Fans of the survival genre will have something good to look forward to as Inflexion Games’ initial foray into video games makes its way for Early Access—Nightingale.
The 100-person Canada-based development team, while still new, is led by founder Aaryn Flynn who gamers might know for being a veteran in the industry. Before founding his game studio, Flynn worked in Bioware for 17 years.
Gameplay
Set in the Victorian era, following a massive disaster, players take on the role of a traveler who must journey through the perilous Fae realm toward the human bastion known as Nightingale.
With design choices akin to the steampunk subgenre, players must survive the dangerous undertaking in fascinating details. This means foraging for food, resting to recover stamina, and gathering resources to craft tools.
While the “Faewilds” are home to many treacherous beings, not every wild creature is hostile. In some cases, some monsters will not attack unless they are themselves attacked. But using either melee weapons or firearms, players can engage in combat whenever necessary or as desired.
Navigating the wilds is certainly a highlight in Nightingale. But so are dungeon crawls that see players venturing into procedurally-generated labyrinthine maps.
Singleplayer Campaign
While solo players will enjoy the freedom and independence of playing the single-player campaign, they are not alone in-game. Non-playable characters based on literary sources such as Mr. Hyde and Victor Frankenstein help give the players direction through quests.
Other NPCs are recruitable, too; giving the players company during combat and even aid when gathering resources.
Multiplayer
However, individuals looking to enjoy the game with others will likely not be disappointed with the game’s multi-player element. This will mostly come from raids, where players can play with others towards a common goal—overpower the enemy as a group. This element of the game comes unsurprising, considering that it was originally designed to be an MMO before ditching the idea in favor of survival instead.
Early Access, Platforms
Nightingale officially entered Early Access on February 20, 2024, without a definitive release date for the full release. The game is currently exclusive to PC—playable on either Steam or Epic Game Store.