As a sprawling survival game chock-full of resources to gather, strange creatures to hunt, and otherworldly terrain to explore,Nightingaleis naturally going to be at its best when a group of Realmwalkers is working together. That said,Nightingalefeels accommodating to solitary players when it comes to its combat, crafting, and exploration, and the rest of the genre could take a few pages from its book.
Speaking with Game Rant, Inflexion Games CEO Aaryn Flynn and lead designer Bjorn Taylor weighed in on how solo players have been factored into thesurvival game’s systems, as well as howNightingale’s recruitable NPC party members can help lighten the load for players in numerous ways.
Going it Alone in Nightingale
Based onGame Rant’s preview ofNightingale, its core survival gameplay loop is very forgiving for solo players. A single player is more than capable of gathering the resources needed for a modest home in short order, and players can instantly fast-travel to their home from anywhere in the realms. This way, players can mine a quarry on the other side of the map and immediately be back home to build what they need with their newly acquired resources. As Taylor explained,
The game is meant to be able to be experienced as a solo player. Some content may be very difficult, but everything is possible. To help players, they can acquire a NPC companion, which will help in combat, and resource gathering. We also have our social hub, where they can meet other Realmwalkers to potentially share their adventures.
Playing solo gives you complete control of your world. Playing with friends will allow you to play more challenging realms earlier. If you work together, your rewards will also be increased as you each get your own rewards for encounters. A great thing about Nightingale is no decision is permanent. If you ever decide to go it alone or join up with your friends, that is well within your abilities via permanent portals to friends realms, or simply moving your estates into the same realm.
Combat encounters and boss fights are more than doable in the earlier realms, though it’s clear that higher-end content is best approached as a group. Thankfully,Nightingalefeatures a social hub area that players can travel to and group up with fellow Realmwalkers. This is a welcome approach even for solitary players, as they can decide when or if they want to visit this place and group up with other players. Multiplayer isn’t forced onto solo adventures, and the social hub might be a great way to ease those players into moregroup survival gameplay.
NPC Companions Share the Burden in Nightingale
A major boon to solo players will beNightingale’sNPC companions. Players will occasionally encounter NPCs who need assistance with a certain task such as completing a structure, and doing so will make that NPC recruitable. These companions are all around helpful: they’ll harvest resources in an area around them so long as players have equipped them with the necessary tools, they’ll help build structures players have blueprinted, and they’re a huge help in combat. As Flynn described it,
You’ll be able to recruit an NPC who will help you gather resources and help build your blueprints, which is a huge boost especially when you’re playing solo. We don’t want base building to be overwhelming to players who don’t want to focus on that, so we offer ample gameplay opportunities to players to find resources and build into existing structures. That said, players will still need to invest in their crafting benches and stations by gathering more resources.
Players have full control of companions' gear and inventory, so they can continually upgrade the companion to make them more effective at gathering resources or fighting. Players can only have one recruited at a time, but it’s no trouble switching to a new one if players meet an NPC they prefer more and the previous companion will conveniently leave all their belongings at a well-marked location. With a solo-friendly survival loop and a little help from NPCs, solo players may have a smoother experience inNightingalethanthe survival genretypically offers.
Nightingale
WHERE TO PLAY
Nightingale is a PVE open-world survival crafting game played solo (offline or online), or cooperatively with friends. Build, craft, fight and explore as you venture through mystical portals into a variety of amazing and fantastical realms.You are stranded beyond our world, cut off by the collapse of the arcane portalnetwork. This catastrophe has left you fighting to survive in a labyrinth of beautiful and dangerous Fae realms.Your goal: become a skilled Realmwalker, and navigate the web of transdimensional portals. Only then can you discover your way to the magical city of Nightingale, the last known bastion of humanity.Prepare to make your way through Faewild forests, harrowing swamps, and shimmering deserts as you unlock the portals leading deeper into the lands of Fae. Cook meals, build shelter and muster the spirit to persevere in the face of adversity.
