The game has potential but as of right now I just don't feel like it's worth its price tag or it's hype...The face customization is great but you have absolutely no customization of the body and the body looks very, very, VERY awkard. One of the things I like the most in survival games is character customization and I feel it lacks that. The clothes have no way of having cosmetic items displayed and you're stuck with whatever the game gives you which often results in an awkward looking appearance.

Character customization aside....

The map system is weird. There did not appear to be any indications on the map where I had built so I had a hard time finding my settlement again. The combat is extremely janky and awkward... The character animations are extremely awkward and janky and overall I feel they're just off.

Not pulling from chest is a big no. Couldn't figure out how to pick stuff up again. Not being able to upgrade your house materials is a big no.

Being forced to play online 24-7 is a big no. That is not how valheim and other similar games work. That's not how enshrouded works. Why the hell do I have to play online when playing SINGLE PLAYER!? What happens if the company goes bankrupt and shuts their servers down? I guess I won't be able to play. Big No.


The good:

Graphics for everything but the character are great. Never seen a game do such a fantastic job at water before...

Overall: The game has potential but it needs work. I wouldn't recommend it at this time. I may come back and update the review later.

I don't think you should make this limited time... or the last one that I apparently missed. It would be great for people to be able to "donate" at all times. I would totally buy the other one, too, had I known it existed. >_>

I want to like this game and I will likely keep it in the hopes that they fix some things and make it more interesting and user friendly...with that said:

I've played about 30 minutes and I had to quit because it's hurting my hands. I have arthritis and other issues in my hands so having to click so much is extremely painful after awhile. The controls are weird as hell. WHY in tarnation do I have to HOLD DOWN a button to confirm a turn in or otherwise accept something? WHY is the back button left mouse click instead of escape? Why can't that be changed, too? I got stuck on the world map because none of the buttons were working including the back button. Why is it that I can't save the game until after a certain point? I have to keep replaying the same bit over and over and over again because the save option is greyed out. The character creation screen is deceptive, too. I went for a tan character and she looked fine on the character select screen but in game she was as pasty white as could be. Why can't you stack items that you sell? Why does the camera not auto follow the character? Why can't you CHANGE the camera positioning manually, either??

TLDR:

Pros:
>> Seems like a cute farm game with some interesting concepts like always having the tools handy and auto switching between them. Art style is nice.

Cons:
>> Weird controls that cannot be changed. Like why do I have to hold down a button to accept or turn something in?
>> Weird naming conventions. "Reedeem" a quest makes it feel like a mobile game and impersonal.
>> No character depth, story is lacking, words like " redeem" make it seem cold, distant, and unalive.
>> Tutorials are very poorly done...Had to google how to do a few things at first because the game just straight up doesn't tell you and expects you to just do it without giving you the info.
>> Market seems weird. Can't stack items you want to sell.
>> Placement in house is weird, grid is too large and decorating seems unfun because you can't get items where you actually want them to be.
>> Camera doesn't follow character & cannot be changed.

Overall: I think the game has potential but it needs work and I don't recommend it for the current price. If it was $20 sure. Get it on sale, basically.

EDIT / UPDATE: I have been playing the game a little and I still hold true to my review and opinion. I will continue to play it though because I like it well-enough, I just would not recommend it to others until the above has all been resolved. I had to buy a controller in order to be able to play it without hand pain. I shouldn't have had to do that for a game that is supposed to be playable on the PC / platform.

I will edit and review this review in a few months if things have changed.

After playing the game and unlocking most of the areas I can say that it has a great foundation, however, in comparison to SR1 there are some things I do not like about it thus far. One of the main things that I do not like is how every gordo that you find is pretty pointless. There aren't as many puzzles and thus far I've not encountered any slime keys like the first game had. The only cool thing you experience from feeding a gordo is that you are able to collect the smaller smiles in bulk, that's it. It's very lack-luster in terms of experience with puzzles and gordos in comparison to SR1. I do like how in this iteration of the game you have to unlock the jet pack and other features, whereas they were just handed to you in one. SR2 seems way too easy in terms of unlocking the continents and areas, and I really wish they would include more and better puzzles. It's entirely possible that they will add more slimes and areas, and more puzzles, later on. I do not remember if the glass desert or moss blanket were included in SR1 when it went into early access. I do fully expect them to add more content though, as in SR1 they added at least 3 areas: Mochi's manor, ogden's retreat, and victor's lab. For right now, it's just that: A foundation. Not much content there yet, not many puzzles yet, not much difficulty yet. If you are a fan of SR1 then I would recommend getting it now, but be aware that the EA title is very much so in effect with this title.