Nether is a first-person, multiplayer, survival game, where the player must survive in a landscape based loosely on Chicago. Players must scavenge the world for supplies and fight off the evil monsters that are hunting for them, known as the Nether. However, monsters are not the only danger to players; players are also a danger to each other. Players can fight over items as well as territory. A server can have up to 64 players. A map has up to 150 blocks of houses, with wasteland beyond the city. The player starts off just outside of the ruins of an unknown abandoned city, equipped only with a knife as a means of protection. On the player’s HUD are displayed the player’s health, which goes up to 1000, a compass, a stamina bar, as well as a hydration bar. The stamina bar will start depleting once the player begins to sprint, but will regenerate when the player stops. The hydration bar will deplete over time, so the player must search for food and water to scavenge. As the player starts to explore the seemingly abandoned buildings in the city, they will encounter various new weapons that they can pick up and use. These include melee weapons, such as knives and swords, as well as firearms of different types. All firearms require specific ammunition, which is also found throughout the world. The game also features an inventory system. In the inventory, the player can store eight items into a backpack, as well as separate slots for ranged, sidearm, and melee weapons, which the player can choose from the backpack to put into one of the slots as their active weapons. There is also, however, a weight limit of 50LBS, which the player must keep track of when acquiring new items. Additional slots on the HUD are assigned for medications and health items that they player can use quickly, if needed. There is also a currency system in the game. As the player explores more and more, they will start encountering money on the ground, which can be used to buy better weapons, as well as medications from a vendor found somewhere in the city. As the player explores more, they will eventually come across monstrous beings that seem to be the only inhabitants of the abandoned city. These creatures, known as the Nether, will track and hunt down the player and will do anything possible to kill them. The creatures produce growling noises often, which the player can hear if nearby one. That is usually an indicator that danger is nearby. Once the creatures spot the player, they will teleport closer to them, from a random direction. Basic creatures only damage the player via physical, melee attacks, whereas stronger ones possess more powerful attacks. Players can also encounter other players in the server, which make up the only other human inhabitants of the desolated city. Players can choose whether they want to collaborate and survive together, or fight against each other for the scarcely available resources.
Reception
The game received mixed-to-negative reviews, holding a 57/100 metacritic score.
Developers
is a Chicago-based game development studio. Some games they've developed are "The Dark Meadow" and "Horn".
