Beautiful, compelling game. A must play for survival fans. There’s so much that’s right about this game it’s hard to know where to begin.

The coop- A true coop experience can be had here, with two or more players setting their respite in the same realm. Any player who has been invited can log onto the realm and craft, hunt, play new realm cards, redecorate, quest or farm regardless of whether the initial host is on. Returning to base is simple, with a quick travel option on the map.

The aesthetic- absolutely gorgeous, with visually distinct and further customizable realms. The maps don’t feel big or empty and the npcs and landmarks are interesting.

The crafting/cooking- complex and satisfying, with many options for tailoring your gear to your exact specifications. Lots of materials to work with. Farming is also fantastic, with quick growing crops.

The story- well written and intellectual, with a wide array of optional lore to engage with in the form of notes. Quests are fun, npc dialog is quirky and occasionally thought provoking. The game allows you to set your own pace and never feels like it’s being pushy or insistent. The story is a little unclear in the very beginning but comes together well. The npcs have personality and I found myself invested in their struggles. Quest rewards are relevant and helpful.

The combat- difficulty slider feels impactful. Casual, story driven gamers and more combat focused players, and levels in between, can find a good balance of difficulty that works for them. Controls are responsive, melee is fun but not overly complex, and the gun/bow play is accurate. Your npc companions (survivors) can tag along and help you fight and revive you if you die. Death is not not overly punishing. Bosses have actual moves and mechanics, making the fights genuinely enjoyable. They do respawn for farming. The “boss rush” and raid boss style fights toward the end of the game are tough, fun, and have replayability.

Sounds- I tend to play with sound off in a lot of games, but I turn the volume up in nightengale. The music, the sounds of birds and animals and leaves rustling, enemies grouping up, all blend together well, with no one sound overpowering. The music itself is lovely, and well chosen to fit the environments. The voice actors all have beautiful, resonant voices. Like theater or opera.

Building- building is allowed everywhere, no restricted areas. You start with crude structures and unlock more styles as you progress. The stairs options are top tier, no awkward, angular staircases that look an eyesore, no trying to mesh together regular stairs to make spirals, they’re included in the blueprints of every tier except the first. No awkward snap points with visible seams. It’s easy to get carried away building big, grand structures with the wide variety of architectural styles in the game, with every wall and window and roof shingle detailed. Builds in this game look clean and impressive. Portals can be built at base to open new realms or play minor cards, which modify realms. The crafting station augments and build menu were recently updated and are very user friendly.

The card system- with the exception of using cards to open or reopen realms, you are not forced to engage with the mechanic at all if you’re not interested. But you should, because the cards let you further customize your game experience and add another layer of enjoyment. You can buff your combat, crafting, or building. Add fun and whimsical modifiers to realms. Remove debuffs or add them for extra challenge. The cards also modify the look and weather of the realms.

The survivors- you can recruit npcs to help in your journey. They can fight with you, help carry items, and after this latest update, you can recruit more than one and set them to gathering tasks around your base. They do get a little buggy sometimes but they’re helpful and benefit from being armed and given tools and clothes.

The fishing- deserves its own category because it’s perfect.

Enchants- The magic in this game is fun, very effective in combat, and unobtrusive if you don’t want to use it. Instead of dedicated magic weapons, enchantments are added to melee weapons. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it flows well in the combat.

The devs- seem very responsive to player feedback and very active with content and quality of life updates.

Optimization- I’m not an expert on game optimization, but I play on mid/low settings on low end pc, and everything runs a smooth 60 fps with no stuttering and still looks breathtaking.


I feel like this beautiful, engrossing, absolute gem of a game should not be overlooked or judged too harshly by its pre update reviews. I could spend another hundred hours living in this lush, vibrant world, building beautiful village bases and crafting new gear to go take on the bosses again.
My only genuine complaint is that the story isn’t finished yet. I’m dying to see the ending.

Beautiful, compelling game. A must play for survival fans. There’s so much that’s right about this game it’s hard to know where to begin. The coop- A true coop experience can be had here, with two or more players setting their respite in the same realm. Any player who has been invited can log onto the realm and craft, hunt, play new realm cards, redecorate, quest or farm regardless of whether the initial host is on. Returning to base is simple, with a quick travel option on the map. The aesthetic- absolutely gorgeous, with visually distinct and further customizable realms. The maps don’t feel big or empty and the npcs and landmarks are interesting. The crafting/cooking- complex and satisfying, with many options for tailoring your gear to your exact specifications. Lots of materials to work with. Farming is also fantastic, with quick growing crops. The story- well written and intellectual, with a wide array of optional lore to engage with in the form of notes. Quests are fun, npc dialog is quirky and occasionally thought provoking. The game allows you to set your own pace and never feels like it’s being pushy or insistent. The story is a little unclear in the very beginning but comes together well. The npcs have personality and I found myself invested in their struggles. Quest rewards are relevant and helpful. The combat- difficulty slider feels impactful. Casual, story driven gamers and more combat focused players, and levels in between, can find a good balance of difficulty that works for them. Controls are responsive, melee is fun but not overly complex, and the gun/bow play is accurate. Your npc companions (survivors) can tag along and help you fight and revive you if you die. Death is not not overly punishing. Bosses have actual moves and mechanics, making the fights genuinely enjoyable. They do respawn for farming. The “boss rush” and raid boss style fights toward the end of the game are tough, fun, and have replayability. Sounds- I tend to play with sound off in a lot of games, but I turn the volume up in nightengale. The music, the sounds of birds and animals and leaves rustling, enemies grouping up, all blend together well, with no one sound overpowering. The music itself is lovely, and well chosen to fit the environments. The voice actors all have beautiful, resonant voices. Like theater or opera. Building- building is allowed everywhere, no restricted areas. You start with crude structures and unlock more styles as you progress. The stairs options are top tier, no awkward, angular staircases that look an eyesore, no trying to mesh together regular stairs to make spirals, they’re included in the blueprints of every tier except the first. No awkward snap points with visible seams. It’s easy to get carried away building big, grand structures with the wide variety of architectural styles in the game, with every wall and window and roof shingle detailed. Builds in this game look clean and impressive. Portals can be built at base to open new realms or play minor cards, which modify realms. The crafting station augments and build menu were recently updated and are very user friendly. The card system- with the exception of using cards to open or reopen realms, you are not forced to engage with the mechanic at all if you’re not interested. But you should, because the cards let you further customize your game experience and add another layer of enjoyment. You can buff your combat, crafting, or building. Add fun and whimsical modifiers to realms. Remove debuffs or add them for extra challenge. The cards also modify the look and weather of the realms. The survivors- you can recruit npcs to help in your journey. They can fight with you, help carry items, and after this latest update, you can recruit more than one and set them to gathering tasks around your base. They do get a little buggy sometimes but they’re helpful and benefit from being armed and given tools and clothes. The fishing- deserves its own category because it’s perfect. Enchants- The magic in this game is fun, very effective in combat, and unobtrusive if you don’t want to use it. Instead of dedicated magic weapons, enchantments are added to melee weapons. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it flows well in the combat. The devs- seem very responsive to player feedback and very active with content and quality of life updates. Optimization- I’m not an expert on game optimization, but I play on mid/low settings on low end pc, and everything runs a smooth 60 fps with no stuttering and still looks breathtaking. I feel like this beautiful, engrossing, absolute gem of a game should not be overlooked or judged too harshly by its pre update reviews. I could spend another hundred hours living in this lush, vibrant world, building beautiful village bases and crafting new gear to go take on the bosses again. My only genuine complaint is that the story isn’t finished yet. I’m dying to see the ending.