Gaslamp fantasy is the magical counterpoint to the Victorian steampunk, making it a promising setting for narratives like the upcoming survival crafting game Nightingale. Part of that scene is the prevalence of Fae creatures in Inflexion’s world. Using fairies and broader Fae creatures as a way to establish a gaslamp fantasy isn’t unique to Nightingale, as the interaction between human and Fae cultures in Amazon Prime’s gaslamp series Carnival Row comes to mind. Unlike Carnival Row, however, Nightingale takes place in a gaslamp alternate history of our real world, one woven through with influences from Fae creatures.
Developers from Inflexion spoke with Game ZXC ahead of the release of Nightingale, including CEO Aaryn Flynn, among others. The studio explained how the fae shaped the alternate history in the game, the game itself, and what players can expect from them in-game.
Nightingale Hands-On Preview: A Brave New World
Although the survival-crafting genre is seeing a resurgence as of late, Inflexion Games' Nightingale truly stands out from the pack.
How Nightingale's Fae Shape its History
Though many stories of Fae creatures depict them as tricksters, dangerous changelings replacing children in the night, or wreaking havoc like the redcap, Nightingale understands that Fae, both as individuals and in their depictions throughout world folklore, are not uniform. As Flynn described,
Going into creating the world of Nightingale , we knew that the Fae are viewed in many different ways across many different cultures, untrustworthy tricksters being one of the main depictions. We leaned into that idea as well as many other beliefs about the Fae, not wanting to put them into one box. Not all Fae are the same, and players can see that as they unfold the lore of the various Fae courts.
As Inflexion has explained in the past, Nightingale’s Fae fall into two broad categories common in depictions of the fair folk–the Summer and Winter Courts led by structures of nobility. Summer Fae are typically depicted as being more benevolent toward humans, while Winter Fae are seen as more hostile. In Nightingale, anyone outside these Courts would be considered a Ronin. Nightingale’s Fae has had a long history with humanity, interweaving with actual historical figures and events. The full details of that relationship are for the player to discover while exploring the rich worldbuilding at their own prerogative, but some connections to real history are immediately apparent.
Nightingale's Puck Embodies These Elements Too
In fact, one particularly important member of the Fae is Puck, who acts as the player’s primary companion in Nightingale. Puck isn’t just a reference to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but the actual Fae depicted in the play. Inflexion had fun leaning into Puck’s nature as a trickster. As Flynn described,
It was fun to lean into the trickster element of Puck. He is the player’s narrator, guide, and friend. But can you trust him? It was a lot of fun to develop his character and motivations to keep players on their toes.
Puck’s complexity reflects the complexity of Fae throughout the game. Fae will be allies, enemies, and everything in between for realmwalkers as they travel toward the lost city of Nightingale.
That complicated nature of Fae morality has also allowed Nightingale to explore some concepts of gaslamp fantasy’s broader historical backdrop, such as human hubris. Inflexion approached those common themes of gaslamp fantasy in ways that sought to explore moral complexities, and the unusual blue-and-orange moral spectrum often associated with the fair folk affords some avenues into seeing the grey moral landscape of human history.
Fae can be an excellent fantastical tool to tackle moral questions in gaslamp fantasy, as illustrated both by Nightingale and Carnival Row before it. Like steampunk, gaslamp fantasy also makes a great medium to reckon with humanity’s history. Seeing the ways the capriciousness associated with Fae has influenced Nightingale’s humanity holds a mirror to how we treat one another.
Nightingale
Nightingale is a PvE survival-crafting game developed by Inflexion Games, which is composed of former BioWare devs. Players must make their way across the Fae Realms, find their new home among the Realms, and discover what happened to the titular city. They can do so solo or via co-op, all under the guidance and tutelage of Puck - an ally, but can players truly trust him?
