Ex-Mass Effect Devs: Nightingale Too Open World

Nightingale, the innovative open-world crafting survival game developed by Inflexion Games and led by former Bioware boss Aaryn Flynn, is set to undergo significant transformations this summer. In a recent YouTube video, Flynn and art and audio director Neil Thomson candidly discussed the current state of Nightingale and outlined their ambitious plans to enhance the gaming experience. Despite their passion for the project, the developers openly admitted their dissatisfaction with the game's current state, player sentiment, and engagement numbers.

Since its early access launch in February, Inflexion Games has been diligently working on quality of life improvements and bug fixes. A major highlight was the introduction of an offline mode, a feature highly requested by the community. Now, the team is gearing up for a substantial update aimed at realizing their original vision and rectifying the game's shortcomings.

Nightingale invites players to explore the enigmatic and perilous Fae Realms. While open-world games are known for their expansive content and non-linear gameplay, Thomson pointed out 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 game. This includes clearer progression indicators, defined goals, and revamped realm designs to combat the repetitive nature players have noted.

"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 upcoming update will also feature higher build limits, allowing for more intricate and expansive structures. Flynn hinted that previews of these enhancements will be available in the coming weeks.

Currently, Nightingale holds a 'Mixed' rating on Steam, but recent reviews are showing a positive trend, with approximately 68% of new reviews being favorable. Flynn and Thomson expressed their gratitude for the community's support 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 complex mechanics, such as crafting. For a deeper dive into our analysis, click on the link below to read our comprehensive review of Nightingale!