‘Voyagers of Nera’ – If You Ever Wanted a Playable ‘Moana’, Here You Go (Demo Impressions)

I will continue to bang the drum for Bluesky being an incredible place to find indie games. Or in the case of Voyagers of Nera, a great place for indie games to find you. One direct message and an email later, I was looking into this beautiful survival crafting game that reminded me of my daughter’s favorite Disney movie, Moana.

‘Voyagers of nera’ can be played solo, but it’s definitely meant for multiple players

I fired the demo up and got to work creating my character. I’m a bald Black dude with a beard, so naturally, all my created characters look like this. I threw some tattoos on him, colored them green (Go, Birds), and loaded into the world. As I do with any game I get on PC, I tried out the Mouse and Keyboard setup first. I’ve still not reached the evolution point in my gamer life where I prefer this to a controller, but Voyagers of Nera does control very well with that configuration.

There are some collection and combat elements that became apparent from the start as the game guides you through the controls and what you’ll be doing over the course of it. And my bare knuckles got talent, baby. My character laid hands on the two stone enemies that had the misfortune of stepping in my path. Your tasks show up on the right side of the screen, and you can get a better look at them by pressing ‘J’.

Voyagers of Nera‘s art style fits perfectly with what Treehouse Games is going for with the game. It’s colorful, but strong. It reminds me a bit of Orcs Must Die in some ways. It’s definitely something that holds up over long playthroughs, and that’s exactly what this game is built for. But only with a group of friends.

COME THROUGH, BRING YOUR CREW

Voyagers of Nera can be a solo experience, and it’s for sure a good time all alone. However, I can tell that this game sings with multiple players. And you can play with up to 10. I have every intention of grabbing the crew and bringing them into this world. The crafting alone might have us building at an insane rate. I’d guess that Shaun would be the one to be the crafting king.

But when we get on those seas? That’s all me. We’re getting the boats right, and we’re heading out to take on whatever sea monsters might be lurking around. I’ve made it this far and didn’t even get into Voyagers of Nera‘s narrative aspects. You wake up in a cave, and you’re tasked with awakening spirits on your journey. They “can teach you new recipes, empower your base, or even imbue your ships with magic.”

This is the type of game that has the potential to blow up and maybe take Skull and Bones‘ spot. I’d love to see Voyagers of Nera take over and be one of those games that everyone can’t stop talking about. I know I’ll be keeping an eye on this one. You can check the demo out on Steam now; it’s hitting Early Access in Q3 2025.