Former Mass Effect developers at Inflexion Games are overhauling their open-world survival crafting game, Nightingale. The game, released in early access, has received mixed reviews, prompting significant changes planned for a major summer update.
In a recent YouTube video, Inflexion's Aaryn Flynn and Neil Thomson acknowledged player concerns and the team's dissatisfaction with the game's current state, citing low player numbers and overall negative sentiment. While initial efforts focused on bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements—including a much-requested offline mode—the upcoming update aims to address fundamental design issues.
A key criticism, highlighted by Thomson, is Nightingale's excessively open-world nature. The lack of structured progression and repetitive realm designs have led to a feeling of aimlessness. The update will introduce clearer progression indicators, defined goals, and improved realm design to mitigate these problems. Flynn emphasized the need for a stronger sense of player advancement and a better understanding of the diverse Fae Realms.
Beyond structural improvements, Inflexion is reevaluating core gameplay mechanics and increasing build limits to enable more complex structures. Teasers of the upcoming content are expected soon. Despite the mixed Steam reviews (currently 68% positive among recent reviews), the developers expressed appreciation for player feedback and confidence in the improvements. They believe the upcoming update represents a significant step towards realizing their original vision for Nightingale, addressing criticisms regarding a lack of guidance and overly complicated systems, particularly in crafting.
