N.E.R.O: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure

NERO

Release Date: May 15, 2015

Adventure, FPP, fantasy, indie games, experimental/artistic, singleplayer

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Developed by the debuting independent studio Storm in a Teacup, an unusual first-person adventure game, the visuals of which are strongly connected with the plot and mechanics. The action of N.E.R.O. takes place in a surreal world that is projected in a little boy’s mind.

Gameplay
Mechanics
Technical aspects

N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure for PC, PS4 and etc. is an original, first-person perspective adventure game kept in the “visual novel” style, in which the artistic graphics are directly connected with the plot and the game’s mechanics. This is a debut production of Storm in a Teacup – an independent studio from Italy, which hires game development veterans who have worked for e.g. Crytek, Eidos, Midway, and Ubisoft.

Gameplay

The action of N.E.R.O. takes place in a surreal world that is projected in a little boy’s mind. The title’s originality is provided by the omnipresent bioluminescence. Landscapes lay in darkness are lighted by bright, fluorescent objects. Apart from the purely aesthetic function, they also play an important role of sign posts, as the plot and the journey’s destination are not initially known and they are revealed as the game progresses. Depending on your choices that stress such values as love and devotion, you reach one of several endings of the story.

Mechanics

Mechanics of the title link with the popular Myst series. The action is seen from the third-person perspective and the key element of the game is exploration and solving puzzles, which sometimes make use of different light and time aspects. Some of the puzzles are obligatory – to move the action forward you have to solve them. The rest is optional and they are there to simply make gameplay more diverse.

Technical aspects

N.E.R.O. published on PC, PS4 and etc. features artistic and a bit oneiric graphics that are inspired by such classic productions as Myst and contemporary independent titles, like Journey. The creators admit that they also drew inspiration from the Final Fantasy series, Avatar movie by James Cameron and Japanese productions created by the animation studio Ghibli. The reception of original visuals is intensified by an atmospheric soundtrack, on which you can hear e.g. the incredibly famous Icelandic band called Sigur Rós.

Last updated on May 16, 2016

Videos and Screens

[2:11] N.E.R.O: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure cinematic trailer

[1:43] N.E.R.O: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure gamescom 2014 - trailer