Nested Lands Early Access Preview | Promising Survival RPG with Bugs and Empty Gameplay

Every game begins somewhere. For Nested Lands, this is the beginning of a fresh painting - applying layers in hopes of creating a masterful piece of art. However, the canvas has just been primed, as Nested Lands lays down only a few brushstrokes.

Jumping in early, one should know that the full game is likely a year, maybe two years away, or even further. Nested Lands feels very early - almost questionably too early - to release for Steam’s Early Access. I understand the excitement of getting the game into players’ hands early, gathering feedback, and the desire to show off what 1M Bit Horde has been crafting. But releasing into Early Access could hurt both the game and the team, who have worked tirelessly, only to fall short due to unnecessary missteps.

Walk Before You Run

The game feels like an empty shell, with many improvements needed. The good news, however, is that it is still early in development and has room to grow into a fully detailed painting that could hang nicely among the vast wall of titles in the crafting/survival/management genre. But 1M Bit Horde needs to walk before they can run, and to do that, they need a foundation built on gameplay mechanics that matter.

Right now, the gameplay isn’t fully fleshed out enough to hook the player - it only offers just enough to craft the starting gear. Without that hook that players desire for better items, gear and buildings. We’re left only with a hammer and some nails.

The crafting survival genre has been around for years, and more recently we’ve seen the rise of the management addition to the genre, redefining the gaming landscape once more. This is another aspect of Nested Lands that will hopefully improve over time. It feels like it’s only a matter of time - but now is not the time.

Will Nested Lands Stand Out?

We gather survivors within a brutal medieval world, running from a deadly plague to survive not only bandits, but worse - the defiled creatures that roam the land and the spreading sickness itself. While crafting and building a settlement of survivors to join you in your quest to rebuild and survive, it becomes clear that this isn’t new.

For now, Nested Lands holds the promise of something more, but it has only just begun to crawl.

Will I Survive?

That’s a great question. Right now, the plague has corrupted me, and my chance of survival is looking grim. Animations are sluggish, limbs detach from objects - such as a floating axe I was supposed to be holding - audio cues are missing, and the game could use a full graphical update (likely to come in a future update, usually later in the development pipeline). The list goes on.

Co‑op works, though my experience was far from perfect. My character split into two people while trying to play the game, which was a disappointing experience at best. That said, all of these issues are subject to patch fixes and improvements - these are the struggles and growing pains of launching into Early Access. I don’t want to excuse the game, though. People will pay for Early Access, and right now, you’re better off waiting - waiting for updates, bug fixes, and refinement.

Chopping down a tree causes resources to fall from the sky, which feels like they should knock me out cold. By gathering these falling resources, I’m able to build the required structures to support my thriving village - only to encounter a less intuitive building system that becomes boring quickly as I watch a progress bar fill across the screen.

Other titles in the genre allow players to physically place logs or planks, creating a stronger sense that the player is actively building. Here, I’m watching my character hammer away while I sit idle, checking my phone until the bar fills - completely removing me from the gameplay experience.

The Plague

Pockets of spore‑like areas prevent you from venturing too far into the mist of the death plague - a toxic fog that will send you into darkness. There has to be a way in, though I’ve yet to survive long enough to discover whether the loot in these forsaken areas is worth the risk.

I appreciate the carrot at the end of the stick, always lingering in the back of my mind, wondering how far I can push myself to find better gear and supplies in these off‑limits zones.

They Speak

Often in survival/crafting/management games, the player character is silent, allowing players to project themselves onto the character as they go about their tasks. I was pleasantly surprised to hear my character’s voice as she struggled to stay warm or fought off bandits.

This added weight and importance to my character and gave her a sense of personality. Other titles may only present a grunt or a meaningless sound to indicate action. In Nested Lands, the character speaks with meaning and purpose, which helped ground her actions as I fought bandits or ventured beyond my means of survival.

As for Balder - our advisor who guides us on the journey to build a thriving village - he was average, though helpful.

The Final Brush Stroke

Nested Lands has the potential to be a gritty, dreadful, unforgiving survival masterpiece. It’s simply not ready.

I can see the vision. I love these types of games and have been following Nested Lands throughout its development. I was excited to jump in - only to be left in the cold, wanting so much more. When I was finally able to gather resources, find villagers, build a workshop, and construct houses, it all felt empty. The hook hasn’t been fully revealed in the game’s current state.

The skill tree is still in development, locked behind a future update. The way progression reveals new buildings and craftable items needs refinement. Building itself needs to feel more meaningful and contextual, rather than watching a meter fill up.

I’ll be waiting in the lands, lurking within the death plague, hoping the fog eventually reveals a more refined and playable experience. But for now, Nested Lands needs a few more layers of paint before I’ll return.