Nightingaleis finally launching into Early Access on February 20, part of an onslaught of survival games likePalworldandEnshrouded. The beauty of this particular genre is how malleable it is, because these three games are truly nothing alike. Each game approaches its survival elements differently and has a unique core conceit.Palworldis about creature collecting, andEnshroudedputs as much detail into its RPG elements as it does its survival-crafting gameplay. Aesthetically,Nightingalesets itself apart by taking a Gaslamp Fantasy approachand blending the lines between its history, real-world history, and fiction.
InNightingale, the Fae brought magic to the world, but that world was already different from ours. Shakespeare didn’t write fiction because Puck exists, whether he knew as much or was unknowingly directed by the Fae. Victor Frankenstein isn’t a “fictional” character inNightingale, but a person players can meet in the Fae Realms. These characters exist in a world where journalist Nellie Bly and mathematician/writer Ada Lovelace do as well. This unique backdrop is then underscored by a system-rich survival gameplay experience that, even in Early Access, feels second to none. Recently, Game Rant was able to spend a few hours in the world ofNightingale, checking out its solo experience and its co-op experience alongside others, including lead designer Bjorn Taylor.
Nightingale’s Opening Hours
BecauseNightingaleis releasing in Early Access, certain things may feel incomplete or unfinished, but the sheer potential can be felt underneath it all.Nightingale’s Character Creation is already at the level where players can spend hours designing their character, and it’ll be even more interesting once Inflexion Games expands on customization features and things like Backgrounds, which currently only add flavor. Inflexion explains that it’s considering what more it can do with that feature, such as introducing background-specific dialogue, but that won’t be available at launch. Still, we were able to make our Victorian man look like Nigel fromThe Wild Thornberriesand make our entire family tree just clones of ourselves, because why not? From there, the realm byways fell apart, and we found ourselves in immediate danger.
Coming to our rescue wasPuck from Shakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dream. Knowing his role in that play and the fact that he is a Fae means trusting him could be deadly, but it’s not like our character has a choice. Puck guides us through the first three realms, which are composed of the launch biomes forNightingale, and teaches the basics of the game, from crafting and gathering resources to hunting and traveling the Realms. It is just a tutorial, one that should be familiar to fans of survival-crafting games, but it effectively serves its purpose and acclimates players to the experience.
From there, players are told to set down their Cairns wherever they wish, which repels monsters and allows players to build their shelter. We put ours near a lake, so we could pretend to own some lakefront property inNightingale’s world.
We received our quests, needed to improve our gear, and met some NPCs also stranded among the Fae Realms. We weren’t “set free” necessarily, but given the leeway to accomplish what we needed as we wanted. For example, we could gather resources and craft better gear for ourselves to progress the story. However, we managed to recruit one of the NPCs we met, whose primary function was to help gather resources and carry our burdens likeSkyrim’s Lydia. We managed the NPC’s inventory, which meant we could rob her blind of all the equipment that was better than ours. It didn’t get us the Gear Score we needed, but we kept it anyway.
From there, we bought some new items from a merchant, fought a few ofNightingale’s Bound enemiesand hunted pigs, and eventually managed to get the Gear Score we needed. Only equipped with resource-gathering gear like wood axes and pickaxes for melee weapons, as well as a little crossbow-like contraption that shot rocks, we found ourselves fighting our way through a temple covered in Bound enemies. The combat wasn’t necessarily revolutionary for a survival game, but it was more involved than expected. We had to keep healing items handy at all times, while we did manage to get on top of some high points and shoot enemies until they were dead.
From there, the freedomNightingaleoffered ensured that we always had a main objective, but we could take time to do whatever we wanted. We could explore each realm from top to bottom, work on our estate, find new materials and craft new items, and otherwise do whatever we wanted. Beyond its unique aesthetic,Nightingalefeels like a purely distilledsurvival-crafting game, pure to everything that makes the genre so popular, but we later learned we had barely scratched the surface.
Nightingale’s High-End Gameplay
When we joined a co-op session with others and the dev, they took us further into the game. The dev provided us with higher-level gear, better umbrellas for gliding, and actual firearms like a revolver, a shotgun, and a rifle. This is where the depth ofNightingale’s list of weaponsshines. It’s not a long list, but it is much deeper than most firearms in games. Every weapon, including melee ones, has a special ability associated with it. For melee weapons, this is perhaps the ability to block or do a dodge, but the firearms have unique ones too. For example, the revolver allowed us to fan the hammer and quickly pump every bullet into a nearby enemy, often obliterating them. On top of that, players can enchant weapons and equip spells to each weapon. Ours was pre-set, but the dev did make it clear that players can assign these as they please.
After that, we were given a tour of a developer-designed estate. It put our lakefront property to shame with its unique rooms, books, beds, tables, and other miscellaneous items. It looked like a village of scholars lived there, and it was truly an awe-inspiring creation. If nothing else, it’s clear that this game is going to see more creative players run away with all the possibilities. The dev then took us to a massive desert biome, where we trekked to a Realmic Transmuter. Every time players travel to a realm, they use two key cards to set up elements like its enemies and biome, but the Realmic Transmuter is where players can use Minor Cards. That’s perhaps a deceiving name, though, because they don’t feel like minor changes.
Using these cards, the dev was able to create moon gravity in the realm, was able to make it rain, and was able to summon a Blood Moon. The latter completely changed the game’s skybox, and it was truly amazing. It was perhaps the most beautiful skybox we’ve ever seen, and what’s more impressive is how these changes felt almost instant. The dev played the card, we saw some blue streaks shoot out from the transmuter, and the effect was live.
What’s more, we later askedInflexion devs Aaryn Flynn, Neil Thompson, and Leah Summers about the varied effects of the Minor Cards. Flynn told us about one that we did not encounter but are excited to see in the live game. A Trickster Minor Card essentially changes up resource materials, in that players could receive meat from trees, wood from enemies, and so forth. The prospect sounds so fun on paper that it’ll be great to see in the live game.
From there, our party journeyed across the landscape, got distracted by a series of caves, had to use climbing gear to ascend a wall, and traveled to a Realm portal. It was during this time that we took a moment to turn around and look at our party, as we all formed a big group of adventurers heading to their next destination (minus one player who was momentarily distracted by an enemy). It was a blissful pause in the gameplay that helped us truly see what our party was: a group of disparate adventurers, united with one goal, crossing the dangerous valley before us to secure humanity’s future. It might be a survival-crafting game, but underlying its gameplay is what makes every RPG great with an emphasis on the moments that are often taken for granted.
The portal took us to a swamp biome where we hunted one ofNightingale’s Apex Creatures, the Humbaba. This creature was massive and somewhat similar toFinal Fantasy 13’s Adamantoise, and trees and rocks would simply be crushed under its huge footsteps (which meant free resources). It managed to outpace our party, so the dev initiated combat as we all caught up. As he explained, it wasn’t immediately hostile because we were nothing compared to it, and that was true. As we approached the raging Humbaba, we could see it laying waste to the landscape well before we were in range of it, and as we helped to fight and defeat it, it felt like we were in constant danger of being one shot. At one point, it stepped over us and all we could do was gulp as we watched its massive torso overshadow us and carry on.
We eventually brought the Apex Creature to heel, bringing this portion of the preview to an end. The leap between our opening hours and the possibilities shown to us by Taylor highlight an exciting curve in the gameplay and story, while also providing plenty of insight into just how in-depth its systems are and how customizable the experience is. Survival game fans are already eating well when it comes to the sheer variety offered by the genre, but they can gorge themselves on the sheer quality of these games, likeNightingale, as well.
Ultimately, it seems clear thatNightingaleis one of many games where the refrain “more fun with friends” rings true, but the solo experience doesn’t suffer for it. Players are treated to in-depth systems, customizable experiences, and plenty of freedom to explore the Realms as they see fit. The story and lore developments may color the world, but it’s the players' world, the Fae are just living in it.
Nightingale
WHERE TO PLAY
Nightingale is a PVE open-world survival crafting game played solo (offline or online), or cooperatively with friends. Build, craft, fight and explore as you venture through mystical portals into a variety of amazing and fantastical realms.You are stranded beyond our world, cut off by the collapse of the arcane portalnetwork. This catastrophe has left you fighting to survive in a labyrinth of beautiful and dangerous Fae realms.Your goal: become a skilled Realmwalker, and navigate the web of transdimensional portals. Only then can you discover your way to the magical city of Nightingale, the last known bastion of humanity.Prepare to make your way through Faewild forests, harrowing swamps, and shimmering deserts as you unlock the portals leading deeper into the lands of Fae. Cook meals, build shelter and muster the spirit to persevere in the face of adversity.
