Enshrouded thrilled me in 2024 like no other survival game. The new update called Wake of the Water could reignite my enthusiasm.
With more than four million copies sold and 86 percent positive reviews on Steam, few games from Germany have enjoyed as much success as Enshrouded. The survival game also captivated me when it was released in January 2024. The modular building system, the pretty voxel world, and the “survival-lite” approach: this combination is unique among games in this genre.
Almost two years later, I have long since put Enshrouded aside. Too many other games have been released in the meantime, and my Steam library gets fuller after every sale. But with the newly released Wake of the Water update, I definitely want to play the German survival game again, and for one reason in particular.
Cool water!
Unsurprisingly, it’s the water that fascinates me most about the new update. Not only does it look really great, but it also brings new gameplay mechanics to my favorite activity, base building.
- Physics simulation: Water flows realistically: I can channel it through canals, build waterfalls, or let a small stream babble through my base. If I knock a hole in a dam, the water flows through.
- Usefulness: The water isn’t just a gimmick. I can use it to power new water wheels, which in turn are needed for machines such as mills.
- Underwater bases! It’s even possible to build a shelter at the bottom of a lake. Water walls keep the moisture out, but allow me to simply swim into my base.
I already have numerous ideas and plans for how I will use the new water. It can also be easily collected and poured out again in another location, so it is not limited to the new water biome.
In my mind’s eye, I can already see my own swimming pool in my house, a mini Venice with canals and bridges, a hidden treasure chamber behind a waterfall, or a secret underwater base. The already versatile base building now has so many new possibilities. And that’s only part of the update; I haven’t even mentioned many of the new features yet:
- The most important thing, of course, is the large new jungle area with big lakes and ruined temples inspired by Central American cultures.
- A new hostile faction of intelligent lizards with different enemy types and bosses.
- A whole new weapon class, the two-handed sword! Plus improvements to combat (air strikes!), more new weapons, and balance changes.
- Capybaras, crabs, and other creatures. There are also fish that I can catch and release into my own waters.
- New building materials that I can use to build cozy beach huts or impressive temples.
For me, the new update for Enshrouded offers more than enough to spend a few more hours in the survival game. But the truth is, not everyone will feel the same way. The new water mechanics are great for hobby architects like me, and the jungle area awakens my spirit of discovery.
However, even with Wake of the Water, Enshrouded is not a fundamentally different or better game. The new update does not alleviate the concerns we expressed in our post-test review: new content is often not sufficiently linked to the rest of the game, and new players and characters are overwhelmed by the flood of quests.
Until the final release, which is planned for 2026, the developers still have time to work on the existing biomes, quests, and game systems in addition to further new content. In any case, I’m already excited to see what version 1.0 of Enshrouded will look like!
