Today, Frankfurt-based developer Keen Games (known mainly for Portal Knights) announced the launch date of its next game, Enshrouded. Originally unveiled about six months ago, it’ll be available via Steam Early Access starting on January 24, 2024.
Keen Games noted that this is a little later than they had originally planned. However, following the great success of the Steam Next Fest demo (Enshrouded was the most played and most wishlisted game of that bunch), the developers wanted more time to deliver a high-quality launch on early access.
The team shares this announcement with much excitement and gratitude to the community for their support so far. Utilizing Portal Knights as the spiritual foundation of Enshrouded, the developers took inspiration from games within the survival space such as Valheim, though with a relaxed approach to survival itself. Weaving in elements inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Minecraft (in terms of openness and plethora of crafting and building options), the goal was to create a more welcoming entry to the survival genre and a space that wasn’t strict so as to leave more room for fun.
Keen Games delighted in seeing players adventure, build, craft for hours on end, as well as dying, role-playing, and generally having fun alone or with friends. The heart of each of Enshrouded’s core components is rooted in freedom and flexibility, powered by a custom voxel-based engine that ensures consistent visual theming that feels in-universe, no matter what is created.
Keen Games is planning to keep Enshrouded in early access for about a year before the full launch. Console ports are also happening around that time. As with most early access games, the price will be increased with the 1.0 release.
For a massive info dump of Enshrouded’s features and mechanics, head to our July interview with Creative Director Antony Christoulakis.
