Technically that headline isn’t wholly accurate since Phosphor never actually managed to make Project Awakened; the game is currently on hold after its Kickstarter campaign fell short. That little misfortune may be our big dollop of luck though, since the team’s new project looks something equally tasty. Nether looks a little STALKER-ish with its post apocalyptic world, but its a straight up DayZ-a-like.
Talking to Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Phosphor explained that the current build is exceptionally early, and that they hope that the community can help shape it into something both the developers and the fans can be pleased with. “ Something we’re trying to do with this game that a lot of teams only give lip service to is letting the community help decide the direction of where this goes,” said Chip Sineni, creative director of Nether. “We’re not just talking about balance or loot drops or enemy difficulty. We mean literal feature driving. Like, are vehicles a high priority or not? Is crafting a high priority? Should more survival be a critical thing? Should you have to, say, fix a leg wound with a splint?”
“Or maybe people will want server options – like the ability to turn off all creatures in the world. Then it becomes a rogue simulator. Can you live in that world? In that case, it’s a much more subtle game. If some guy has a big backpack and a gun, then you might spend all day tracking him, waiting for him to make a wrong turn so you can kill him or stab him in the back.”
“There’s so many ways we can take this game. Right now it’s just a framework. Where it goes from there is really up to the people playing it. Because they’re ultimately the people who are going to decide if it’s a success or not.”
Despite being early and unrefined, Nether already looks like something special. The creatures have that STALKER other-worldlyness to them, and the survival aspects look as compelling as DayZ’s have ever been. With a few good buddies by your side, Nether could easily eat up many weekends. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.