''Nethergate'' is a computer-based
historical fantasy
Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...
role-playing
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...
game published by
Spiderweb Software
Spiderweb Software is an independent video game developer founded in 1994 by Jeff Vogel in Seattle, Washington. Its primary focus is on creating demoware games for the Mac, Microsoft Windows, Android and the iPad. The games emphasize storytelli ...
for the
Macintosh
Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
and
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
platforms. The game was released in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
by
Jeff Vogel
Spiderweb Software is an independent video game developer founded in 1994 by Jeff Vogel in Seattle, Washington. Its primary focus is on creating demoware games for the Mac (computer), Mac, Microsoft Windows, Android (operating system), Android an ...
, and was Spiderweb Software's first game to feature a 45°
isometric
The term ''isometric'' comes from the Greek for "having equal measurement".
isometric may mean:
* Cubic crystal system, also called isometric crystal system
* Isometre, a rhythmic technique in music.
* "Isometric (Intro)", a song by Madeon from ...
viewing angle. ''Nethergate'' offers players the choice to play on either side of the story, as
Celts
The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
or
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
. The game's plot allows for several endings and many side quests, which accompany the main story. Spiderweb Software released a
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
called ''Nethergate Resurrection'' in May 2007.
Plot
The player begins with a party of four characters, who are either "A small band of Roman Soldiers sent to the Shadowvale to complete a mysterious mission", or a "Band of Celtic warriors told by your chief to go to the village of Nethergate for mysterious reasons". Shadowvale is an isolated valley controlled by the
Brigantes
The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geog ...
, and the game's events take place during the time of
Boudica
Boudica or Boudicca (, from Brittonic languages, Brythonic * 'victory, win' + * 'having' suffix, i.e. 'Victorious Woman', known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh language, Welsh as , ) was a queen of the Iceni, ancient ...
's rebellion in AD 60/61. The linear missions of the Romans and the Celts complement each other to a certain extent. The Romans are first faced with retrieving a satchel with vital information for Shadow Valley Fort from a nearby mine infested with Goblins, while the Celts' first mission is to acquire a bronze token from a nearby pit in which Goblins have made their fortification. From there, both sides make their way to the house of the Three Crones, who are very similar to the
Three Fates
The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads ...
of
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
. The Crones aid the player if they have a Roman party and give tasks to accomplish, but imprison them if the player has a Celtic party.
The next location is a ruined Faerie hall, in which the party acquires a contract between the Sidhe and the village of Nethergate, explaining that the party must retrieve three magical items: a Fomorian's Stone Skull, The Eye of Cathrac, and the Crown of Annwn. Once these items have been acquired, the party journeys to the Spire of Ages, where the Celts aid the Faerie leader in escaping this world, while the Romans attempt to interrupt him. In the "best" ending for both sides, Shadow Valley Fort is destroyed, the village of Nethergate is evacuated, and the enchanted weapons meant for the Celts are destroyed.
Gameplay
''Nethergate'' gameplay uses an
isometric view, and is somewhat intermediate between that of ''
Blades of Exile
''Exile'' is a series of role-playing video games created by Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software. They were released as shareware titles for Macintosh and Windows systems. ''Exile III'' was also ported to Linux by a third party. There were four game ...
'' and ''
Avernum'', as it combines the pseudo-3D of ''Avernum'' with a battle and conversation system resembling ''Blades of Exile''. Romans and Celts have unique traits for their statistics. Romans have better armour and weapons than Celts, but Celts have better magic, potion-making, and general skills for the wilderness.
''Nethergate'' is unique among Spiderweb Software games in being the only game to use a spell system consisting of Spell Circles, instead of the "Mage" and "Priest" spell system featured in the ''Blades of Exile'' and ''Avernum'' series. Certain Circles have skill restrictions on them based on the character's level of Druidism, skill in other circles, and Faction. These are:
* Health Circle – available to Celts and Romans; can only be as high as Druidism skill; contains spells used for healing and curing characters
* War Circle – available to Celts and Romans; can only be as high as Druidism skill; contains spells used for shielding and boosting the player's characters, as well as causing harm to enemies
* Beast Circle – available to Celts at the start of the game, but Romans must earn it by completing a quest; may only be as high as War Circle skill for Celts, with a fixed value for Romans; contains spells for summoning creatures
* Craft Circle – available to Celts at the start of the game, but Romans must earn it by completing a quest; may only be as high as the War Circle skill for Celts, with a fixed value for Romans; contains spells for aiding in travel around the game
* Spirit Circle – available to Celts at the start of the game, but Romans must find it; may only be as high as the lower of Craft or Beast Circle as Celts, with a fixed value for Romans; contains spells for damaging magical creatures and blocks
* Nether Circle – a grouping of five spells which may only be used by the Celts; also the most powerful and hard-to-find spells.
Reception
''Nethergate'' was reviewed in 2000 in ''
Dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
'' #273 in the "Silicon Sorcery" column. The review said that while ''Nethergate'' lacks the "bells and whistles" of bigger releases, it offers both "a fascinating little romp through a mythic era of history" rarely explored in role-playing games, and "terrific price-to-performance ratio", with a single playthrough lasting over 50 hours. For ''Dragon'', the game's biggest weakness is mission design that too often revolves around recovering
MacGuffin
In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail fo ...
s, and its greatest strength is the Celtic influence apparent in the
Seelie Court
Seelie is a term for fairies in Scottish folklore, appearing in the form of seely wights or The Seelie Court. The Northern and Middle English word (also , , ), and the Scots form , mean "happy", "lucky" or "blessed." Despite their name, the seel ...
, the
Wicker Man
A wicker man is a type of effigy.
The Wicker Man or Wickerman may refer to:
* ''The Wicker Man'', a 1973 British horror film
** ''The Wicker Man'' (film series), which includes this film
** ''The Wicker Man'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album f ...
, and the
Wild Hunt.
The editors of ''
Computer Games Strategy Plus
''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' nominated ''Nethergate'' for their 1999 "Role-Playing Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to ''
Planescape: Torment''. They wrote of ''Nethergate'': "Take an old-fashioned role-playing game and add a full-blown editor and voila, instant gameplay. And it gives you more gameplay for your gaming dollar than most commercial games".
''
Inside Mac Games
''Inside Mac Games'' (''IMG'') started in 1993 as an electronic magazine about video games for the Mac. It was distributed on floppy disk, then CD-ROM, and eventually became a website.
History
In 1992, Tuncer Deniz, who was unemployed, decided ...
'' rated ''Nethergate'' 3 out of 5. The review praised the game's high quality plot and "rich sense of history" but criticized the crude graphics, combat and character advancement mechanics, and interface.
''Nethergate: Resurrection''
A revamped version of ''Nethergate'' titled ''Nethergate: Resurrection'' was released for Macintosh on May 21, 2007, with the Windows version released on August 9. Changes to the game include:
* Use of the ''
Blades of Avernum'' game engine, which also provides a quest log, a nicer
automap
A mini-map or minimap is a miniature map HUD element that is often placed at a screen corner in video games to help players in orienting themselves within the game world. They are often only a small portion of the screen and must be selective ...
, and improved graphical features.
* Two new dungeons, several new quests, and many new magic items.
* The game is universal on Intel Macintosh and compatible with
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, released five years earlier, which was then the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft W ...
.
Saved games from ''Nethergate'' are not compatible with ''Nethergate: Resurrection''. Customers who had purchased the original game also received a thirteen-dollar discount.
References
External links
*
Spiderweb Software Homepage
{{Spiderweb Software
1998 video games
Historical fantasy video games
Fantasy role-playing video games
Spiderweb Software games
Indie games
Classic Mac OS games
Windows games
Video games set in 1st-century Roman Empire
Video games based on Celtic mythology
Works set in Roman Britain
Fiction about druidry
Religion in fantasy fiction
Video games developed in the United States
Video games with isometric graphics
Single-player video games