Nightingale, the captivating open-world crafting survival game developed by Inflexion Games, is set to undergo transformative changes this summer. Spearheaded by former Bioware boss Aaryn Flynn and art and audio director Neil Thomson, the team is committed to enhancing the player experience. In a recent YouTube video, Flynn and Thomson candidly shared their dissatisfaction with Nightingale's current state and outlined their plans for a major update aimed at addressing the game's shortcomings.
"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 stated. Since its early access launch in February, Inflexion Games has diligently worked on quality of life (QoL) improvements and bug fixes. The addition of the much-requested offline mode a few months ago delighted fans, and now, the team is focused on refining Nightingale to better align with their original vision.
Set in the mysterious and perilous Fae Realms, Nightingale offers players an expansive open-world environment. However, Thomson pointed out that the game 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 game. This includes clearer progression indicators, specific goals, and enhanced realm designs to combat the repetitive feel that some players have experienced.
"We do love the game very much, but we do think there's a lot of room to improve it," Flynn emphasized. "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 re-evaluating core elements and considering adjustments to enhance gameplay. The upcoming update will also feature higher build limits, allowing for more intricate and expansive structures. Flynn hinted that previews of these new features will be available in the coming weeks.
Despite Nightingale's 'Mixed' rating on Steam, the percentage of positive reviews is steadily increasing, with approximately 68% of recent reviews being positive. Flynn and Thomson expressed their gratitude for the support from the player community and encouraged continued 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 noted that Nightingale could benefit from clearer guidance and simplification of certain mechanics, such as crafting. For a detailed analysis, you can read our full review of Nightingale by clicking the link below!
