Elden Ring Nightreign review

Metro

3 days ago

FromSoftware transforms Elden Ring into a co-op roguelite that turns everything you know about the game upside down.
We're more convinced than ever that Nightreign must have started off as DLC for 2022's Elden Ring. Developer FromSoftware's post-launch plans for the game evolved quite a bit and ultimately the only paid-for DLC was Shadow Of The Erdtree. All of From's Soulslike games have included co-op, so focusing Nightreign purely on multiplayer is not much of a stretch for them, even if it's not necessarily what most fans were hoping for from a new game.
The Duskbloods for Nintendo Switch 2 proves that this is not a one-off experiment but while that title is being built from the ground up, as an entirely new IP, Nightreign is much less expansive in scope.
It's a roguelite that jams together randomised section of the original game (actually, just the Limgrave area) to make new maps, as you face off against new and old enemies, using both familiar and brand-new weapons and abilities. If it had stayed as DLC it would have been welcomed as a clever reuse of existing assets but as a mid-budget standalone game its flaws are brought into sharper focus.
There's a reasonable chance this will be the last Elden Ring game, at least for some time, but inevitably there's no sense of closure or any real explanation for what's going on. The storytelling is much more limited than the parent game and technically the whole thing takes part in a different reality, so it's not clear that any of it is even really canon.
A successful run will take around 45 minutes and begins with you selecting which Nightlord boss you want to take on. Your quest takes place over three days, with the boss battle being the whole of the final one. The other two have you exploring and levelling up as quickly as possible, trying to find the best weapons and armour, and taking on mini-bosses to try and acquire runes to spend on levelling up.
The explorable area shrinks, Fortnite style, in the second day, as you focus your exploration on specific points of interest, that are clearly labelled on the map. The obvious intention is to try and encapsulate the whole of Elden Ring with a single run, although the minimal amount of time available means that everything is very rushed and often extremely simplified compared to the parent game.
Nightreign can be played on your own, and we're sure some smartass will soon be demonstrating how they beat it all while only using a saxophone and a dance mat. For mere mortals though the game is far too difficult to ever consider playing on your own. Although the problem is not just that it's hard, but that it's horribly unbalanced if you don't have two other people with you – especially as there's no one to revive you if you die.
That's not really a fault – the game makes it perfectly clear that it expects you to be playing it as a three-player co-op experience – but what is a problem is how difficult it is to get a capable team together and keep them focused long enough to get anywhere.
Most people end up playing Elden Ring for hundreds of hours, carefully exploring and learning, often through trial and error, how to overcome enemies – as well as the tells and weakness of bosses. That takes commitment and so does Nightreign, so when one of your team suddenly decides it's time for their dinner, or just happens to be off their game, suddenly progress for everyone comes to a halt.
FromSoftware is known for purposefully making things difficult for players but the lack of cross-play and the inability to play with just two people (the game will find you someone random to fill in the third slot) is just perverse. So too is the lack of any in-built voice chat option – in a game that practically demands it.
The requirement for three highly skilled players, all with plenty of time on their hands, is unreasonable and yet From seem to acknowledge this, given much of the game's design is an attempt to artificially reduce the time commitment. Neightreign encourages speed and aggression at all times, but that's the complete opposite of the original game and none of the existing systems are set up to work that way.
In terms of combat, Nightreign is essentially identical to the original, but other aspects are awkwardly truncated, such as the automatic levelling up and the fact that, since Torrent isn't part of the game, you can now awkwardly run up vertical cliffs instead (From's next game is in desperate need of a proper mantling ability, that doesn't look like you've broken the game by merely trying to climb a wall).
Some of the new features are more welcome though, with the new class-based characters working very well, since they all have unique abilities of their own. The Wylder, for example, has a grappling hook that lets you yank lesser enemies towards you, jump towards bigger foes, or just shoot yourself forward.
The Executor is also interesting, as they don't play like an Elden Ring character at all, but instead have a parrying technique that's very similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Each class also has their own story objectives, called remembrances, that can earn you extra powerful relics, which can be kept between runs and confer various bonuses and special abilities. You also get these if you beat a run, but they're randomly distributed and can often be for a class type you're not using at the time. More Trending
In perfect conditions, Nightreign is a very enjoyable game, with a full suite of excellent bosses that are very original and all of which require unique strategies. Although even this underlines the game's inherent flaws, as the bosses are clearly designed to be taken on by three people, often in specific roles – such as attracting aggro or long range support – and if your teammates don't play their role effectively then there's close to zero chance of you persevering on your own.
On top of that, there's the inevitable fact that the whole thing gets very repetitive, worryingly quickly. The bosses are great but there's only eight of them and having to start again if you all die becomes increasingly frustrating, as the novelty of battling through the first two days begins to fade.
It's hard not to think that Nightreign just isn't a very good idea and while From has forced it to work, even when it's firing on all cylinders it still feels janky and contrived. Some people are going to love it – especially those who have easy access to talented teammates – but for most ordinary players Elden Ring Nightreign seems like one unreasonable demand too many, in terms of both their time and patience.
In Short: FromSoftware struggle to force the square peg of Elden Ring into the round hole of a co-op roguelite, and while they just about manage to make it work the whole game feels like only a half-successful experiment.
Pros: The core gameplay and combat of Elden Ring is as entertaining as ever and the boss battles are excellent, even for a From game. As usual, the art design is superb and the class types work well.
Cons: Turning Elden Ring into a fast-paced roguelite just doesn't seem like a good idea, especially given how difficult it is to put together an effective team. Quickly becomes repetitive and the wall jumping is embarrassingly bad.
Score: 6/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £34.99Publisher: Bandai NamcoDeveloper: FromSoftwareRelease Date: 30th May 2025
Age Rating: 16
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