14 DAY TRIAL // 
Nether is another entry in the popular-of-late survival genre, where you mostly run screaming in a deserted city looking for scrap to build shoddy contraptions to use as weapons against the many creatures that want you dead, especially the greatest enemy of humankind, man himself.
Created by Chicago-based Phosphor Games, Nether is a first-person urban survival experience that does away with zombies and instead uses trans-dimensional fiends as the main antagonists. Well, aside from other people, that is.
The sprawling post-apocalyptic urban world is littered with various junk worth scavenging, but, during your forays outside the safe zones, you have to pay close attention to the environment, for death is always waiting around the next corner.
From the teleporting Nether that will relentlessly chase you down if they see or hear you to other players in the same position as you are, only with better weapons and a better vantage point, you're sure to meet a rapid demise when wandering through the desolate landscape.
The most gripping aspects of the game, by far, are its state of the art graphics and the constant tension you experience while out and about, as the unforgiving environment can make a single moment of carelessness cost you dearly.
Nether looks great, and everything seems to have been created with a daunting attention to detail, from the vegetation that has overrun the cityscape, claiming back the land once stolen from the wild in order to build highways, to the holes you will find in fences, placed in convenient locations that allow access to the next area, while at the same time also providing protection, that make you feel like you're not the first one to venture there.
Almost every building that doesn't have a fire escape has some sort of improvised passageway allowing access, and you can jump from roof to roof and get from one building to the next by way of wooden planks, with all such little details coming together in a manner that will feel engrossing, making you feel like a genuine survivor in a world where humankind is struggling to have a future.
Speaking of struggling to have a future, as with any survival game, death is permanent, meaning that should you let your guard down, you will lose all your progress, all the experience points and gear you worked so hard for.
Nether makes it difficult for you to enjoy the game in the traditional manner, where you gobble up pretty much everything that's not nailed down and hoard all the ammo and weapons you can get your hands on, because it's meant to be played in unison with other players who have their own goals.
The multiplayer aspect is one that can't be ignored in such games, as the reality is that grouping makes survival much easier. But if you want to play the lone wolf, that's also fine, provided that you accept the implications of going alone against the unforgiving world.
The urban environment is one of the most striking points of the game, as the decrepit city is ripe for exploration, and you'll soon come to expect coming face to face with Will Smith playing golf on top of a van while wandering.
The level of graphical detail is astounding, you can play the game simply to enjoy the various vistas that the desolated urban environment has to offer, with crumbling buildings and abandoned cars, as well as the vestiges of civilization, fallen human outposts and hanged skeletons, speaking of the horrors that have befallen humankind after the apocalypse failed to wipe everyone out.
The city has a lot of Easter eggs for you to find, a lot of relics of post-civilization, and a lot of containers for you to loot, hoping that they'll yield something conducive to your survival, such as gun parts or food. You can go inside nearly all of the buildings you see, most of them being multi-story skyscrapers, in your search of the scarce resources of the wasteland.
Your journeys of exploration will have to be carefully planned, as you require supplies to nourish you, and you have to carefully manage your stamina, so that you'll be able to make a run for it should the situation call for it.
As you explore the world, you'll come upon new items and weapons, and you'll discover a variety of dangerous enemies whose attack patterns you have to learn in order to be able to defeat.
You'll typically be making runs between the few safe zones remaining, running deliveries for money and experience points, and looting the few containers you find along the way, while trying to steer clear of trouble.
The safe zones will be your only havens, but respite is short-lived, as even the safe zones fall prey to regular attacks from the Nether, and you have to band together with the other survivors and defend them.
The safe zones are the only areas where you can sell your excess baggage, all the junk you can find during your errands, and various Nether body parts, in order to purchase a bigger backpack, armor and better weapons, and the food required to simply stay alive.
When you're not off delivering packages, you can embark on a variety of missions or you can go around the city claiming territory for your guild, ensuring that the group you are affiliated to grows in influence and earning some bonuses to loot and experience.
You'll also be able to craft makeshift weapons from pieces of scrap you find scattered around the city, as well as engage in cooperative PvE and PvP gameplay, if you should choose so.
One of the most difficult aspects of the game is starting out with absolutely nothing. As you gain levels, you improve your stats and gear and become more adept at survival, increasing your odds to either win or successfully flee from dangerous situations, but also increasing the risks you take every time you step outside the safe zones' walls.
The constant tension is one of the most exciting things about Nether, as you'll never feel bored or relaxed, your ears will be permanently alert to the distant caws of the Nether, and your eyes will always be scanning your surroundings for lootable containers and movement of any kind, even when you're admiring the view from the top of a skyscraper, always planning your next move.
There will always be surprises, and you will constantly improve, each run being better than the last, and making you learn from your mistakes and teaching you the value of patience and the careful study of your environment.
Another hard lesson will be coming to terms with the fact that you have to either run as fast as you can as soon as you see a name tag or kill everyone you see, because other players will waste no time in gunning you down, especially when you're harmlessly running around with a katana and don't possess the firepower to make them consider whether hunting you down is really worth it.
The Nether's AI is lacking to say the least, and they don't provide a challenge once you learn their patterns and get a better weapon, but there will always be the looming threat of someone perched up on a building and eyeing your possessions to keep you on your toes.
The Good
- Gorgeous visuals
- Very tense
- Highly atmospheric
The Bad
- Early Access
- Not much to do
- Other players
Conclusion
The excitement of running around fearing for your life, cautiously engaging in combat only after you have properly assessed the situation, and the relief of having made it back to safety after a lengthy run through the wasteland will make it worth it your time.
Exploring the decrepit city is a testing but pleasurable experience, and the relief of reaching a safe zone with a fresh load of junk and Nether innards to sort out, knowing that you have just gotten a little bit better at facing all the perils in the game is something that feels deeply satisfying.
