GamesSurvivalNightingaleAfter helping define the modern RPG with Mass Effect and Dragon Age, BioWare legend’s new survival game could thrive in a “melting pot of creativity"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSurvivalNightingaleAfter helping define the modern RPG with Mass Effect and Dragon Age, BioWare legend’s new survival game could thrive in a “melting pot of creativity"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Inflexion)
“I think it’s cool to see survival crafting having a moment,” says Aaryn Flynn. For the formerBioWarechief, who left his mark on everything from Baldur’s Gate 2 and Neverwinter Nights to Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and even Anthem, that “moment” is certainly good news – as Flynn and I speak, his upcoming survival game,Nightingale, has been through stress tests, press demos, and is now only days away from launch after more than five years of work.
“There might be short-term competition,” he admits. “Obviously,there’s only so many dollars to go around. But I think long-term it all nets out and everything’s elevated. And so it just puts more visibility into the genre, it gives us all more ideas, and it’s a bigger, more interesting melting pot of creativity.”
Gaslamps into the future
(Image credit: Inflexion Games)
Nightingale’s alternative history diverged from our own in the 19th century when inhabitants of the mystical Fae Realm – who had been shaping human development for aeons – revealed themselves to humanity. With the help of the Fae, humanity built portal generators to allow them to move between different realms, and Nightingale uses ‘Realm Cards’ to help shape the environment and effect of each Realm; one card might bring torrential rain, while another might conjure a deadly Blood Moon.
Good Night(ingale), Good Luck
(Image credit: Inflexion)
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(Image credit: Inflexion Games)
That uncertainty stems from the huge diversification that the survival genre has been through since work began on Nightingale: “When we cemented the bones of the project,” games like Rust, Ark: Survival Evolved, Scum, and Conan Exiles “were the big survival crafting games.” It wasn’t untilValheimreleased in 2021 that Flynn says he really started to see what a different kind of survival game could be like.
“It gave us confidence in some of the things we were doing here. Because Valheim is a really beautiful, distinct world – a bit of magic, a bit of mystery.” Creatively, Flynn admits that the Nightingale’s aesthetic was chosen because it helped energize the development team, pushing them to “make cool things” in its world, but there’s a palpable sense of relief in the transformative effect that Valheim had on the genre.
“They’re all so different, and that’s great. I think it’s fascinating – those games are all a different mix of aesthetics and mechanics and creative energies. The only thing they have in common is that I think they’re all 30 bucks. But from there it goes in every direction, and I think that’s really cool, it’s just a really neat place to be.”
It’s fair to say that our list of thebest survival gameslooks very different today than it did five years ago.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”