2024 seems to bethe inescapable year of the survival game. In a time stacked with options, two titles that were hotly anticipated before launch areNightingaleandEnshrouded. While having distinct differences, they still occupy enough of the same space and vibe that many players wonder which one stacks up against the other.
Both games are still in Early Access, so you may be considering taking the risk on just one title. Here, we look at some key components from both games to give you a more in-depth comparison that may help you make your choice.
9Multiplayer - Tie
While survival games can be fun to play solo, you may find more enjoyment out of them when playing with a group of friends. Enshrouded and Nightingale tackle multiplayer in very different ways, so it comes down to your playstyle.
In Enshrouded, multiplayer is server-based. This means you may host a dedicated server and have people join, which is simple but also means progression is tied to the server as a whole. This encourages your group to cooperate and explore at the same time.
Nightingale allows you to create or join a Realm online, which can either be public or private. This determines who can visit your realm and whether they can collaborate with you on quests. Progression is individual, even if you create a party with other players, so cooperation is optional. Your inventory carries over when you move realms.
8Building - Enshrouded
Although Nightingale offers a relatively easy and intuitive building system, this simplicity also comes at the cost of flexibility. Some of the most fun you’re able to have in a survival game is decking out your base to suit your style and needs, which is why Enshrouded comes out on top in this category.
Enshrouded’s building system gives you more freedom by way of customization. You can stick to building shapes that work like blueprints or go block by block. On top of that, you can even renovate and reconstruct existing structures if you spot a place that feels base-worthy.
7Crafting - Nightingale
Crafting is a key component in both games, although Nightingale’s approach feels more rewarding. Whether it’s food, armor, or tools, every ingredient you use results in a different effect that makes trying out different recipes engaging.
You can also apply various charms to your gear to create unique buffs depending on how you want to approach quests. Of course, this doesn’t mean Enshrouded doesn’t have a robust crafting system of its own.
6Setting And World-Building - Tie
NPCs, mobs, narrative, and world design are huge factors in making a survival game feel compelling. After all, why would you spend all this time facing these challenges for no reason?
In this regard, both Enshrouded and Nightingale do a stellar job of establishing a unique world and embracing their respective style. They each offer distinctive settings packed with lore that feel fresh in a steadily growing genre.
Nightingale has very cool mob designs, beautiful realms to explore, and a great narrator-slash-guide in Puck (fantastically voiced by Marc Warren). Meanwhile, Enshrouded gives interesting bosses and a gorgeous environment with different biomes despite having one map.
5Character Creation - Nightingale
Nightingale truly takes an in-depth approach to character creation that feels unparalleled even as gaming enters an RPG renaissance. Although you may happily choose from many presets, you also have sliders to be very specific about your character’s appearance.
Beyond the usual attributes, Nightingale also lets you pick your age, background, and even lineage. you may create your entire family tree and let that dictate your final appearance. Plus, what other game goes to the extent of letting you customize your teeth?
4Combat - Enshrouded
What kind of survival game wouldn’t throw aggressive enemies your way? Combat is not only more interesting in Enshrouded, but it also feels more polished. The way different attacks land makes sense, and you can enjoy more weapon varietydepending on your build. Corruption in the shroud as an environmental factor also makes you think about your approach more.
Nightingale does have some solid creatures and enough variety to keep you interested, but the actual combat itself feels pretty janky.
3Story Quests - Nightingale
Although Enshrouded also encourages you to quest away, Nightingale’s story has plenty of gripping elements and just enough urgency to make you want to get through the main quest. There are also plenty of quests that actually feel important to the world-building, even if they functionally just lead you to new locations and mechanics.
It also helps that there is already a good number of NPCs you can meet across the realms to provide you with different kinds of side quests. Whether it’s a defense, exploration, or building, it feels like there is more purposeful stuff to do in Nightingale.
2Leveling - Enshrouded
Enshrouded easily takes this category because of its skill tree and variety of abilities to focus on. This allows you to create a unique build based on your playstyle, though there are a fewskills you’ll want to get firstregardless of your goal. It is an intuitive system that doesn’t feel overwhelming, but still encourages you to put some extra thought into the kind of character you are building.
That immediately makes progress feel solid and rewarding, whereas Nightingale simply lets you progress by increasing your gear score. While the gear approach encourages you to build and get more recipes, it doesn’t really feel like leveling when your score changes whenever you just switch weapons or change a part of your outfit.
1Conclusion
The true answer for you would depend on what factors you care about more when playing a survival game. Enjoying a game is all about preference, after all. That said, Enshrouded does significantly better in major categories that impact gameplay the most — namely combat, building, and leveling. As it is now, Enshrouded takes the win just because it feels like a more polished game as a whole.
Plus, Enshrouded lets you play offline while Nightingale does not. Although Nightingale actually edges out Enshrouded in many categories, that’s more of a testament to its many great ideas and the potential it has for the future.
Since both titles are still in Early Access, a few more QOL updates may change this over time. For now, check out some pros for both games and see what stands out to you.
Robust building system offering lots of freedom and customization.
Interesting storyline and quests worth completing.
Enjoyable variety of player builds available thanks to different skills and resources.
Wonderful ambiance and setting that encourages exploration.
