Swing a pickaxe in a dark cave, and you're likely to hit seven survival-crafting games that all look and play similar. Probably a couple of roguelites, too, in 2025, but that's not what this article is about now, is it?
I freaking love survival-crafting games with strong building elements. Minecraft started it for me, and since then, I've played a slew of these types of titles, everything from Ark Survival Evolved to My Time at Portia (okay, that last one is minus the survival, I guess).
But since Valheim, there have been many titles that just feel and play too similarly. I especially have gripes about Palworld and Runescape Dragonwilds being the same game with different systems. At least Palworld kept me busy for a while, but I really didn't enjoy Dragonwilds.
I somehow missed out on Enshrouded, but it has been on my list. Every time I get the itch to play something survival-crafty, I look at a few gameplay videos, decide it's the same damn thing as all the others—same gameplay and grind—and just go back to something familiar.
But with friends like mine, it was only a matter of time before the nagging wore me down and I spent a few bucks on the game. It's really not that expensive, so I'll check it out for a few hours, confirm that I just don't like it, and I'll have my money's worth.
Well, things didn't quite go to plan.
Enshrouded is exactly like the other survival games, except it isn't
Alright, it's been a few weeks and now I somehow have 60 hours in this game I don't like. What the hell happened?
It started like everything: with the beginning. I walked out of that flame cave or whatever, jumped down and activated my glider, and fell to my death. Great start. I hate it already.
After I actually built a glider and hook, I got to building my first little house, which I have since deleted. Thank goodness, or you'd have expected a screenshot. It was an absolute eyesore, all made out of rough wood blocks. But anyway, here's where I was reminded of the fact that Enshrouded was exactly like all the other similar games.
Chop wood, make blocks, repeat to infinity while slowly dying inside because why are you doing the same damn thing again that you were doing in a different game yesterday? At least you had more stuff unlocked in that other game and could build better... wait, I can place individual blocks??
Better to focus on that later, when I have more resources to burn. For now, I went into the Shroud for the first time. And what an interesting mechanic that is!
I never played Subnautica, but I imagine it's a similar system (see, nothing new here). Heck, it's the same concept as Dave the Diver, too. However, it was my first foray with something quite like this. It's pretty intense and always stressful going into the Shroud, having limited visibility, and trying your best not to let the timer run out on you. But man, is it fun.
After every raid, I could come back up to my horribly ugly house and relax for a bit, maybe adding some stuff to the house to make it even uglier. And this ebb and flow seemed... different. Not to mention the building system is the best I've seen in a game, ever.
Welcome to the Enshrouded club habit reform
And just like that, I was hooked. The progression is actually painfully slow when compared to other similar games, at least in my noob state. But it's immensely satisfying, and I'm also taking my time with it. When I've had a stressful day, I just sit down and try to make a few improvements to my village. On days where I feel like a challenge, I rush into the most dangerous bit of Shroud I can that won't instantly kill me, and I fight for my life, trying to get more valuable resources to upgrade my gear.
It's what I expected, more or less, but just different enough to really get me hooked, and oh boy, am I. The actual messages from my friend when we spoke about the game were "Welcome to the Enshrouded club," and after I complained about it taking up all my time, "Bro, welcome to Enshrouded habit reform."
I get that some of you reading this are probably way further along than I am in the game, and hence you probably reached some state of burnout already, but for the moment, I can't stop playing. I'm genuinely impressed by the building mechanics, which is where Enshrouded really shines.
The craziest thing is that I'm 60 hours in and have plenty left to explore. There's still so much to do, and I honestly think it'll take me well over 200 hours the way I'm going. And for just $30, that's insane value for money, and it's still in early access!
I'm not crazy about the combat, it's pretty mediocre. The progression might be a bit too slow, and it is grind-heavy. But with the Shroud and building mechanics, this game has instantly breached my top ten most liked list. And it's even better with friends.
If you haven't caved to the pressure of giving it a go, do it. It's a must-play for survival crafting fans and sets a new benchmark for building that I highly doubt will be beaten any time soon.
The post My friends finally convinced me to play Enshrouded, and oh boy… appeared first on Destructoid.
