Big changes are on the horizon for Nightingale, the innovative open-world crafting survival game crafted by the former developers of Mass Effect. Dive into the latest updates and future plans from Inflexion Games, the team behind this fantasy adventure.
Former Mass Effect Devs Dissatisfied with their “Nightingale” Fantasy Game
Nightingale Will Receive Major Update this Summer
Nightingale, the captivating survival game from Inflexion Games, led by ex-Bioware chief Aaryn Flynn, is set to undergo significant transformations. In a recent YouTube video, Flynn and art and audio director Neil Thomson discussed the current state of Nightingale and shared their roadmap for addressing its challenges. They candidly admitted their dissatisfaction with the game's current standing, player sentiment, and engagement numbers. A major update, slated for the end of summer, aims to rectify these issues and enhance the gaming experience.
"We are not satisfied with where the game is at, we're not satisfied with the overall sentiment, we're not satisfied with our player numbers," Flynn expressed. Since its early access launch in February, Inflexion Games has been diligently working on quality of life (QoL) improvements and bug fixes. A fan-favorite feature, the offline mode, was introduced a few months ago. Now, the focus shifts towards fulfilling the original vision and tackling the game's shortcomings head-on.
Nightingale invites players into the mysterious and perilous Fae Realms, offering an open-world survival crafting experience. While open-world games are known for their expansive content and non-linear gameplay, Thomson noted that Nightingale might be "almost too open world, too self-motivated in terms of goal-setting." To address this, Inflexion Games plans to introduce "more structure" to the gameplay. This includes clearer progression markers, defined goals, and improved realm designs, which players have criticized as "samey and repetitive."
"We do love the game very much, but we do think there's a lot of room to improve it," Flynn remarked. "One big way that we want to improve it is to bring more structure to the overall experience. What I mean by that is more sense of you as a player progressing; a better understanding of what you can do, a better understanding of the differences between these Realms." The team is also reassessing core game elements and contemplating necessary adjustments. The upcoming update is expected to feature higher build limits, enabling players to create larger and more intricate structures. Flynn teased that previews of these enhancements would be available in the coming weeks.
Currently, Nightingale holds a 'Mixed' rating on Steam, yet the tide is turning with about 68% of recent reviews leaning positive. Flynn and Thomson expressed their gratitude towards the player community and encouraged ongoing feedback. "We played this new version really recently, and there's still a bit more work to do, but I think it's elevated it quite a bit, but obviously you'll all be the judge of that when we bring this thing out," Flynn concluded.
Echoing the sentiments of both fans and the developers, Game8 has also noted that Nightingale could benefit from more guidance and simplification of complex mechanics, such as crafting. To delve deeper into our perspective, click on the link below to read our comprehensive review on Nightingale!
