Enshrouded: Everything We Know

Keen Games' Enshrouded, a unique product comprised of co-op survival and voxel-based action, is on the verge of finding a home away from home on Steam. Knowing this, and how it'll supposedly take every aspect of the survival genre and refine it, really, is why we're so drawn to it. And so we should be, as it just so happens to be one of the most anticipated games on PC, period.

“Enshrouded is the culmination of what Keen Games dreamt of creating for years,” said creative director Antony Christoulakis in a press release. “We can’t wait to bring this to our players and to shape the future of Enshrouded together with our community.”

But, with all due respect to the appropriate parties, what is it, and how will it shake up the market in 2023? Well, here's everything we've been able to collect on the matter since first hearing of it earlier this month. Enshrouded: what, when, and why?

What Is Enshrouded?

To put you in the picture, Enshrouded is a survival action RPG set in the magical realm of Embervale. In the aftermath of a great plague bestowed upon the world by your power-hungry ancestors, you will take your place and breathe life into the lost kingdom—a world completely ravaged by feral beasts and formidable foes. With nothing but the clothes on your back, you will need to venture forth and establish a life worth living in a land that's already long, long gone.

In Keen Games' own words, “Enshrouded is a game of survival, crafting, and Action RPG combat, set within a sprawling voxel-based continent. As you journey across the mountains and deserts of an open world, you are free to choose your path and shape your destiny.”

Of course, there'll be a story to unravel along the way, too. And while we can't say for certain what the key plot points will be, we can say that it'll pertain to the Shroud, a deadly pestilence that “consumes the land it corrupts” and “mutates and guides all life it encounters.” This is where you, beginning with nothing more than your wits and a sense for adventure, will learn to muster the courage and abilities to venture below the surface and take the fight right back to its doorstep.

Story

Enshrouded will cast you as Flameborn, a magic-wielding hero who possesses an underlying ark of unbelievable abilities—powers with which the fallen realm of Embervale can be reclaimed from the sinister blight known as the Shroud. With the fog claiming every inch of the land, you will need to rebuild on the surface, and in turn become strong enough to venture deep below, where the Shroud entwines with the core of the continent.

“Players awaken as “Flameborn,” the last hope of an ancient civilization,” reads the blurb. “Guided by nothing but a latent arcane power in their veins, they must hunt, gather, and craft to unleash their power and untangle the secrets of a ruined realm of epic beauty. To unlock truth, treasure, and wisdom, the player must venture into the lush forests, unyielding deserts, deep fissures, and lost dungeons of the land.”

“Journey through forests, caves, dungeons, searching for secret knowledge and treasure. Build the strength to venture into the Shroud and bring the fight back to the horrors from below,” it concludes.

Gameplay

Seeing as this is indeed a survival game over anything else, you can definitely expect to see your fair share of scavenging, crafting, and managing of resources. And not just that, but also needing to learn how to start from scratch, with nothing more than the clothes on your back. Like a lot of games of its kind, this means having to endure a rather weighty learning curve, especially while coming to grips with the ins and outs of the troubles that cloak Embervale.

Again, there'll be combat, and not to mention “ravaging factions and formidable bosses” that you'll need to cut through. Evidently, all of these deadly foes will populate the vast majority of the open world that Enshrouded is based on — so expect a fight right from the get-go.

And then, of course, there's the city-building elements, which will allow for you to establish bases and even small villages to help keep both the enemies and the blight at bay. Add the fact that you've also got a supposedly “in-depth skill tree” system to monopolize, and you've essentially got all of the key elements for an award-winning survival action RPG. Oh, and it'll also feature both a single-player and a 16-player co-op mode, too.

Development

Enshrouded was first revealed back at the begining of May, after which Keen Games, creators of Portal Knights, released a rather insightful trailer to accompany the initial details. However, that's really all the studio has unearthed, which of course leads us to question, well, everything else. But if all goes according to plan, then really, we should see Enshrouded jolt to life as an early access title on Steam later this year. Fingers crossed, anyway.

Trailer

Yes, there is a trailer. Granted, it doesn't give a huge amount away as far as storylines go, but it does shed a molecule of light on the actual gameplay, which, in all fairness, counts for a lot in this day and age. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Enshrouded will be entering its early access phase on PC via Steam at some point in 2023. Does this mean it won't be heading to consoles? Unlikely. That said, if all goes according to plan and the early access segment is a roaring success, then who knows? Perhaps that's a bridge that could be considered a little further down the line?

As it stands, there are no special editions of Enshrouded to get your hands on. Should this change, then the announcement will no doubt come to light via Keen Games' preferred distribution handles.

Caught your eye? You can check in with the official social feed for all the latest updates here. If anything major pops up ahead of its launch, we'll be sure to fill you in on all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Enshrouded when it releases later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.