Genre: Strategy / Real-time
Publisher: Argus Press Software
Year: 1987
System: Amstrad CPC
Nether Earth is one of the earliest real-time strategy games, set in a bleak sci-fi future where humans battle the alien Insignian race using giant combat robots. Players pilot an anti-gravity flying unit across an isometric battlefield, capturing neutral factories and constructing custom mechs from components like locomotion modules (bipod, tracked, anti-grav), weapons (cannon, missiles, phasers, nuclear), and optional electronics. These factories generate vital resources that fuel ongoing production. Players can issue AI-controlled commands to robots or take direct control in tactical moments. The objective is to strategically seize all enemy bases through resource management, tactical unit design, and battlefield decisions. Its pioneering blend of resource gathering, unit construction, and real-time action laid foundational mechanics for the RTS genre.
