Nether was developed by Phosphor Games Studio, a bunch of top quality game designers with a track record of creating highly successful games across a wide selection of genres. Nether is using their own publishing house Nether Productions which consists of industry veterans with backgrounds in production, publishing, marketing and distribution of online games.
Nether is a post-apocalyptic MMO set in the fall of 2013, with a mix of FPS, PvP, PvE, Horror and survival.
This sound great or what?
Gameplay
Nether is a game that throws you face first into hell, a world filled with demons in a post-apocalyptic urban world a world that simple looks and feels impossible for anything to be alive. When start the game you are thrown into the world with nothing but a knife to defend yourself against horrid and cruel monsters that would kill you on sight. When roaming around the destroyed city you will find different items that may help you defend yourself. Like weapons and armour, these items can be found in the wilderness of the city or created at the shops that are located within the safe zones of the city, of which there is only a few. These safe zones may not be as safe as you think – every now and again the safe zones’ defences will shut down and it’s your job to turn them back on with help of other players. This can be called a mission or quest. There are many of them within the city, from defending part of a block to taking an escort quest to transfer a package to another location on the map.
Combat and Skill Trees
The combat system is one similar to Day-z, with a range of melee weapons and snipers however the range of monsters is extensive, from demons which race at you screeching, to enormous bats which can leave you flattened. These monsters also have the ability to pass through the world and teleport where ever they see fit so you have no chance of running away from these beasts. If this is not enough for you to worry about, other players around the city have the right to shoot you for the loot that you may carry just to keep them alive or just for sport. But PvP is not the only way to stay alive. You can work together with other people and share loot that is found, but to bring players together and influence PVP, PlayNether have introduced sections of the map that can be player controlled. You have to first sign up to a clan within the safe zones.
When fighting monsters and players alike, you are rewarded with levels. There are two different types of levelling – character levels from which you can choose. You must pick carefully to make your player stronger depending on what you wish to specialize in, but know when you die, your character loses all the skills and levels that it has earned. You start right back at level one. Then there is the system levelling, where if your character dies you still keep these levels. They can increase your health no matter how many times your character dies.
Graphics, Game Layout and Sounds
Graphics within Nether are really nicely done. The details of the monsters are terrifying to behold when they approach you. This makes you think twice before you put yourself anywhere close to them! The city is pleasing to roam around, giving off a real sense of a destroyed city. Details such as lingering smoke emphasises the fact that you are amongst ruins. The day and night cycle heightens the terror, as when night falls, monsters appear more frequently and ruthlessly than ever. The layout of the game has been carefully thought through, particularly in the sense of vertical levels. The ability to explore the ground and also to scale the cityscapes sets it apart from other games in the genre. It is rewarding to take to the heights in order to uncover more loot. Nether has also put serious emphasis into sounds, notably in regards to a particular demon that you can hear screaming from the other end of the map.
Conclusion
Nether is a terrifying game that pushes the players to choose between working together cooperatively for survival, and conquering one another. This game adheres to the common formula of a survival game; however it sets itself apart from similar games such as Day-Z. The competitive elements of the game involve trying to dominate regions on the map within the clan that you have chosen. Despite perhaps seeming constricted by the surrounding buildings at first, PlayNether have published an immersive and interactive environment which can be explored from top to bottom. Nether is a nail-biter which has appeal for any hardcore survivalist gamers out there.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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