Nightingale could be the next big survival game. We reveal what we know so far about the project from ex-Bioware developers.
Nightingale combines the look of New World with the strengths of Valheim: This is Daniel’s first preview of the upcoming game from former Bioware developer Aaryn Flynn.
Nightingale will be a survival game set in a Victorian-inspired fantasy world with an emphasis on PvE content.
After the announcement in December 2021, it became quite quiet for a while about the promising survival game. However, during the Summer Game Fest 2022, developer Inflexion Games delivered a current sign of life and new gameplay. We therefore summarise what we know so far about Nightingale.
Everything we know about Nightingale so far
Release Date: When will Nightingale be released
Nightingale is expected to be released in the 4th quarter of 2022 – at least in Early Access. However, there is no exact date yet. This also applies to the release of the full version, which the developers have not yet commented on.
By the way, we present even more exciting survival games that you can play in 2022 in detail here:
How much content will be in Early Access?
There is no exact list of how extensive the Early Access launch of Nightingale will be. However, in an FAQ on the Steam product page, the developers give a few framework details:
- Content of Season 1 completely available
- Multiple areas with different environments and ecosystems
- various creatures and monsters
- Comprehensive construction and manufacturing tools and building management
- Single player and co-operative online play
During the course of Early Access, further content is to be gradually added and the story expanded. However, it remains to be seen at what pace this will happen.
Platforms: What will Nightingale be playable on?
Nightingale has only been announced for the PC so far. A console conversion at a later time is possible, but not confirmed yet.
On PC, Nightingale will be released on both (Steam) and (Epic Games Store) Both platforms will allow you to play the survival game. On both platforms you can already put the survival game on your wishlist.
Will there be a beta for Nightingale?
Brief and to the point: Yes, there will be a beta for Nightingale. This is expected to start in the summer of 2022 and thus before the planned release in Early Access.
Interested players can already leave their email address for a newsletter on the (game website) . As soon as the registration for the beta begins, you will be informed automatically.
Gameplay: What kind of game will Nightingale be?
On the (official website) the developers describe Nightingale as a Shared World Survival Crafting Game in a completely new fantasy universe.
And with that some important terms are already mentioned: Nightingale relies heavily on familiar survival mechanics and focuses on exploration, crafting and PvE.
We’ll tell you exactly how the developers envision this in our preview of Nightingale:
You can either play alone or preferably in co-op. It is not yet clear how many players can be together in Nightingale at the same time.
A unique selling point of Nightingale will be its setting: In the Victorian fantasy world of Nightingale, the arcane portal network has collapsed. As a so-called Realmwalker, it is now your goal to find a way through different dimensions to eventually reach the eponymous city of Nightingale.
Realm Cards: More than an Open World
Visiting different dimensions is one of the highlights of Nightingale, because you are not in one big world. Instead, you can travel to different open worlds via portals reminiscent of Stargate and constantly experience new environments. One day you are in a huge desert, while in the next portal a primeval forest or a nasty swamp awaits you.
The developers have not yet revealed how many different dimensions or realms there are. The size of the individual biomes is also still unknown.
To be able to travel to other dimensions, you need to make the Realm Cards in Nightingale. These are special cards that you use to set the details of your next world:
- Biom: You determine which environment you want to go to. For example, forests, swamps, jungles or deserts.
- Monsters: Which enemies do you want to fight? Should it be spiders or zombie-like creatures?
- Resources: Depending on what materials you need at the moment, you should use the appropriate Realm Cards to progress quickly.
- Weather: Do you want it sunny, is rain enough for you or does your heart cry out for a thick fog?
The Realm Cards can be combined with each other, allowing you to tailor the worlds to your current play style. According to the developers, the dimensions are then procedurally generated, which means there will always be some differences in topography and layout.
No microtransactions: Although they are cards, the developers say there will be no way to buy special Realm Cards for real money. You will only be able to obtain the cards through gameplay.
How much survival is there in Nightingale?
In the world of Nightingale, you are constantly fighting for your survival. After all, you will encounter different enemies in the various biomes who are only too happy to get at you. And then there are the survival mechanics.
Nightingale is supposed to be a rather classic survival game, but according to Aaryn Flynn these elements should not become frustrating. What that means in detail, we don’t know yet, even though there should be some familiar mechanics. We assume that you will have to eat regularly, for example, in order not to lose life energy.
Whether you will also have to drink or sleep, however, remains to be seen. There is also no information yet on how to treat wounds or what happens when you die.
Crafting: What can be made?
When it comes to crafting, things get a bit more concrete, because here Nightingale relies on the well-known systems of other genre representatives. You gradually create your own equipment with the resources you find. This includes both melee and ranged weapons, as well as various armour and auxiliary tools.
In addition, you can construct your own buildings and build settlements. The system is also quite classic: walls, windows and doors are combined with each other as set pieces and in the end a house is created.
Blueprints wanted: However, you won’t be able to produce everything directly. Instead, you will discover certain blueprints throughout the game that will give you access to new buildings and items.
To access the resources, you must explore the respective biomes. On site, you can then cut down trees, mine ore veins, collect plants and possibly also locate arcane technologies.
Singleplayer: Can I play Nightingale alone?
While Nightingale places a lot of emphasis on its multiplayer option, Inflexion Games says you can also travel the game world alone. However, the survival adventure will then be much more difficult, because you will sometimes encounter huge enemies in some dimensions.
In theory, you can also defeat them as a solo player, but that is supposed to be quite a mammoth act. So those who generally avoid multiplayer and co-op experiences could quickly reach certain limits in Nightingale.
After all, in both co-op and single-player there will be various NPCs that you can recruit. You can find them stranded in a dimension, for example, and bring them to your settlement. There you can talk to them, do certain things for them or take them directly on your adventures.
System requirements: What kind of hardware does Nightingale need?
Since Nightingale certainly offers a pretty look, you will also need a correspondingly powerful PC. The system requirements mentioned so far are not yet final and can still change until the start in Early Access.
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: 3.0 GHz Quad Core
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce GTX or AMD RX with 8 GB video memory or more, at least 8 TFlops or higher.
- Space: 100 GB, an SSD is required
What do you think about Nightingale: Does the gameplay of the survival game shown so far appeal to you or does the scenario leave you rather cold? Feel free to write us your opinion about it in the comments!
