Enclave

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"Enclave is a single-player historical hack and slash game with a good plot and atmospheric medieval combat. Experience two separate story-driven campaigns, playing as one of 12 character classes in over 25 detailed fantasy missions. Despite some bugs, the game boasts impressive 3D graphics, epic battles, and a touch of humor."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 809 reviews

story76 positive mentions

stability22 negative mentions

Nostalgic experience for players who enjoyed it in their childhood.
Strong art style and detailed environments that have aged well.
Variety of character classes and gameplay styles, allowing for replayability.

Clumsy combat mechanics with poor hit detection, making melee and ranged attacks frustrating.
Frequent crashes and bugs, particularly on modern systems.
Lack of checkpoints and save options, leading to potential loss of progress.

story
336 mentions
23 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The story of Enclave is generally described as a simplistic and generic good versus evil narrative, with players able to experience it from both light and dark perspectives through separate campaigns. While some players appreciate the dual storylines and the variety of characters, many find the plot to be lackluster, poorly written, and often overshadowed by the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the narrative serves primarily as a backdrop for the action, with minimal character development and a focus on completing missions rather than engaging storytelling.
- “You can choose to play as both the 'light' and 'dark' side of the story, each side having its own set of missions, story, maps, and objectives.”
- “The story is a typical classic fantasy story of good versus evil, you will collect gold to help build your character, and once unlocked can use any character of that alignment at your strategic disposal.”
- “Despite its flaws, Enclave's gameplay is still a very fun and enjoyable experience, and the option of replaying most of the missions as any character from that mission's respective campaign ensures a great deal of replay value.”
- “The story is boring and cliche.”
- “The story is pretty much just your average fantasy dribble and is totally forgettable.”
- “The voice acting is atrocious, and I just couldn't care about the story.”
graphics
189 mentions
35 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated but still hold up reasonably well for its time of release in 2003, with some players appreciating the charm and aesthetic despite the limitations. While many reviews note the visuals can appear simplistic compared to modern standards, they often highlight a certain beauty and attention to detail that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, technical issues such as brightness resets and occasional graphical glitches detract from the experience for some users.
- “The graphics are absolutely wonderful for its time, and even don't look half bad by today's standards; the fact that 1920x1080 is a supported resolution is just icing on the cake.”
- “The graphics aged of course but they aged quite well, for the most part they look good even by today's standards.”
- “The graphics are still decent given the time it was made.”
- “The graphics are extremely dated.”
- “On top of that it looks terrible; 2003 may not have been a banner year for 3D visuals, but this has aged horribly.”
- “Voice acting is horrible, the story is rather poor, character progression is absent, and having up-to-date resolution doesn't save the graphics that have aged so badly that most 3D fantasy early access indie titles are doing better than this blocky, two-generation-old world.”
gameplay
151 mentions
32 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mix of fast-paced combat and simplistic mechanics, emphasizing enemy elimination and gold collection across various missions. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and variety of characters, many criticize the outdated controls, poor hit detection, and frustrating mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers a degree of replayability and can be enjoyable for those who appreciate classic action RPGs.
- “The gameplay emphasizes fast-paced combat over quests or dialogue, with the main objective being to eliminate all enemies in each level and gather as much hidden gold as you can.”
- “The gameplay is smooth, responsive, and satisfying.”
- “The graphics, the music, the gameplay, and the combination of character styles and level design/aesthetic all come together to make a tight, superbly crafted action-adventure fantasy game with semi-RPG elements that is endlessly fun, and always worth revisiting.”
- “Absolutely the worst swimming mechanics in video game history.”
- “The shooting mechanics (crossbow) are straight-up trash.”
- “The gameplay is pretty boring; games that are older have better gameplay and interesting stories.”
music
59 mentions
59 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its beautiful and epic qualities that complement the dark fantasy setting. While some comments note that the soundtrack can be repetitive or generic at times, the overall consensus is that it effectively immerses players in the game world and elevates the experience. Many players appreciate the dynamic nature of the music, which adapts to different gameplay situations, further enriching the adventure.
- “Adding to the atmosphere is a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the game's dark fantasy setting.”
- “The music is phenomenal and smoothly transitions based on if you are in combat or not.”
- “The soundtrack shines out, making every level more interesting and worth exploring.”
- “The soundtrack is lacking, with only a few songs that you keep hearing over and over, but hey, at least they're good.”
- “None of them seem to have any personality whatsoever, and to make matters worse the musical score is incredibly generic.”
- “Music and sound are generic fluff.”
stability
26 mentions
12 % positive mentions
4 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that detract from the overall experience. While some players note that the game can still be enjoyable despite these issues, many express frustration over the buggy hit-boxes and clunky mechanics. Overall, stability appears to be a significant drawback, impacting gameplay enjoyment.
- “No glitches so far.”
- “The game runs great and with it on sale for less than a dollar, it's a steal.”
- “Other than a brightness glitch when changing video settings, which disappeared once I restarted the game, it runs great on Elementary OS (Ubuntu 14.04 LTS).”
- “However, playing on my PC, it kept crashing and was very buggy.”
- “Where it falls short is its buggy hit boxes, crashes, and really short story.”
- “This game is a buggy mess.”
atmosphere
25 mentions
72 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating soundtrack and detailed environmental art, which together create an immersive dark fantasy setting. Despite some dated graphics and gameplay mechanics, the combination of sound effects, music, and level design effectively draws players into its world, making it a standout feature of the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as enchanting and engaging, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Adding to the atmosphere is a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the game's dark fantasy setting.”
- “The gameplay is great, but what really makes this game stand out to me is the seemingly perfect blend of graphic style, sound effects, and music that all work together to create a strong atmosphere for this game.”
- “Environments also benefit from a high level of detail and lighting effects, which often create a powerful atmosphere for each setting.”
- “Graphics are dated, but not some puked textures or anything; it does create the atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere, which is glorified in the trailer and the description, is as atmospheric and interesting as a generic action/adventure game of the late 90s.”
- “The gameplay is great, but what really makes this game stand out to me is the seemingly perfect blend of graphic style, sound effects, and music that all work together to create a strong atmosphere for this game.”
replayability
18 mentions
39 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a decent level of replayability, primarily due to its diverse character selection, multiple campaigns, and the ability to play through missions with different factions. While some players find the core mechanics simplistic and the endgame too easy, the variety of characters and customization options keep the experience engaging for those who enjoy exploring different playstyles. However, the design of certain levels and collectibles may detract from the sense of achievement, limiting the replay value for some players.
- “In conclusion, this game blessed my very early years of gaming with its simplistic core mechanics and its potential for replayability.”
- “However, the replay value is high, warranting more attention than one playthrough can give.”
- “The character selection system also adds a bit of replayability as it's quite fun to play as each of the characters and find which one suits your playstyle better.”
- “However, the replay value is high, warranting more attention than one playthrough can give.”
- “The 'coins' (money bags) are hidden so cheaply within all in all very badly designed levels that it doesn't feel like an achievement at the end of the level and doesn't really add a lot of replay value because that would require one to play a level again!”
- “It offers a bit of replay value to the stages if you want to get some extra gold and there are even bonus stages to help you out as well.”
humor
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by absurd moments, such as enemies comically jumping off cliffs and unexpected events like a siege weapon interrupting dialogue. While some players appreciate the humor, noting it as genuinely funny, others find it inconsistent and overshadowed by gameplay frustrations. Overall, the humor is present but varies in effectiveness, with some moments eliciting laughter while others fall flat.
- “And enemies will often jump off cliffs to their deaths, which is admittedly funny.”
- “Right off the bat, you get several minutes of exposition filled with weird names you don't understand. Skipping this, you are greeted by a lady in black robes talking trash about how dead you are. Mid-sentence, her words get blown to pieces by a siege weapon on the other side of the wall. It's quite funny, actually, but that's where the fun in this game ends.”
- “Melee combat is pointless, and mages are hilariously overpowered as long as you can manage your mana.”
character development
9 mentions
11 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
22 % negative mentions
Overall, the game features minimal character development, with players noting that the narrative is primarily driven by the story events rather than character growth. While the character designs are appreciated, they do not contribute to any significant development throughout the gameplay.
- “Although the game places little emphasis on character development, it still manages to present a fairly interesting narrative, driven to a greater degree by the events of the story rather than the characters.”
- “I also liked the character design and the feel of the game.”
- “On the plus side, the controls are simple and rebindable, and some of the character designs are cute.”
- “And don't get me wrong, it was/is/will forever be enough for me, but don't come to this game hoping for any sort of character development.”
- “There's no character development, but you find money on levels which you can buy better gear with.”
- “Character development is also pretty much non-existent.”
monetization
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users initially frustrated by intrusive ads and pop-ups promoting other games. However, recent updates appear to have resolved these issues, leading to a more positive reception regarding the game's advertising practices. Overall, while there were concerns about aggressive monetization tactics, many players now find the game enjoyable without significant ad interruptions.
- “Why the hell are there ads in this?”
- “It’s just been let down because the game creators annoyed everyone by advertising other games in the actual game.”
- “First, they use a script to shove ads down your throat.”
emotional
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with reviewers expressing disappointment in the lack of a compelling narrative and engaging characters, especially when compared to previous titles from Starbreeze Studios. Instead of a grand adventure, players encounter simplified combat mechanics and a boring story, leading to an overall unsatisfying emotional experience.
- “Made by the people of Starbreeze Studios, the same ones who brought us the emotional Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the horror of The Darkness, and the fun times of Payday 2.”
- “If you're expecting a grand adventure full of interesting characters, heartfelt stories, and unique locations, then I'm afraid you won't find it here.”
- “Just like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Enclave has simplified combat and a boring story.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters is lacking, making it hard to connect with their struggles.”
- “I felt no attachment to the storyline; it was predictable and uninspiring.”
optimization
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant issues such as camera stuttering, sound glitches, and frequent crashes. Many players experienced a lack of smooth performance, describing the game as feeling unpolished and difficult to navigate, even in menus.
- “Yeah, there are camera stutterings and crashes.”
- “There is a stuttering sound throughout the game.”
- “It kept flickering and stuttering, even fast-forwarding through the menus so much that I couldn't even start the game.”
grinding
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can feel tedious and anticlimactic, as players often find themselves running around aimlessly rather than engaging in meaningful combat. While some players appreciate the lack of traditional grinding for stats, the overall experience can lead to frustration due to prolonged periods of aimless exploration.
- “This means that there is essentially no grinding!”
- “It goes from being tedious to anticlimactic.”
- “Grinding for stats versus actual skill and tactics in combat.”
- “I basically just ended up running around until I found my way, but sometimes it could take up to several minutes, which was very tedious.”