So, exploration. As it turns out, this is Nethergate’s greatest strength. Despite the basic graphics, Spiderweb has created a large, detailed and believable world overflowing with little touches and hidden corners. Shadowvale is brimming with unusual encounters, abandoned guard towers, burial grounds, standing stones with sacrificial altars, civilisations hidden in caverns and hermits in secret alcoves. Some of these are merely cryptic oddities and others lead to side quests or major dungeons. As an example, I encountered a man tied to a stake near the river, close to death. Freeing him, he was too weak to speak but dived into the river - and never reappeared. It wasn’t immediately obvious what had happened and it was quite a while later that I discovered the bigger story. These stories and odd encounters can be found all through Shadowvale.​