Nested Lands drops players into a plague-decimated medieval world, blending survival crafting, village simulation, and RPG elements in a multiplayer co-op setting. Developed by 1M Bits Horde and published by META Publishing, it launched in Steam Early Access on January 23, 2026, following alphas and demos that built hype for its unforgiving atmosphere. With gore, mature themes, and permadeath risks, it targets fans of gritty builders like Frostpunk or medieval RimWorld.
Core Gameplay Loop
Survival kicks off washing ashore amid corpses, scavenging wood, stone, and fibers to craft tools like axes and pickaxes. Progression unlocks blueprints for tents, fires, and homes, shifting from solo foraging to commanding AI peasants who auto-gather, farm, build, and craft. Assign roles—lumberjack, miner, farmer, builder—via a village center, managing needs like food, water, and shelter to prevent desertion or plague outbreaks.
Exploration spans North Plains, Silent Forest, and Dark Waters biomes, with dynamic weather, random events, and loot in abandoned structures. Combat pits third-person melee against plague-twisted madmen and bandits, emphasizing skill upgrades and enemy weaknesses over button-mashing. Early Access features batch crafting, but lacks night lighting and full maps, leading to navigation frustrations.t
Plague mechanics demand medicine stockpiles, as infection spreads via contact or poor hygiene, wiping villages faster than raids.
Village Management Depth
Building evolves from shacks to fortified dynasties with upgradable structures: farms, smithies, carpenters, animal pens. Peasants fulfill needs autonomously if supplied, allowing macro focus on expansion while micro-handling crises like winter shortages or bandit sieges. Choices ripple—neglect hygiene, face outbreaks; punish traitors harshly, boost loyalty or spark rebellion.
Recruitment involves rescuing survivors during expeditions, housing them to grow labor pools. Customization spans hundreds of items, from tools to defenses, fostering replayable layouts.
| Role | Tasks | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Builder | Constructs/upgrades buildings | Wood/stone supply |
| Farmer | Grows crops/animals | Farm lots unlocked |
| Gatherer | Forages fibers/berries | No housing overflow |
| Smith | Crafts weapons/tools | Ore, fuel |
Third-person fights demand timing: dodge bandit swings, exploit plague-mutated foe staggers, upgrade skills for combos. Enemies heal slowly or regenerate, frustrating axe-only scraps without nails or bows. Raids scale with village size, requiring palisades and archers.
Open-world traversal reveals lore via journals, architecture, and dialogues, uncovering pre-plague history. Regions offer unique threats—swamp putridity accelerates plague, forests hide ambushes. Co-op shines for shared defense, though solo offline mode suits lone wolves.
Multiplayer and Progression
Online co-op supports cross-platform friends aiding builds or raids, with persistent worlds reacting to collective choices. Fame system tracks reputation: benevolent leaders gain allies, tyrants instill fear but deter recruits. Skill trees cover crafting, combat, leadership; story quests guide from rags to ruler.
Early Access roadmap promises quest overhauls, plague redesigns, village features.
Recruit via rescues
Co-op raids/defense
Reactive ecosystem
Strengths Highlighted in Previews
Alpha testers praised gritty immersion: dark visuals, corpse-strewn lands, and villager autonomy create tense fulfillment. Building progression hooks like Banished, with NPC delegation freeing exploration. Ambitious lore and reactive world promise depth, earning wishlist buzz.
Dynamic events and hygiene sim add realism absent in casual survivors.
Early Access Challenges
Launched rough: optimization stutters, missing batch-move/UI polish, invisible night interactables. Playtests peaked ~223 concurrent, signaling niche appeal over mass hype. Complaints include bandit immortality, blueprint hunts sans maps, 4-hour progress wipes from bugs.
No full reviews yet (launch imminent), but alphas note barren stretches, tutorial rigidity. Plague/bandit balance punishes newcomers harshly.
At $29.99 Early Access (estimated), Nested Lands rewards patient builders craving medieval grit—strong foundation for settlement sim fans despite launch jank. Dev diaries signal active iteration, ideal for co-op groups monitoring patches.
Avoid if seeking polished action; wait 3-6 months for QoL, content drops. In January 2026, wishlist/demo first—promising for survival diehards, risky for casuals amid low peaks.
