Nothmere

About Nothmere

Nothmere is a retro point-and-click RPG from Wraithwood Studios, released January 16, 2026, for PC. It channels 90s adventure games like Quest for Glory, with a slow-burn mystery set in a remote, memory-erasing town. You start on a shore with no recollection of who you are, stranded in Nothmere, a place where no one can leave. The town is guarded by magical wards against monstrous void creatures, but citizens have fragmented pasts and unspoken secrets. Explore crumbling alleys, solve puzzles, and interact with NPCs to piece together why you’re there, and why the town exists. It’s a self-contained mystery with branching choices and a haunting atmosphere.

Gameplay

The game relies on point-and-click navigation, with a dynamic inventory for collecting and using items. Each session feels like figuring out a puzzle box: dialogue choices and object interactions unlock new paths. You’ll investigate Nothmere’s sewer system, interrogate wary townsfolk, and sabotage the Mage guild’s wards to progress. Combat is rare but tense, requiring quick reflexes to avoid void creatures. The controls are basic, left-click to interact, right-click to examine, but the pacing is deliberate, forcing you to backtrack and re-evaluate earlier decisions. Choices about trusting factions or destroying wards directly alter the ending. Sessions last 2-4 hours, with frequent save points but minimal hand-holding.

What Players Think

PlayPile players rate it 89%, with 62% completing it. The average playtime is 15 hours, though 38% abandon it after 4 hours. Community moods are split: 45% curious, 30% determined, 25% uneasy. Metacritic scores it 82, praising its “hauntingly beautiful world” but criticizing “dated mechanics.” One review notes, “The story grips you, but the inventory system feels like 1996.” Achievements are modest, 80% completion rate for the main story, with optional lore-locked endings. While 58% call it “addictively mysterious,” others gripe about repetitive puzzles and a lack of modern conveniences like autosaves.

PlayPile's Take

Nothmere is best for purists who miss 90s adventure games. At $29.99, it’s a mid-tier buy with optional extra content. The story’s slow reveal and moody tone are strengths, but clunky mechanics and a steep learning curve will frustrate newcomers. Achievements are achievable in 8-10 hours, but completionists should budget 20+ for all endings. Skip this if you want fast-paced action or modern UI, stick around for its cryptic lore and deliberate pacing. A niche hit, not a genre reinvention.

Storyline

You awaken alone on a cold, rocky shore beneath a moonless sky, dragged from the sea through a sewer pipe with no memory of who you are, how you arrived, or why you’re still alive. Beyond the beach lies Nothmere, a remote town nestled deep within an inescapable ring of jagged mountains. No one leaves. No one ever has. Every soul who arrives does so the same way you did: broken, memoryless, and stranded. Despite this, the town endures. Nothmere is protected by powerful magical wards embedded into its stone walls, holding back the void creatures that stalk the surrounding wilderness. These defenses are maintained by the town’s Mage guild, while order and survival are enforced by the Warrior guild. Thieves lurk in the shadows, secrets whisper through alleyways, and every citizen carries gaps in their past they cannot explain. As you explore the town and its outskirts, you’ll uncover fragments of truth about Nothmere’s origins, the nature of the wards, the monsters beyond the walls, and the terrible cost that keeps the town standing. What begins as a search for escape becomes something far more unsettling; the realization that Nothmere exists for a reason and you may be part of it.