Ex-Mass Effect Devs Slam Nightingale for Open-World Design

Inflexion Games, helmed by former BioWare leadership, is overhauling its fantasy survival crafting game, Nightingale. This follows feedback indicating the game needs significant improvements. Read on for details on the planned summer update and the developers' self-assessment.

Former Mass Effect Developers Address Nightingale's Shortcomings

Summer Update Promises Major Changes

In a recent YouTube video, Inflexion Games' Aaryn Flynn and Neil Thomson acknowledged Nightingale's current issues. They cited player count, overall sentiment, and the game's current state as areas needing improvement. A major update slated for the end of summer aims to address these concerns. While the team implemented quality-of-life improvements and an offline mode since the February early access launch, they feel the game hasn't yet reached its full potential.

The developers specifically identified the game's open-world design as a key area for improvement. Art and audio director Neil Thomson described it as "almost too open world, too self-motivated in terms of goal-setting." The upcoming update will introduce more structured progression, clearer objectives, and redesigned realms to combat the perceived repetitiveness.

Flynn emphasized the team's commitment to enhancing the player experience, stating, "We want to bring more structure to the overall experience...a better understanding of what you can do, a better understanding of the differences between these Realms." The update will also include increased build limits for more complex structures. Previews of this content are expected in the coming weeks.

While Nightingale currently holds "Mixed" reviews on Steam, positive reviews are steadily increasing, with approximately 68% of recent reviews being positive. Flynn and Thomson expressed appreciation for player feedback and their continued support. They concluded that while further refinement is needed, the upcoming update represents a significant step forward.

Game8 also noted the lack of guidance and overly complex systems, particularly crafting. For a more detailed perspective, check out our Nightingale review (link to be inserted here).