Erenshor Review – A Solo-Friendly MMORPG That Feels Surprisingly Alive
I played Erenshor during a test session over a year ago, and at the time it was merely a solo-player MMORPG simulation that I barely gave the time of day. Fast forward to now, and after finding out three key facts: the game is developed by a solo developer, it’s sold over 30,000 copies, and it’s been really well received by players with a Very Positive Steam rating, I decided it was time to give it a proper go.
A Classic MMORPG Feel in a Solo-Player World
The design of Erenshor is a callback to the nostalgic vibes of classic MMORPGs, but done in a way where you can just enjoy it solo. This puts it in a bit of a strange space where it’s not technically a full-blown MMO, but the more you play, the more it feels like one. The simulated AI players group up, level, improve their gear, and populate the auction house. The standout feature though is the interaction, these AI characters chat with you, message you when passing by, even roast each other in global chat. You’ll get the standard world chat, the occasional toxic jab at a sim’s lack of ability, and DMs from sims you’ve grouped with before, or who just love your gear. While your ability to respond is limited, the social immersion is still surprisingly real, it genuinely starts to feel like you’re in a live MMO world.
No LFG Required – Seamless Grouping with AI Teammates
One of the things that makes the game so much easier to get into compared to most MMOs today is the way you build and maintain your group. Add some sims to your friends list, invite them when you log in, and off you go. No waiting for Dave to get home from work, no LFG spam or waiting 3 hours for a Tank, your sim squad is grinding 24/7 and always ready to go, though they’ll sometimes be finishing up another fight first.
I played the game 100% of the time in a group. Whether I was questing or hunting gear, my whole team came with me, and I absolutely loved that. It felt just like the peak times in traditional MMOs. I’ll admit, I didn’t do Erenshor full justice in the most hardcore sense. I used the admin controls to enable the map, turn on quest markers, and increase my XP rate. That did mean I overlevelled some quest areas, and in hindsight I regret rushing through a few zones. But it didn’t take away from the enjoyment.
Exploration That Actually Feels Worthwhile
The game offers minimal handholding, though there’s a solid community Wiki and active Discord server if you need help. I appreciated the challenge, it’s not overly punishing like some newer MMOs trying to be “hardcore” or retro-style, but it does demand your attention. There’s a lot of walking between zones, and dying can send you all the way back across the map. Turning on the map is optional, but you’ll still need to explore to uncover it fully.
I actually spent a lot of time just mapping zones out, looking for new mobs, bosses, and gear upgrades. It’s a feeling I haven’t had in a long time, simply enjoying exploration. Learning each zone layout, memorising points of interest, getting attached to specific areas, I eventually locked in Port Azure as my personal hub city.
Quests With Mystery and Meaning
While some quests will have you crisscrossing the map, they’re surprisingly engaging. After the starting island, things open up: you’re asked to find hidden items, deliver goods, uncover secret paths, and even cook specific meals to feed to a boss. There’s this fun layer of discovery to it all. Not everything is handed to you, some things you have to work out for yourself. In fact, there are a few quests that still haven’t been solved by the community. It’s unclear if they’re incomplete or just incredibly well hidden, which adds a real sense of mystery.
Graphically, the game leans into its nostalgic retro aesthetic, and it works perfectly for this type of experience, it doesn’t need to be fancy. The sound design is a bit repetitive, especially early on when I only had two skills for the first dozen levels, but that’s a minor gripe.
Combat That’s Fast and Functional
What really stood out to me was how competent the AI teammates were in combat. I started out as a Paladin with a two-hander for DPS, but after watching my sim Tank accidentally pull an entire room and wipe the team, I decided I’d better tank instead. It actually went really well. As my group levelled, I geared them up with loot I found, and they started to shine, interrupts, crowd control, healing, everything you’d expect from real players. My healer pulled me through some really intense moments where my health bar was bouncing like mad. We’d clearly overpulled something a little too spicy for my level and gear, but we somehow survived.
For me personally, the combat felt a little too fast at times. I’m not a huge fan of the super-slow early 2000s MMO combat, but this was almost the opposite. There wasn’t much room for counterplay or tactical decision-making. I set up a rotation and rolled through it. The Paladin skills offered useful effects like armour debuffs and group buffs, but I’d love to see the Tank spec get a few more active skills. One of the only useful cooldowns has an 18-second duration, so there’s little reason to keep recasting it.
That said, group combat in general worked well, and some fights were genuinely difficult, especially roaming bosses and world bosses that come out of nowhere, or enemies that spawn at specific times of day. You really have to stay on your toes and be ready to fight (or run). There’s a real sense of danger and excitement while exploring, and if you’re trying to avoid dying, there’s potential threat around every corner. It makes the game feel truly enticing and unpredictable in the best way.
Class Options and Dynamic Group Compositions
With four classes to choose from (and more on the way), there are different ways to enjoy the game. The class system sticks with the classic MMO trinity of Tank, Healer, and DPS, and building your group using sims from different classes actually matters. Each role brings something unique, and I had a lot of fun adjusting my group composition based on what content I was doing. There’s even a new class coming in a future update, which I’m definitely looking forward to.
You can also create multiple characters and log them into the same world. The sim characters level and gear up as you play, but there’s always a good handful in your level range so you’re never stuck without teammates. Zones feel active, and it’s satisfying seeing other sim players running around, levelling, and interacting even if they’re not real players, the immersion still works. It’s actual comedy seeing waves of sim-player groups fighting bosses and working together.
Max Level and What Comes After
Once you hit the current max level cap of 35, there’s still plenty to do. You can keep chasing achievements, finish off every quest, and not only gear yourself up but also deck out your favourite sim teammates. Progression doesn’t just stop at the level cap either, you’ve got Ascension Points that provide extra stat boosts and keep that sense of growth going.
There are also some pretty challenging bosses and endgame dungeons to tackle, with raids announced as a future update too. Whether you’re a completionist or someone who enjoys gearing up your party, Erenshor offers a fair bit of longevity.
Final Thoughts – A Solo MMORPG That Just Works
With consistent updates and some great features planned, like full raid content, and a modding system that already adds tons of quality-of-life improvements, Erenshor is a hidden gem that more MMORPG fans need to try. The fact that it’s made by a solo dev who also works full-time is incredibly impressive. There’s nothing flashy or overly ambitious here, it’s just solid, and nails that classic MMO vibe better than most modern games trying to do the same.
I played 50 hours in a week. That’s rare for me these days, but Erenshor genuinely had me hooked.
There’s honestly not a lot I’d change with Erenshor. I love the limited handholding, and the progression is genuinely enjoyable. If I had to ask for anything, I’d love to see more zones, more endgame dungeons and bosses, and maybe even a few new game modes that shake up the formula added as expansion updates every now and again. Stuff that gives you new reasons to keep coming back, growing stronger, and challenging even harder content would really take it to the next level.
