Enshrouded
Enshrouded
Game
Game2024
First Dwarf
Developer Star Drifters
Pilot a dwarven mech and fly a dragon as you build and defend outposts across a shattered magical realm. Craft, explore, and survive the dangers of floating islands corrupted by the Taint in this action-packed survival RPG with base-building and co-op. From the Steam store page
178 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 14, 2026 · last updated Oct 14, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
78
LovedLoved
135 positive · 38 negative
95% range 71–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 135 | 38 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 1 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
144 of 183 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
78% recommend · 137 yes, 39 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 176 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (301 of 385 positive).
Many note it is still in early access with bugs and missing content. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the tower defense mechanics as broken. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Interesting idea, terrible execution. Walls don't work as you're not allowed to build close enough to edges, which lets enemies waltz past. Towers barely work, between the pitiful range (can't even double wall without losing the ability to hit them), high resource cost, energy limitations, and poor damage. If enemies are ever allowed in, they know to target your batteries so they can freely destroy the rest of your …
- [20]
This is really fun game that has lots of potential. Also they had a contest on their Discord a while back to have pet pictures as temp tech icons and my dog Milo was picked for it. Unfortunately I recently lost him and so I contacted them hoping to maybe have him in the credits or something simple, instead they went out of their way to put in a memorial shrine on the second island near the abandoned town if anyone …
- [2]
I find this game to be incredibly cozy. It's a nice and simple blend of action-adventure, tower defense and base building and I was surprised at how absorbed I got into this game (I pretty much spent a whole weekend playing), just exploring the available islands, planning out my colonies and resource camps and strategically setting up my defenses in between idle wanderings and questing. And best of all? You're a …
- [8]
A Hidden Gem - 5/5! I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked up First Dwarf, but it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite games of this genre. Started it with a friend, and we saw that one person in the Dwarf, the other is the dragon/companion, and we thought oh no, what have we got ourselves here? But thankfully we played around with the controls and realised, you can hot swap between characters …
- [1]
It's rough around the edges, but that's what you pay for with Early Access. The game is not finished-- towers are missing, things are buggy, there's missing / stand-in voice lines. I don't mind, that's what I was buying-in for, to help develop this game. If you want a complete package, wait around and stroke your dwarven beard for a few years. The mechanics so far are pretty fun. You are Tru and Ragna, and Dwarf and …
Summarised from 34 of the 188 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
78% of the 176 Steam reviewers we collected recommend First Dwarf. The complaint that keeps coming up: tower defense is broken; enemies bypass walls. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 178 · most liked firstInteresting idea, terrible execution. Walls don't work as you're not allowed to build close enough to edges, which lets enemies waltz past. Towers barely work, between the pitiful range (can't even double wall without losing the ability to hit them), high resource cost, energy limitations, and poor damage. If enemies are ever allowed in, they know to target your batteries so they can freely destroy the rest of your stuff as its defenseless, then they focus whichever thing costs the most…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If Sanctum and Riftbreaker had a baby... and then tossed it in the dumpster Pros: #1. The graphics are nice and overall the quality of the models & environment is above-average Cons: #1. The 'tower defense' part of the game is totally broken. You cannot wall-off a passage or create a bottleneck in the game... the enemies simply run past your walls and ignore your towers, and simply run straight to your main base #2. The balancing of the game is way off. The 1st and 2nd wave of enemies that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not sure where to begin, first the mobs that attack the base at night spawn in unrelenting numbers when in solo play but only limited numbers if you play co-op. Co-op is limited one person plays as a dwarf the other as ragna the small dragon, however they can't help with repairs or building especially since you will spend most the day repairing everything. Also when you build the airship and board it you can't get off of it, yeah so that is the end of the game until they put something in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edit for game version 0.701 About Interface Feedback I did try it again for a bit, and I can confirm the game now seems to guide you through the whole experience. I did not play through the entire existing game, but assuming this guidance is consistent, you should never worry about being stuck unsure of what the game wants from you like before. Slow Pacing I started a new game after waiting for a few updates to see how things have changed with a newer version. Unfortunately, the pacing is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is such a shame. The concept is there. Some mechanics are there. And in the demo is it a nice package. But after spending over 20 Euro's the main game seems to be in a much worst state as the demo makes believe. The main game has even lesser defense towers as the demo. The electric tower is nowhere to be found, and this baffles me. The main game is much more unstable, as my first try ended in a Quest NPC just not loading. Marker was there, but nothing else. The ship mechanic is totally not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is really fun game that has lots of potential. Also they had a contest on their Discord a while back to have pet pictures as temp tech icons and my dog Milo was picked for it. Unfortunately I recently lost him and so I contacted them hoping to maybe have him in the credits or something simple, instead they went out of their way to put in a memorial shrine on the second island near the abandoned town if anyone wants to find it. I am incredibly touched by this and will be forever grateful…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was ready to gush about this game. It's casual gathering and building with light combat and a nice story to boot. Everything was well done, despite some residual jank (which is to be expected for a new game from newer devs). But then I finished my second island and I was about to start researching my anchor whennnnnn... "Your settle is under attack!" This functionally ends the game. First, you have to scan the entire island for a stupid tiny little slightly purple icon that's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought this for Coop and did not realize that you have to share characters AND only get one Mech. No idea why it would be set up this way. Other than that it looks like a really good game so if your are playing single player, go for it. However, I am going to wishlist this one and see if they change it to be normal Coop.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed the demo and had high hopes for this game. Idk what is going on but theres issues with the quests where you can't progress. I cannot recommend spending money on this at this time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good foundation poor execution Want to become a Dwarf-Gundam pilot crash landed in a beautiful world, and breath fire as a cute dragon companion? You might have to wait a little longer. While First Dwarf does have a lush world to explore, and interesting mash up of action RPG, tower defense, and base building features it lacks the polish in all of them. With a solid foundation, and the team’s living road map announced I believe this game will be great in no time, however more improvement on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has charm and has potential, I want to like it, but there is not much content. Despite the tasks are pretty formulaic you will spend 90% of your time searching for obscure caves, switches, or quest items being confused if you successfully completed a puzzle or if it its still active and needs something else. It not always clear how solving the puzzle affects the surrounding world. The story is vague and non-existant. Basically a proof of concept or tech demo. Laborious exploration…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was delighted by this game. Would I recommend it, yes and no. The atmosphere is amazing, the pair of characters matched perfectly. The adventure is intriguing, the world is full of momentum, mysterious and simply beautiful. On top of that, the music is wonderful. I can just fly for hours. Keep in mind that the game is not finished, the main plot, although the tasks are not lacking is quite short. Developers are adding its development every now and then. You can already see how many more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →game bugged bad, for some you literally have to restart game to debug in order to progress the main quest. coop is a joke, tf who forces people to share a character? gameplay isnt even mid hours of game and nothing, like tf is their target player? no bugs, actual co op and actual fighting or tower def or town building and game could be good... idk what this is
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's rough around the edges, but that's what you pay for with Early Access. The game is not finished-- towers are missing, things are buggy, there's missing / stand-in voice lines. I don't mind, that's what I was buying-in for, to help develop this game. If you want a complete package, wait around and stroke your dwarven beard for a few years. The mechanics so far are pretty fun. You are Tru and Ragna, and Dwarf and Dragon duo who have been sent out to make new settlements for your dwarven…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I waited a little bit to buy this game! Truly wish I would have bough it sooner. The story is interesting and the world is fun to be in. From my understanding this is an independent company making this game. I hope they are able to keeping adding to this! Its not 100% polished but overall the game is great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good looking game but didn't expect the co-op being like that and only being 2 players even online i was expecting us all being able to be our own dwarf i wouldn't recommend if you plan on playing it with more than one friend or solo
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great looking game. Horrible game flow by design. You will spend hours looking for or trying to figure out objectives. At times will prompt you to get things that have no in-game reference and you have to figure it out. Like the sursa treats wtf are these? I did the animal taming quest but cannot figure those out and they are required for an upgrade. No end game that I can find. You simply build a few bases then what? There are whole upgrade trees for the bases I could never figure out how to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has incredible potential. Truly unique concept and world system, but very repetitive and limited in what you can do, currently its pretty much the exact same formula for each island that you migrate to. Enemies are not challenging at all, no bosses and very easy puzzle systems. I look forward to seeing the developers fixing this though, once they do that I will update my review. I really hope they fix it though, as I said before this game has incredible potential.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →4/5 stars graphics are good throughout the world. It can be a little glitchy from time to time but I also run on cinematic settings, with DLSS set for graphics. I wouldn't call this a building game, but a colony sim is quite fitting. With a hearty side of resource management, and dessert of crafting game. The combat is solid. Challenging early on, but once you've worked you're way through and earned some proper weapons and armor, easier to handle. The challenge is more due to enemy numbers…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its just a gloryfied demo... less than 4 hours and the game is over... dont waste your money
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You jump into the game and instantly feel that sensation you had as a kid playing something completely new, a fresh genre. So many innovative takes on features and immersion, I love that they make the world feel like an eco system that's actually alive. Its a really great game, exploration, character development, basebuilding and invasion-defense are awesome. Combat feels good and will hopefully be expanded on. Active development is very promising. The devs are extremely responsive and helpful.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So it is a little bare bones at the moment. I got 7 hours out of it before I reached endgame and I was taking my time. It's ok for what it does. Needs a lot of work fleshing out mechanics like base building and making enemies actually challenging. I do like it, just not much point to the base building as dwarven settlements don't actually do anything once built. The research tree is unbalanced, you unlock higher tier damage output weapons before lower tier ones.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I find this game to be incredibly cozy. It's a nice and simple blend of action-adventure, tower defense and base building and I was surprised at how absorbed I got into this game (I pretty much spent a whole weekend playing), just exploring the available islands, planning out my colonies and resource camps and strategically setting up my defenses in between idle wanderings and questing. And best of all? You're a DWARF — the best fantasy race ever! Obviously, as the steam page suggests, this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you want to support the developers then buy the game. If you want to try the game and see what it is, play the demo. The demo will show you everything the game has to offer at the time of this writing. Yes you can complete the core story in a few hours at it's current state. They also tell you more is coming. I look forward to flying the ship.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A promising game that is in Development and has good graphics. It mixes a lot of different game play I enjoy such as base building, management, mobility mechanics, and combat. It needs work on Optimizing. They are missing basic things like occlusion culling or frustum culling thankfully with a little research they can easily fix this. As a solo game it's been interesting but I can not comment on how co-op is as I've not tried it. Lastly they will need to work on balancing the amount of damage…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very interesting mix of base building, base defense, combat and exploration. Well executed. Rock and bones!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has evolved a lot and is quite fun! The voice acting is great and the dialogue funny :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wonderful! Long gone are the days of nearly unplayable demos at start... Fortunately! Another one of these modern, slick, highly polished early-access games with a twist, mixing several genres making up for a very interesting combo: adventure, RPG, a little bit of survival and RTS plus a little tower defense. Also a nice touch - the coop is asymetric, meaning one player is a dwarf controlling a mech, the other one is a little flying dragon, that gets to places the other can't. It must be a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Hidden Gem - 5/5! I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked up First Dwarf, but it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite games of this genre. Started it with a friend, and we saw that one person in the Dwarf, the other is the dragon/companion, and we thought oh no, what have we got ourselves here? But thankfully we played around with the controls and realised, you can hot swap between characters seamlessly on the go, the tether is very large, and upgrades, all part of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a positively marvelous gem - I had never heard of it and randomly it came across my Google feed. Highly recommend playing with a friend - the asymmetric coop is really, really cool. Having a bird's (dragon's) eye ally who can see and attack from above and then hot swap into the dwarf while you're clomping around on the mech.. sooo fun! So far, extremely minor and very few bugs, very engaging game play and story arch. I can't wait to see what more they add in the tech trees, but it's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a very nice game- Looks very pretty and plays well The combat and enemies are a bit too simple and easy for me . I wish the Power lines could be better implemented, as they end up making your base look a bit of a mess. Plus the were better base defenses and more options when building I hope they Develop it a lot more because it has huge potential to be a great game 6.5-7/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was able to finish this game in 3 hours. During that time, I encountered numerous bugs, confusion in how to complete quests, and issues with desync in co-op mode. The gameplay systems such as combat and building are easy to understand, but that's if you can figure out how they work in the first place because the game often does a very poor job of explaining them, or forgoes an explanation in the first place. There were a lot of bugs, mainly with issues in not being able to properly see or…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very interesting game based on the lore of Driftland. Mechanics are a bit simple, I admit, but considering this game is under development with constant updates I say has a great potential for the future. If you want to look at the gameplay there are lots of videos on youtube, as a personal point of view I hope to see more of an end game mechanic, something that once you conquer all the isles will make you continue to play 4/5 I look forward to play this game on release again
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent game all-around (so far - the usual Early Access caveats apply; the game is not finished, there are bugs, some things are more polished than others, etc etc) - Two main characters with wildly different abilities, who you switch between as needed; an excellent mechanic, which the game leans into in numerous puzzles. - Strategy/Tower Defense mechanics that fit neatly into the first-person survival/crafting dynamic - an interesting story, with some room for epic reveals to come…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Promising Colony Builder with Room to Grow First Dwarf stands out with its beautiful floating islands, immersive music, and a unique blend of colony sim, resource management, and action RPG. The mech and dragon companion add a fun twist, and the world is a joy to explore. However, it’s still early access, and there’s plenty of room for polish and expansion. What Works Stunning Visuals & Atmosphere: The world is vibrant and mysterious, with great music and sound. Unique Gameplay Loop: Mixes…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Note: This is a review originally written for [url= https://www.opiumpulses.com] Opium Pulses . The full article can be found [url= https://www.opiumpulses.com/article/844/first-dwarf-review] HERE . Feel free to take a look at the Opium Pulse Steam Curation page [url= https://store.steampowered.com/curator/3800356/] HERE as well. First Dwarf is a game by Star Drifters, ambitiously mixing action RPG elements with colony survival, base building, and defense. You take control of Rue, the First…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The games core is exploration and discovery of places for your Dwarves to settle down after the Mage War that shattered the planet. Your role as the titular First Dwarf (a scout for your people) is to secure place for new settlements and to discover the weird phenomena that corrupts all living creatures you'll come across. Don't be mistaken, the game has issues as it's in early development. Nevertheless, given the already implemented features and what's planned for future the price is more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →But leave it on your wish list. This is still practically a demo, but one that is enjoyable for the VERY small amount of content it has. Combat needs some work, it feels very floats and has no impact. Works great on Linux.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting concept. Needs a lot of work and polish. Early game is a bit slow. Combat is energetic and satisfying. Base defense is a major chore. Building restrictions on the towers and walls needs to be less restrictive. Use a smaller grid perhaps and give the players more freedom in where things can be placed. Upkeep on gates is silly. I would just jump over the walls instead. I guess there is also not enough reason to go back to my base once its made and defenses are in place. Many…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As of June 2024 - Early Access is just Demo v1.5 hold off for a year until the game releases. Current state - Particle Effects Tanks frame rates, quests are missing quest briefings. Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Full Gameplay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nlc609LWw8&t=38s Lol , Its not even the full game , Not available in this version ? Is this suppose to be a vesion with more than what we had in the demo cause this is nothing more than what we had in the demo .
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has many game breaking bugs, It looks promising, but it is not likely to get better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished the current version... VERY NICE :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Never really do early "reviews" of a game. But as a first impression, i love it. Me and a friend was suprised on how the coop was made, (we went in completely blind before playing) And it just adds so much to the game with how the coop works. Love the one that came up with the idea of using a dragon as the second player, (you can change between partners) Base Building is a solid start, it feels good. can be cluncky with placements of the manalines, but its nothing that really bothers me in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the concept... they just cant seem to bring it together. Over powered mobs that the puny drake has to take out.. EXTREME respawn on mob spawners.. i have circled one island a dozen times JUST KILLING SPAWNERS.. and cannot progress because they respawn SO FAST ... 6 mo+ trying to get this across and they lightly take care of it now instead of respawning when you are beating on it they take 20min...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The developers seem to have imagination; something that's lacking with many today. This is a very novel game. At the heart of the game is a symbiosis between a dwarf, mech and dragon. You can switch between all of them, each being unique. You collect resources, build defensive settlements and aim to grow. The game looks very nice and the play is very smooth. This truly is something different and I appreciate that. It would be a lot of fun playing co-op. If they keep polishing and adding to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For as short as the early access is, I have to say I had a TON of fun with it. Exploration is nice for what there is, combat feels smooth (besides something I'll get too in a moment), the upgrades are extremely useful, the research system is neat, and the resource system is balanced I feel. Now its not perfect, hence early access. I did have a few small issues, mainly with figuring out that you can level up your character(s). There is no pop up that says level up or anything and unless you sit…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is incredible, truly letting you experience what it’s like to be a dragon. It’s perfect for co-op, and I really hope the developers keep at it and bring it to full release. I can’t wait!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game feels fantastic, with excellent attention to detail and a unique vibe that sets it apart. While it seems like the overall playtime might be on the shorter side (I've already unlocked about 70% of the available technologies), it remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience—especially in co-op mode with distinct roles for each player. The last time I had this much fun with a friend was when I played It Takes Two. The graphics are impressive, and the robot design is particularly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a glitch, bug, or crash so far. Beautiful scenery. City defense and combat is fun. Can't wait to see more content
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had a lot of fun playing the content that's currently available. I can't wait for the next story update. :) Currently the story is quite short but new things gets added frequently. Not everything works perfectly yet but that's to be expected in early access. So far the devs were quick pushing fixes though, so that's positive. Also they are listening and improving the game based on community feedback. Would I recommend it in its current state. Yes and no. No because the content doesn't match…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was what I needed, thank you, please continue.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love the storyline and the game so far. hope they release a new island soon.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I personally love this game. It’s a bit too short but fun. Hope the devs make a lot more content cause the game has huge potential. Need to make stone walls a thing. In coop you can be a dragon, the dwarf, or the mech. In a year or two this game will be even better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Right now this game is in pretty early, early access, but it's fun! Fairly simple, but I enjoy the story and exploration aspects of the game. The building is more just a way to continue to unlock parts of the story and isn't really a resource management sort of thing. No real micro managing, which I actually appreciate. Combat is fun, if simple, because a dwarf in a mech armed with a big warhammer is just plain fun for combat and is nicely flashy too. As of this writing just two islands…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fun coop game, you can play split screen with one copy or remote with two copies. The music is nice, the voiceover works is nice. The game is very short and can be finished in 4 hours but it is an early access game, look forward to where it goes from here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No game that cost, over, $25, should be this short. I made through the main (and only) quest in two days, and that's, only, because I am a causal player and take my time to play games. This was an insult. I really wish Steam, pre-play these games before they let them into Ealy Access, so we don't, keep, getting taken in by developers like these.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy at this stage! Game was released way too early. Lots of bugs with some soft locking you. Its nigh unplayable in coop. And the worst part is Ive completed the game. Its only 3 hours. Wait AT MINIMUM 6 months. Its got a lot of potential but it desperately needs more time. Also the devs use discord a lot so all the information on this game is there. so if you're lost on what to do or how to find something, looking it up on google will give no results. Devs really need to use reddit or…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First Dwarf is an amazing game that seamlessly blends action RPG elements with colony survival, base building, and tower defense mechanics. Set in a captivating world of floating islands, it challenges your survival and exploration skills in unique and imaginative ways. The game is in early access, so there are a few bumps in the road, but the developers are very friendly and responsive on Discord. Overall, the game has a fantastic feel and brings back the nostalgia of classics like…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mechs, Dwarves and Dragon Pet from the start. These guys know what they're doing. I played 3 hours so far in Early Access and it's quite impressive. I did not play the demo, So I'm not comparing anything there. I've had a great time so far! Open world, explore with interesting mechanics like sending your dragon to see things you cannot or using your mech as a boat. The music and sound effects are very satisfying. The art style is very charming with detailed backdrops. Very impressive for a day…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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