Nightingale: Who is Nellie Bly?

In Inflexion Games’ open-world survival-crafting game Nightingale, players can interact with a varied cast of historical and fictional characters. Shakespeare’s Puck and gentleman adventurer Allan Quartermain rub shoulders with programmer Ada Lovelace and the tortured Dr. Henry Jekyll – with alter ego Edward Hyde close at hand, of course. One of the many historical figures appearing in Nightingale is Nellie Bly, a journalist and crusader for the rights of women.

In a conversation with Game Rant, the Nightingale team revealed that Bly is one of the characters they are most excited to bring into the game. “It’s hard not to fall in love with Nellie Bly,” one team member said, and “I challenge anyone to read her investigative journalism on the mistreatment of women in asylums and not fall in love.” Nightingale may be some players’ first experience with Nellie Bly, but they will certainly come to learn much more about this compelling historical figure as they play the game.

Nellie Bly: Journalist And Explorer

Born Elizabeth Cochran, she began her journalism career writing pieces for the Pittsburgh Dispatch under the pseudonym “Lonely Orphan Girl.” She later began publishing in the Dispatch under the name Nellie Bly, which she took from the Stephen Foster song “Nelly Bly.” At the Dispatch, Bly argued in favor of more job opportunities for women, changes to divorce laws, and better conditions in factories. She was a hard-hitting journalist, unafraid to publish controversial work even when she received complaints. Her most famous piece, Ten Days in a Mad-House, saw Bly temporarily committed to a woman’s asylum to expose the cruel and neglectful treatment of inmates.

In 1888 – one year before Nightingale’s setting of 1889 – Bly traveled around the world in an attempt to replicate the Jules Verne novel Around The World In 80 Days. She ultimately made the trip in 72 days, which was briefly a world record. Bly continued to write until her death in 1922, including serving as a front-line war reporter in World War I, the first woman to do so. Posthumously, she has served as the inspiration for films, plays, and board games, and given an award for her journalism.

Nightingale’s Nellie Bly is a Brave Adventurer

The Inflexion team cited Bly as a perfect example of how the game retains the core identities of its characters while exploring how the Pale and the integration of human and Fae Realms might have altered their lives. They thoroughly researched each historical figure they chose to include in Nightingale before making any changes. Of Nellie Bly’s role in the game, they said,

We familiarize ourselves with the historical figures and what they did or represented. We also read any publications or letters of theirs that are available to get a sense of their voice. But then we also consider how this person may have changed if the Fae were an important part of their world. Nellie Bly is a great example. While she is still a journalist first and foremost, her brave spirit sees her join the ranks of the Explorers faction

The Explorers are one of four factions who control the Transepts, portals located within architecturally significant buildings in the titular City of Nightingale. As an Explorer, Nellie Bly likely travels extensively within the Fae Realms, much like the players themselves will as they set out to reach the city. It remains to be seen exactly what role Nellie Bly will play in the story of Nightingale, although her real-world personality and accomplishments indicate that she will likely be a heroic figure. As a journalist, she may be a source of information for the player about Nightingale’s rich and complex world.

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?

Developer

Inflexion Games

Publisher

Inflexion Games

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

Number of Players

6