Mass Effect Vets Slam Nightingale for Being "Too Open-World"

Big changes are brewing in Nightingale, the new open-world crafting survival game from former Mass Effect devs. Read on to learn more about Nightingale and devs Inflexion Games' insights and future plans for the game.

Former Mass Effect Devs Dissatisfied with their “Nightingale” Fantasy GameNightingale Will Receive Major Update this Summer

Nightingale, the groundbreaking survival game from Inflexion Games, spearheaded by celebrated Bioware luminary Aaryn Flynn, will undergo substantial changes soon. Flynn and art and audio maestro Neil Thomson graciously shared a YouTube video wherein the two evaluated Nightingale's present state and unveiled plans to rectify problems in the game. The developers also articulated they are not content yet with Nightingale overall. A major update, slated for the end of summer, was announced to ameliorate existing flaws and issues.

"We are not placated with where the game is at, we're not satisfied with the overall sentiment, we're not pleased with our player numbers," Flynn proclaimed. Since its early access release in February, Inflexion Games has prioritized quality of life (QoL) changes and bug fixes. Moreover, and much to fans' delight, the team also added the coveted offline mode to the game a few months ago. Now, the team aims to better realize its original vision and address the game's shortcomings.

Nightingale is an open-world survival crafting game wherein players adventure across the mysterious and treacherous Fae Realms. Open-world games typically offer a vast of content and a rather non-linear gaming experience. The game, however, is "almost too open world, too self-motivated in terms of goal-setting," according to Thomson. To remedy this, Inflexion Games plans to add "additional structure" to the game. This includes clearer progression indicators, specific goals, and enhanced designs for realms which the devs said players have found "samey and repetitive."

"We do love the game very much, but we do think there's a significant room to improve it," Flynn said. "One major way that we want to improve it is to bring more structure to the overall experience. What I mean by that is greater sense of you as a player progressing; a better understanding of what you can do, a better understanding of the differences between these Realms." In addition, Inflexion Games is re-evaluating the game's core elements and considering adjustments. The update is expected to also include elevated build limits for larger and more complex structures. Previews of these new content can be expected in the coming weeks, said Flynn.

While Nightingale currently sits at "Mixed" ratings on Steam, the numbers for "Positive" reviews are gradually racking up, with about 68% of new reviews being positive. Flynn and Thomson expressed gratitude for the player community's support and welcomed all 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.

As with fans and the devs themselves, Game8 also felt that Nightingale offers little guidance and overcomplicates what should be much simpler things, like crafting. For more on our thoughts, click on the link below to read our review on Nightingale!