of things right.
Developed by Keen Games, Enshrouded is a single player/co-op open world survival RPG. Set in the fallen kingdom of Embervale, players take on the role of Flameborn—the last hope of a dying race—who must explore, craft massive bases, survive a deadly fog called “the Shroud.” Once home to a thriving advanced race called The Ancients, Embervale’s lush ecology was ravaged by humans mining Elixer, which led to the poisonous, monster-filled Shroud. In order to restore order, the Ancients created the Flameborn. Although players can clear small areas of Shroud, it remains a permanent element of the world design.
Exciting Expansion
Fundamentally, Enshrouded is built on a familiar survival crafting loop. Players explore, fight monsters, gather materials and craft shelters and better, more powerful tools. While just about everything about this loop has been improved, refined or expanded during early release, it remains basically the same.
What has changed in the two-year run-up to release is the amount of new content constantly added. This includes new regions — like the Blackmire, the Frozen Frontier, and the Wake of the Water — and new weather mechanics, swimming, farming, fishing and pet systems. The biggest add-on are the Hollow Halls, complex, hours-long dungeons. As the game developed, the skill tree and subclasses have expanded, too. There are over a dozen subclasses focused on strength/melee, dexterity/ranged, and intelligence/magic.
From the beginning, Enshrouded did something few games accomplish. It balanced survival, combat and RPG elements without any of them feeling half-baked. Naturally, all three elements started in a rough state. With 1.0, that’s no longer a fair criticism. Every element shines, including the now expanded16-player co-op.
Could It Be Magic
Players returning to Enshrouded will find a game that feels recognizable but better and bigger. For example, magic classes feel significantly more powerful and varied. The level cap has been raised, the skill tree reworked, there’s more voice acting and a large new biome called Cinder’s Cradle appears in the north. For builders, the Sparkworks system allows for a network/power grid of automated systems. The sprawling co-op cities will become even more impressive. The lore-invested players get a big payoff with the conclusion to the story and a new end boss. I won’t spoil it, mostly because I haven’t seen it.
Those highlights don’t include less attention-grabbing things like improved enemy AI, refined traversal mechanics and farther draw distances. Enshrouded’s voxel-based graphics and terraforming trade hyperrealism for a stylized but still attractive visual aesthetic. There will always be a little built-in jank to movement and combat, but casting spells feels more impactful now. Composer Alex Pfeffer’s score remains one of the best in the fantasy RPG genre. It’s lush and full of melancholy and mystery, just like the game.
Closing in on Perfection
Enshrouded’s first few hours still feel a little slow and systems-heavy, but things really pick up after players get through the basics. Stick with it, and Enshrouded — now more than ever — proves to be a deep, rewarding, and addictive survival RPG. Best of all, the developers are keenly aware of, and responsive to, player feedback. Release 1.0 isn’t the end of a journey, just the beginning of an exciting new chapter.