Project Nomads

Project Nomads is set on the fictional planet Aeres, a fantastic world of gigantic floating islands, which are the remnants of the planet from before it exploded. After Aeres broke apart, the few surviving inhabitants settled on the drifting fragments of the planet.

Released: 2002
Platforms: Windows macOS
Genres: Platformer Shooter Simulation Strategy
Developers: Nebula Device
Publishers: cdv Software Entertainment
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action
Engine: Nebula Device
Country: Germany
Age ratings: ESRB T

About

Project Nomads is a 2002 computer game by Radon Labs released for Windows and macOS. A version for the Original Xbox was announced in November 2002, but never released. It is set on the fictional planet Aeres, a world of floating islands which are the remnants of the planet from before it exploded. Few surviving inhabitants settle on drifting fragments of Aeres following its explosion.

The player character is a nomad tasked with wandering across these islands, discovering mysterious artifacts and exploring the ruins of the long-dead race of Master Builders, a group of highly skilled and influential characters within the game's world. These characters possess exceptional knowledge and expertise in constructing and manipulating the floating islands that make up the game's environment. The only place to fall to is the Sea of Flames, the utmost depth of this new world.

Keywords

post-apocalyptic
steampunk
flight
wasd movement
real-time combat
floating island
nomads

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The majority of the game is spent on the player's floating island. At the beginning of the game the island sports only a single control tower, which is used to navigate. Throughout the course of the game, players can upgrade their island by building various structures ranging from defensive cannons to power plants that supply energy.

Structures are created with the help of Artifacts, magical remnants of an ancient era. Artifacts can be found throughout the game. While often hidden to a varying degree, these may also be granted through interaction with NPCs. When activated, an artifact quickly deploys into a building.

Reception

Project Nomads has received mixed reviews. The lack of key mappings as well as glitches getting in the way of gameplay were some of the criticisms as mentioned by PC Invasion.

Project Nomads won the ECTS Best PC Game of the Show Award 2001.