Crafting is a big part ofEnshrouded, Keen Games' upcoming survival action RPG set in the fantasy world of Embervale. While survival and combat are significant elements, crafting also stands as a big component in the game’s genre-meshing approach. The voxel-based graphics also look like they could offer players near-endless opportunities to craft all kinds of creative structures, from towering skulls to formidable castles and even something as out-there for a fantasy realm as areplica of the Eiffel Tower.
Game Rant recently spoke withEnshroudedcreative director Antony Christoulakis about Crafting in the upcoming title and how it works compared to other games inthe survival crafting genre. He also discussed the studio’s early access plans and what they hope to learn from theEnshroudedcommunity.
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Enshrouded: Giving Players Creative Freedom When Crafting and Building
Games with immersive crafting systems can be a big lure for many players; it takes only a glance at the hugely creative, player-created ship structures likeMass Effect’s Normandy inStarfieldor player-constructed fortresses inValheimto grasp the creative potential players have when given enough tools. Although set in a post-apocalyptic, medieval fantasy realm rather than space,Enshroudedoffers an extensive base-building system with massive opportunities for creative player freedom.
In addition to transforming the landscape in any direction, players can craft bases to their liking usingEnshrouded’svoxel-based graphicsbuild system, which Christoulakis explained offers players a lot of creative freedom “compared to prop space building.” Voxel building is also something he said worked well in the studio’s previous sandbox action RPG,Portal Knights, which was received well by the community. The “building aspect” is also something Christoulakis is looking forward to, with the team aiming to encourage its community to share their creations by leaning more hevily into the “creative side” of building versus the “defensive side.”
Enshrouded Early Access Plans
WhileEnshroudedfocuses more onimmersive crafting gameplay, it’s possible more and better defensive creation could get added in the future, as Christoulakis discussed the possibility of including base invasions,
We also got questions about base invasions, and we think it’s definitely a cool thing to add. This won’t be part of our early access plan right now, but definitely something we want to integrate into the game at some point. But the reason why we skipped that for now - I thought about it quite a lot - is it counters the creative aspect of building a bit because enemies can constantly destroy the stuff you’ve built. It might be frustrating, ot you’re forced to build bunkers, more defensive structures, and find the maximum to achieve that goal.
When discussingEnshrouded’s early access plans, Christoulakis emphasized the importance of obtaining community feedback and seeing what the community likes, such as whether they might want richer farming for theirbase architecture constructions. While no specific early access date was revealed, Christoulakis assured the studio is eager to developEnshrouded"…hopefully years to come beyond early access" and explained their general approach. As he said,
…it’s really up to the feedback we get during early access. We just closed alpha and beta now. We got a lot of good feedback that also informs us what we still need to do for early access. But it’s really our aim to work together as a community, take in a lot of feedback, and try to figure out how our roadmap that we have internally matches with what people actually want.
