Survival game gets players to hunt for rooibos

THE INCLUSION OF ROOIBOS IN ‘ENSHROUDED’ HAS COME AS A COMPLETE SURPRISE, AND IS SURE TO DRIVE ROOIBOS’ VISIBILITY

SA’s iconic rooibos plant is featuring as one of the resources that players must find to survive in a virtual game realm designed by a Germany-based gaming developer.

Action-packed survival game Enshrouded was launched by Keen Games via early access for Windows PC users on January 24. The developer said it attracted more than a million users.

Players awake as the Flameborn, the last hope of an ancient civilisation. Set against them is the Shroud, a creeping blight that absorbs and mutates all life it encounters.

To push back the Shroud and bring life back to the kingdom, the Flameborn must master powerful weapons, spells and armour while fighting merciless creatures.

Players can use their creativity to build bases and epic homes to the most minute detail while unlocking unique items and crafting mythical weapons.

To survive, resources such as wood, stone, metal, leather cloth and other rare materials are collected by looting chests, crates and containers or harvesting trees and rare plants such as rooibos. Though in the game the rooibos shrub is difficult to come by, it is obtainable in the “Nomad Highlands region” and looks as it would in spring when it is in full bloom and covered in tiny yellow flowers.

Users can craft its seed to create a plantation or make a cup of tea.

Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the Rooibos Council, said that she and her colleagues were thrilled that new audiences are encountering the plant in the virtual world.

“The inclusion of rooibos in Enshrouded has come as a complete surprise, and is sure to drive rooibos’ visibility and reach new demographics. Gaming has gone from a niche hobby to one of the biggest markets in the entertainment industry with more than 3-billion gamers worldwide,” she said.

“Incorporating authentic products such as rooibos into a game often contributes to a more immersive gaming experience, particularly where realworld items are integral to the gameplay and are contextually relevant.”

The SA brew makes up about 10% of the tea Germans drink.

Last year, almost 10,000 tonnes of rooibos were exported to more than 40 overseas markets with Japan, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK making up the top five importers of the product.

Enshrouded is available on STEAM and GeForce and is set to be released in late 2024 for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S.