Today, Keen Games officially announced their latest title, Enshrouded, a game that blends survival crafting with action RPG combat. You’ll be able to team up with up to 15 other players as you fight, craft, and explore your way through a “decaying world of magic and beauty, ruined by a pestilence unleashed from the depths of the earth”. Sounds like the previous denizens of the land dug too greedily, and too deep — and now their insane and mutated remains are fodder for your sword, bow, or wizard staff.
Fortunately, the vulnerable NPCs of Enshrouded have you: a “Flameborn”, with latent magical abilities and/or a penchant for swinging around sharp-edged bits of metal. You’ll be able to hone your skills via a deep skill tree that is designed to offer the ability to craft a unique playstyle; these combat skills will be put to the test against the creatures of the Shroud, which includes challenging boss fights. Enshrouded will have a strong focus on combat, with the trailer showcasing a wide variety of spells and weapons.
Enshrouded is the culmination of what Keen Games dreamt of creating for years. We can’t wait to bring this to our players and to shape the future of Enshrouded together with our community.
Antony Christoulakis, Creative Director of Enshrouded
It’s not all bashing and slashing, however — Enshrouded is as much a survival-crafting game as it is an action RPG. Judging by the trailer, you start as the classic naked-with-nothing, and have to work your way from the Stone Age up. The building mechanics look deep, and it sounds like you’ll even be able to attract useful NPCs to your town if you provide enough space and comfort for them. Terrain seems pretty sculptable, and while it may not be Minecraft, we’re already excited to see the epic creations players come up with.
The construction aspect isn’t limited to a shelter for you and your friends, but involves creating an entire settlement, and appears very flexible. It also sounds as if there will be a deep story to uncover: in addition to uncovering the mystery of the Shroud, part of the progression includes “awakening powerful NPCs” — these will presumably have lore implications alongside the workshops and crafting options they unlock.
For better or for worse, it looks like Keen Games is trying to do it all, with action combat, RPG elements, survival crafting, and even a drizzle of platforming (e.g. the Indiana Jones style whip traversal in the trailer). The survival crafting genre is crowded, but Enshrouded has potential to provide a sense of place that many similar titles fail to deliver. It’s an ambitious project, and one we’ll be watching with interest!
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DanielD
Unabashed FromSoftware fanboy still learning to take his time with games (and everything else, really). The time he doesn't spend on games is spent on music, books, or occasionally going outside.
