Nightingale

About

Nightingale is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Inflexion Games and was released on December 29, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Nightingale is a shared world survival-crafting game set in a rich gaslamp Victorian fantasy setting. Players venture through portals where adventure and mystery awaits across a myriad of beautiful and increasingly-dangerous worlds.

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70%Audience ScoreBased on 16,164 reviews

gameplay860 positive mentions

grinding1.4k negative mentions

gameplay
3,019 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The gameplay of Nightingale has received mixed reviews, with players praising its unique mechanics, such as the realm card system and intricate crafting, while also criticizing its repetitive gameplay loop and clunky combat. Many players find the survival mechanics engaging but feel that the game suffers from a lack of polish, confusing tutorials, and performance issues, particularly with its online-only requirement. Overall, while the game shows promise and offers a visually stunning experience, it currently feels unfinished and may require patience from players as it continues to develop in early access.
- “Overall a great game with great visuals, good performance, a lot of ways to go about the gear, fun gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is great with everything you can expect from a survival and also in terms of combat, really fantastic ideas, design and world from the just 4 hours of gameplay so far I'm impressed by that.”
- “The core gameplay loop is exactly what I hoped it'd be - namely, it provides you ample reason to want to go out and explore, gather, and hunt so you can build, craft, and ultimately progress once you get back to your home realm.”
- “You'll need to endure at least 12 hours of repetitive gameplay to unlock another 12-hour pack of reskinned lands with tougher enemies (which are just the same enemies, recolored).”
- “Combat is awful and progression is directly linked to completing little dungeons, which feels terrible with dumb AI, jank respawning, and absolutely terrible stamina mechanics.”
- “The gameplay loop is boring at best, grind in games is fine, can even be good, but here it is unrewarding and just dull.”
story
2,845 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
The story in "Nightingale" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its intriguing premise and rich lore, while others criticize its execution and pacing. Some find the narrative engaging and well-integrated with gameplay, particularly after recent updates that improved quest clarity and streamlined progression. However, many players express frustration with repetitive fetch quests, lack of direction, and the feeling that the story is incomplete or disjointed, especially in its early access state. Overall, while the potential for a compelling narrative exists, players hope for further development and refinement as the game evolves.
- “This game includes some story elements, focusing on the last bastion of humanity, a city called Nightingale.”
- “Really enjoying the directions the story is moving, it's compelling and there's lots of whimsy in the realms.”
- “The main storyline is compelling, filled with memorable characters and plot twists that keep you engaged.”
- “The story isn't too great, seems like every quest is 'go get better gear so you can survive in a harder realm and find the next main quest NPC for some more vague dialogue about what/where Nightingale is', rinse and repeat, but it's also not finished so I'm hoping it improves over time.”
- “The story, as it stands, is barely strung together, and relies mostly on the trope of you finding logs and pages throughout the lands to explain what the hell happened or what is going on.”
- “The quests feel very MMO inspired, not really fitting the experience.”
graphics
2,640 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The graphics of "Nightingale" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and intricate details, particularly in the environments and character designs, which effectively capture the game's unique steampunk and fae aesthetic. However, some players have noted issues with optimization, leading to performance drops and graphical glitches, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, while the game showcases impressive artistic direction, it still requires further refinement to fully realize its visual potential.
- “The graphics are stunningly beautiful.”
- “The visuals are stunning, the sound is amazing, and the artistic vision is 100% there.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and I'm finding the game really relaxing.”
- “The game lacks some optimization, QoL, some graphic updates, more building materials, more content, and just overall feels like things are missing right now.”
- “Even on performance mode with recommended specs, I cannot get more than 20-25 fps and it's distracting because the biggest draw to the game is the aesthetic.”
- “The graphics are not what I hoped and expected.”
grinding
1,437 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The grinding aspect of "Nightingale" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive. While some enjoy the grind as part of the survival experience, others criticize the complex crafting system and resource management, which can feel overwhelming and unfulfilling. Overall, the game is described as requiring a significant time investment for minimal rewards, making it less appealing for those who prefer a more streamlined gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is shaped to reward and drive fast progression and not grinding at low levels.”
- “Crafting isn't too grindy, progression is satisfying, and the design and atmosphere are top tier.”
- “Nightingale's gathering systems aren't as tedious as a lot of other survival games (at least so far).”
- “It's boring, it's bland, it's so needlessly tedious to so much as even fart in this game without having to craft three different items to put on two different workshops (limiting the others in the process) just to build an item that allows you to fart.”
- “The grind for everything at the end, this can be tedious.”
- “The crafting is incredibly tedious and there's a lot of farming for materials involved.”
optimization
1,126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
61%
25%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback from players, with many noting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some users report smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others experience severe frame drops, stuttering, and crashes, especially during intense moments or when interacting with multiple enemies. Overall, players agree that the game requires substantial optimization improvements, especially given its early access status, and many hope for better performance in future updates.
- “See, you have to keep your workstations near to things like a forge or a cooking station so that they can benefit from the "well-lit" and "warm" optimizations that reduce crafting time.”
- “Realms rebuild update: the crafting and combat actually feels pretty good now, and even the game performance received a good amount of optimization.”
- “The graphics are absolutely stunning, I took a peek at performance mode and the only complaint I have with it is low grass render distance... and I mean low, like 5 feet away, but if you're like me and currently have a PC with high specs, the super quality settings are so realistic it hurts to not actually get to be in this absolutely gorgeous world.”
- “The game is so poorly optimized that nothing functions correctly.”
- “Terrible optimization, unplayable.”
- “Currently, this game struggles with performance if you don't have a high-end PC; additionally, the UI is lacking and there is a decent amount of quality of life updates that should be made, e.g. smoother movement, deeper combat.”
stability
510 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
88%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players noting a variety of bugs and glitches typical of early access titles. While some users report a relatively smooth experience with few issues, others experience frequent crashes, freezes, and frustrating gameplay interruptions. Overall, players are advised to approach the game with the understanding that it is still in development and may not be fully stable at this time.
- “Overall though, this is an amazing, bug-free (so far!) early access game, and worth the price in my opinion.”
- “I have played other early access games, and want to give a shout out to the dev team for releasing a product that is remarkably bug-free when compared to other early access games.”
- “It is still in early access so don't expect it to be perfect and bug-free, but the dev team is awesome and really listens and takes care of things quickly.”
- “This game is hard to play... the UI is terrible... the menus are hard to understand and buggy... I hope one day they work it out... but... they have a long way to go.”
- “I wasn’t able to play much because either when I load the game in or when I load into a world it just freezes and nothing I’ve tried will work, so at the moment the game sucks and is quite literally unplayable.”
- “Game is a buggy mess for now, might get better in the future, but wouldn't recommend it in its current state.”
atmosphere
349 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
33%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, immersive sound design, and captivating world-building, creating a unique and enchanting experience. Players appreciate the blend of relaxing and eerie elements, with many noting the game's ability to evoke a sense of exploration and wonder. However, some critiques mention that certain areas feel generic or unfinished, detracting from the overall atmospheric experience.
- “The atmosphere is captivating and beautiful.”
- “Nightingale's greatest strength is its world building and overall atmosphere.”
- “The beautiful world design and atmospheric storytelling draw you into a rich and expansive fantasy setting, full of potential for exploration and discovery.”
- “Gorgeous environments and atmosphere ruined by gameplay that takes place mostly in labyrinths of menus.”
- “The graphics are nice but there is no great atmosphere.”
- “Run the same 4 dungeons 1000 times, to get the recipe needed to get gear, then the mats to make the best gear in the game, but visiting the same 4 biomes but only making them harder and the atmosphere only slightly different.”
music
293 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
43%
1%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its enchanting and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional impact of the gameplay. Many players find the soundtrack to be beautifully composed, fitting well with various in-game situations, while some appreciate its relaxing nature during exploration. However, a few critiques mention that the music can be forgettable at times or that it lacks variety, with some players noting instances of sudden, jarring shifts in musical tone.
- “The realms are beautiful, the music is enchanting and haunted, and there's always another adventure to go on.”
- “The music is hauntingly beautiful, enhancing the emotional impact of key moments and immersing me even further into the world of 'the Nightingale.'”
- “Accompanying the visuals is a breathtaking soundtrack that perfectly complements the game's atmosphere.”
- “The music to me isn't very impactful and I barely notice it most times.”
- “The soundtrack is the weakest part of the game.”
- “Not a lot of background music, which makes for a lot of empty noiseless hours spent running around.”
humor
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
4%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, with players enjoying the comedic elements of character interactions, unexpected in-game events, and quirky animations. Many find the absurdity of certain situations—like characters lighting themselves on fire or the exaggerated traits of NPCs—hilarious, contributing to a lighthearted gaming experience. However, some users note that while the humor is generally enjoyable, it can occasionally become repetitive or annoying.
- “The trickster card in particular is hilariously fun to use.”
- “Watching someone gather up a bunch of bound and then everyone aoe-ing them down with quake and a maul is hilariously fun.”
- “The main NPC that is your guide is hilariously amazing and has his own flair for the dramatics which is gold in my opinion.”
- “I wanted to like it, but it was not funny.”
- “The jokes fell flat and felt forced.”
- “I expected humor, but it was more cringeworthy than comedic.”
monetization
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
13%
83%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players perceiving it as a rushed cash grab rather than a fully developed product. Despite the absence of current microtransactions, the always-online requirement raises concerns about future pay-to-win elements and downloadable content. Overall, the game's heavy advertising contrasts sharply with its execution, leading to disappointment among players who feel misled by promotional materials.
- “You always have to be online, yet as far as we can see there are no microtransactions, no reason for it other than the multiplayer aspect.”
- “The TL;DR of the updated review is that per industry news, the developer is working on an offline play capability for the game, which alleviates not only the current problem of disconnects and long realm transfer times, but also the future concerns of mod-ability and pay-to-win microtransactions.”
- “Sure, the connection issues that currently plague the game might eventually be resolved, but sooner or later the devs will either need to add DLCs or microtransactions to keep the game afloat, or be forced to pull the plug on the servers, meaning no one who bought this game will be able to play it anymore.”
- “Right now the game feels like a rushed cash grab.”
- “This game seems like a quick cash grab for funds, because the game is so buggy and uncooked, that it would have benefited from more development time before even going into early access release.”
- “The advertisements of this game are so off base from 75% of the actual gameplay it's appalling, to the actual point of rip off.”
replayability
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
Overall, the game exhibits strong replayability, primarily due to its procedurally generated realms and unique mechanics like the realm card system, which encourage exploration and varied gameplay experiences. While many players appreciate the sandbox atmosphere and the potential for future content updates to enhance replay value, some express concerns about grindy gameplay and a lack of engaging content in the later stages. Despite these criticisms, the game's core mechanics and the promise of mod support and additional biomes suggest a bright future for replayability.
- “Even after completing the current content, I find myself returning for more, highlighting the game's exceptional replay value.”
- “Hours of fun and near-infinite replayability with realms spawning differently whenever you need.”
- “The concept of procedurally-generated realms gives Nightingale the potential for longevity and replayability that could easily surpass Skyrim.”
- “The intro to this game is extremely boring and stretched for too long, the middle portion is extremely grindy and literally forces you to have to grit your teeth and bear it in order to get some kind of replay value out of it, and the end game after the first hour or two becomes obviously tedious and gets old relatively quickly.”
- “Hopefully the devs will listen to feedback from players and over time sort their problems and content out and make it into a special game that has replay value, but right now it feels like a 'one and done' type of game (complete once, never touch again).”
- “Considering picking this up again once it's in a more playable state.”
character development
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
52%
8%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the character design as visually stunning and unique, particularly within the steampunk aesthetic. However, some players express disappointment in the depth of character development, feeling it overly relies on equipment rather than personal growth or storytelling. Overall, while the character design is a highlight for some, others find it lacking or unappealing, indicating a divide in player preferences.
- “I love single player games that focus on good storytelling, character development, and interesting game mechanics.”
- “I think the developers have put some thought into the game, leaving it open-ended in terms of directional character development.”
- “This is now part of the character development, affected by how/what you eat, and what help you can hire/get.”
- “Did anyone put any time into character development or was that something that was missed?”
- “While the environment is beautiful, the character designs are awful.”
- “Character design isn't great; the faces remind me of ME1 FemShep, except kind of worse.”
emotional
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of emotional investment and disappointment in the game's current state, highlighting a compelling narrative and immersive sound design that evoke nostalgia and attachment. However, frustrations arise from gameplay limitations and lack of depth in character interactions, leading some to pause their engagement until significant improvements are made. Overall, while the emotional potential is recognized, many feel the game currently falls short of delivering a fully rewarding experience.
- “The game's storyline is intricately woven, drawing players into a narrative that is both compelling and emotionally resonant.”
- “The music is hauntingly beautiful, enhancing the emotional impact of key moments and immersing me even further into the world of 'The Nightingale.'”
- “That makes sense, but their choice for the initial build limit is truly heartbreaking in a game that advertises the amazing estates you can build.”