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Baroque wilderness-builder Nightingale has not been doing brilliantly since Ed Thorn described the launch early access version as “a numbers grind disguised as a gaslamp survival game”. We had moderately high hopes for it before the early access release – I personally enjoy the fairytale setting, with its pop-up Pucks and magic umbrellas, but I also think I’ve raised enough hovels on procedurally generated maps for one lifetime. Still, I’d quite like it to come good, if only so I can justify op-eds about Lewis Carroll, and I’m somewhat encouraged by what I’ve heard of the game’s forthcoming Realms Rebuilt update.
In particular, I like the sound of the new “handcrafted” or “Storied realms”, which sideline the procgen in order to make each of the game’s dimensions “feel more unique and differentiated”. They’ll form part of a revised and more “structured” story campaign which “takes you across previously unexplored Realms from the corrupted woods of Sylvan’s Cradle, to the gravity-torn desert of Welkin’s Reach, and beyond”.
Here’s the skinny from the Steam post in question – it’s the second of two blogs about Realms Rebuilt. “The Storied Realms are handcrafted Realms set within the existing biomes, each designed with its own theme, aesthetic, and challenges,” the developers explain. “Storied Realms will be introduced as part of a new campaign that will arrive with the next update. As you progress through the main questline, you’ll unlock unique Realm Cards – each leading to a new Storied Realm to discover and explore.”
To access these Storied Realms, you’ll set forth from a new Abeyance hub realm that houses a mystical Crossways – aka, a collection of ancient portals. The Abeyance Realm also contains locations where you can unlock tools and recipes, including new additions such as the bow and arrow.
It’s a “big step forward” for Nightingale, the developers say, not least because it will apparently increase “the speed the studio team can create new biome and Realm content”. Nightingale’s existing, looser survival game format will persist in some form, however. “While Storied Realms become the defacto worlds for mainline quests, procedurally-generated Realms will still play an important part in your journey as a Realmwalker,” the post continues. When not exploring a Storied Realm, you can still use the old Realm Cards to open portals to (read: set the parameters for) procgen Realms, which harbour resources and challenges.
Realms Rebuilt should go live this summer. There’s a lot more to it: a new progression system, a Regency tileset for the people who wish Jane Austen novels had more pickaxes in them, increased structure limits due to memory optimisations, and assorted new gaspunk gadgetry. There’s also a catch: you’ll need to start a new character to sample the additions, though you’ll be able to save your existing Respite Realms and any structures they contain to visit in offline mode. You can read more in the first blog post. Will it be a Final Fantasy 14-style turnaround? I’m not sure there’s quite enough excitement for Nightingale as a concept, but you never know.