Nether is an open world MMO of sorts, think of Day Z but with mutated creatures instead of zombies. The game is being developed by Chicago based studio Phosphor Games.

The game is trying to recapture that feeling of anarchy and survival that Day Z has going for it, only now they’re trying to take things in a different direction.

The game world of Nether takes place within formerly crowded cities, now barren and empty wastelands. The enemies you’ll face in Nether are not just other players (akin to Day Z) but also horrific mutant creatures.

The story takes place a decade after an unknown cataclysm has wiped out most of humanity. The game has a persistent online world, meaning players will be left to create their own stories.

You can check out the gameplay reveal below, courtesy of PC Gamer:

Nether’s world will be based from the city of Chicago itself, where Phosphor Games are based out of. The environments will be sprawling, vertical buildings that are explorable by players. The devs have described the city as “vertical, and three dimensional and dense”.

Obviously, the main difference between Nether and its inspiration Day Z could also be its biggest downfall. Whereas Day Z is very open and expansive creating a feeling of isolation, Nether sets to create a tightly packed urban environment. Phosphor are saying they’re trying to find the right balance between big and huge, tightly packed and just cluttered.

One of the coolest features of the game is a player or group being able to take control of a building or floor of a building, turning it into an encampment for as long as they have the manpower to maintain control of it. This will give more organized players the chance to start rebuilding a safe place to call home.

The mutated creatures in Nether seem closer to ghosts in how they move but they are definitely real and dangerous. The creatures themselves are called The Nether, and they are very agile and quick to hunt you down if you’re not careful. The Nether can jump extremely high and they can also teleport to close in on you quicker.

You can check out some more screenshots below:

There will be a closed beta for Nether and it will be coming later this year, you can sign up for it on their website here.