Nightingale Downs

About

You play a deer, tasked by your clan leader with a most urgent mission: Find and sabotage the plans of a local human settlement, intent on destroying your homeland. Your journey will be long, through dangerous jungles and facing many natural predators. Will you save your home?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

story4 positive mentions

graphics2 negative mentions

The game features a unique premise where players control a deer defending its forest from human encroachment, providing a fresh take on the JRPG genre.
The voice acting and story convey a meaningful message about environmental issues, enhancing the overall experience.
The leveling and Karma systems offer interesting gameplay mechanics that deviate from traditional RPG elements, making it accessible for beginners.

The game is extremely short, with a playtime of only 1-1.5 hours, leaving players wanting more content.
There are significant issues with polish, including bugs, lack of controller support, and odd keyboard mapping, which detract from the overall experience.
The visuals are low quality due to the use of outdated pixel art, and the gameplay lacks depth, making it feel more like a student project than a fully developed game.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of depth and brevity, with many players noting that it can be completed in around 35 minutes. While some appreciate the unique concept of playing as an animal, the overall execution feels simplistic and unpolished, reminiscent of a student project. Players express a desire for more content and complexity to justify the experience.
- “In a way, this is a very lovely new type of gameplay where you play as an animal instead of a person.”
- “The gameplay itself is simple and straightforward.”
- “Check out my YouTube video of the gameplay and see for yourself!”
- “There's little depth or interest to the gameplay.”
- “I was level 4 and I beat this game in 35 minutes of gameplay.”
- “As others have said, this feels like something that would have come out of a high school or undergrad game dev course--short, unpolished, mechanically lacking, and with an abrupt ending.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The story is well-defined and carries a meaningful message, effectively integrating themes of survival and humanity's territorial struggles within a fantasy context. While the narrative is engaging, some players wish for more gameplay to complement the story, and the voice acting adds a nice touch to the overall experience. However, the abrupt conclusion leaves some players wanting more depth and resolution.
- “The theme permeates the game in a good way and the story is fairly well defined.”
- “The voice acting at certain points is a nice touch that enhances the storytelling.”
- “Nightingale Downs is a game that is decently difficult unless you want to grind, with an interesting story that reflects real-life themes about humanity trying to claim territory, infused with some fantasy logic.”
- “In the beginning, you have to learn how to survive grinding, how to use the karma system wisely, and then, from one moment to another, the game is over, the story finished and... youp.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are limited by locked resolution and controls, preventing any customization to enhance visual quality or gameplay experience. The game opts for outdated retro pixel art, which may not appeal to players seeking modern graphical fidelity.
- “Resolution and controls are locked, and can't be changed or customized to improve the visuals or the control experience.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is criticized for being buggy, with users reporting issues such as UI glitches and the potential to encounter unwinnable states. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these flaws, the execution leaves much to be desired.
- “The game is quite buggy, but the deer conquered the world, so all is forgiven.”
- “It's pretty much what it says on the tin, so there's that. The idea had promise, but the execution is lackluster and slightly buggy. It's possible to end up in an unwinnable state, and UI glitches remain unfixed so far.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players note that the grinding aspect of the game requires an initial learning curve to effectively navigate survival and utilize the karma system. However, many express disappointment with the abrupt conclusion of the game, feeling that the grinding leads to a sudden end without sufficient payoff.
- “In the beginning, you have to learn how to survive grinding, how to use the karma system wisely, and then, from one moment to another, the game is over, the story finished and... you’re left with nothing.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “After hours of grinding, I expected some rewarding progression, but it just felt like a chore.”