Tools are the backbone of any successful demon hunt. Without your carefully selected Field Equipment, Agents risk missing critical signs or failing to confirm demonic traits with the certainty our protocols demand. Each item is designed to provide clarity, protection, and verification in high-threat environments. Enter the field without your gear, and you enter at your own peril.
In Netherwatch, the puzzles and minigames are an integral part of the investigative horror experience. Each of these puzzles is a real-world interaction: manipulating rings in the Scrying Orb, decoding signals with the P.K.A.D., or clearing out interference with the Thermal Imager or Shadow Projector. These actions should feel like the real thing - a genuine investigative toolset.
Our design philosophy emphasizes simplicity with purpose. Every puzzle must serve the story and mechanics without becoming cumbersome or arbitrary. This means:
- Adaptable complexity according to Demon state (i.e., greater actions or moves permitted when a Demon is Manifested).
- Strategic trade-offs - equipment might cost actions, i.e., Agents need to make the choice between movement, action, and time management.
We work hard to make puzzles as immersive and intuitive as possible, capturing the emotional tension of grappling with forces that transcend our natural world but still satisfying to solve.
Items are an Agent's lifeline and limited in how many can be held, making acquiring and dropping Items a constant strategic choice. Every mission begins with gear from Headquarters and grows as Agents uncover new resources in the field. Items are divided into several decks, each serving a unique purpose.
- Essential Items [ES] – Standard tools required to investigate and banish the Demon. Always accessible via HQ, this deck is not shuffled, and includes Field Equipment to discover the Demon's Traits, Summoning Circles to begin the Confrontation Stage, and Banishment Relics to complete the Demon's unique Banishment Ritual.
- HQ Items [HQ] – Specialized equipment that provides utility, protection, or enhanced investigative abilities. These are drawn from Netherwatch’s arsenal before and during missions. Don't forget these are available, they may just save your life.
- Scavenged Items [SC] – Unique items tied to the Location of the Operation. They can only be found by searching the environment you’re deployed to.
- Initial Items [IN] – Simple but critical starting gear. In the Core game, Agents may begin with the Flashlight and Shoulder Lamp before deployment.
- Demon Artifact [DA] – A single, powerful relic hidden in each game. One card is drawn at random before play begins and remains secret until an Agent discovers it.