Latest news with #FromSoft
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Elden Ring Nightreign' Players Realize There's No Comms, No Duos And No Crossplay
Elden Ring Nightreign From It was a bit eyebrow-raising to see Elden Ring Nightreign arrive with a 77 metascore, quite low for a FromSoftware offering, particularly one with the Elden Ring name attached. But now that the game is in the wild, fans are finding the same faults, and as a percentage, their scores are even lower. As it stands, Elden Ring Nightreign has 66% 'Mixed' reviews on Steam. Again, that's low for FromSoft, and even though actual concurrents were stellar, with a peak of 313,000 yesterday night, but it's unclear how many will stick with it longer term. I don't blame people for not reading a bunch of reviews before launch, but if you didn't, you might be logging in expecting some pretty basic functionality that does not exist in Nightreign at all. Elden Ring Nightreign FromSoft There are other issues in Nightreign. Solo play, though accounted for in development, is a sort of ultra-challenge mode that most players are not going to be able to do at all, especially with no inborn self-revive, even one instance. The game has also had performance issues on PC, where a single stutter in fights can result in death and an entire lost run. It's not all bad, of course. Two-thirds of players are giving positive reviews; it's just that the level of positive reviews are much lower than a game from this developer would ever get. Many of these issues seem somewhat fixable, but how long in the future? That remains to be seen. We will see how player retention is over the long term.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Here Are The Exact Release Times For ‘Elden Ring Nightreign'
Elden Ring Nightreign Elden Ring Nightreign launch is upon us, and tomorrow (well, sometime tonight, depending on your region), FromSoft's third Elden-based game will go live. If you're wondering exactly when you can play, FromSoft has listed the release times. However, it's worth noting that pre-load has already gone live on all platforms including PlayStation, Xbox and Steam, so that can save you some time if you want to do that now. Here are the global release times for Elden Ring Nightreign: Thursday, May 29, 2025 PDT: Console: 9pm, PC: 3pm CDT: Console: 11pm, PC: 5pm COT: Console: 11pm, PC: 5pm Friday, May 30, 2025 EST: Console: 12am, PC: 6pm (the 29th) BRT: Console: 1am, PC: 7pm (the 29th) FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder BST: Console: 12am, PC: 11pm (the 29th) CST: Console: 12am, PC: 12am EEST: Console: 12am, PC: 1am SAST: Console: 12am, PC: 12pm MSK: Console: 12am. PC: 1am ADT: Console: 12am. PC: 6pm (the 29th) GST: Console: 12am, PC: 2am SGT: Console: 12am, PC: 6am UTC+7: Console: 12am, PC: 6pm (the 29th) UTC+8: Console: 12am, PC: 6pm (the 29th) KST: Console: 12am, PC: 6pm (the 29th) JST: Console: 12am, PC: 7am AEST: Console: 12am, PC: 8am NZST: Console: 12am, PC: 10am Elden Ring Nightreign So, you see the pattern here in that almost all regions have their console launch at 12am local time, except for a few lucky regions at the top of that list. PC, meanwhile, is almost a completely simultaneous release around the world, so when you start playing depends on your platform. PC is earlier, in many instances. Elden Ring Nightreign is a big departure for FromSoftware. The multiplayer-only co-op game includes roguelike elements of grinding out enemies and killing bosses in a three-day cycle. Reviews just came in for the game yesterday, and with a 78 metascore, that's quite low for a FromSoft game, and especially one in the Elden Series. It's not rated that low purely for being a multiplayer experiment, but for things like poor solo balance, no duos and no voice chat in a game that desperately needs it. It stands to reason that the game will probably still do well given From and Elden's pedigree, but those who love the base game may have some trouble getting on board with this entirely different format. We'll see how it does starting tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Stuff.tv
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
I (just about) survived Elden Ring Nightreign's unforgiving co-op chaos
Stuff Verdict Adapt to its initial frustrations and Elden Ring Nightreign is one of the most challenging but rewarding co-op action fantasy games around. Pros The best of Elden Ring in digestible sessions Cool variety of character classes and skills Rewarding boss fights include a best-of from past FromSoft games Cons Faster structure sometimes at odds with traditional FromSoft mechanics Some bosses feel spongy and unbalanced A miserable time for solo expeditioners Introduction More than three years since its release, Elden Ring has sold over 30 million copies. Not bad for a fantasy RPG that seems to hate you as much as co-creator and Game of Thrones author George RR Martin seems to hate his characters. But you can see why there's demand to keep the cycle spinning, with a movie adaptation in the works (28 Days Later's Alex Garland is attached to direct), and now this new online co-op spin-off, Elden Ring Nightreign. It doesn't sound like an idea that should work on paper, even if one of the magical parts of Elden Ring (and the Dark Souls series that preceded it) was the jolly cooperation between strangers. Given how influential FromSoftware's games have been in the last decade, it's also peculiar that the developer would be chasing other genre trends. And yet after taking a while to adjust your expectations, there is something special here for players up for working together to overcome some fiendish challenges. The night is young Nightreign is essentially Elden Ring condensed into a run-based roguelite, with random loot and persistent upgrades – but also the gradually shrinking open world map of a battle royale. Once you match up in a team of three fellow Nightfarers, or by yourself (there's sadly no way to play this as just a pair), you drop into Limveld; over the course of three game days, the goal is to defeat the Nightlord on the final day, by ensuring you've gotten strong enough with the necessary resources from the previous days. It's just the first of many nightlords, just to keep these runs on your toes. After defeating the first one, more become available and you're free to tackle them in any order. That's just as well, because the second one is an absolute nightmare – you'd do well to not continue successive runs bashing your head against the wall on them. The map is also constantly changing for each run in terms of what structures and enemies you might encounter. One version of Limveld might contain snowy mountains, while another has lava-filled volcanoes, though it's also sometimes prone to duplicating the same ruins and soldier camps. How you explore the map is also dictated by the Night Rain, an encroaching storm that drains your health if you're caught in it. This happens each day, leaving a large-ish circle on the map, while by night you're forced into a smaller arena to face a mini-boss. It then means you have to prioritise your objectives: do you hit up the churches first to upgrade the number of times you can heal from your flask, do you seek out rare resources for upgrading your weapons in the caves, or do you focus on defeating other formidable enemies on the map to gain more gear or abilities they drop as well as more runes for levelling up? Do you risk continuing these tasks even when the rains close in or try to save them for the second day when the cycle restarts? Souls stars This more streamlined, turbo-charged approach may be appealing for players already into the likes of Apex Legends rather than the commitment of a 80+ hour RPG, but it does mean some elements of what has defined FromSoftware's hardcore RPGs are lost. When you have to be so quick on your feet, the careful, methodical approach of both Elden Ring and Dark Souls doesn't really gel. It's why you won't be examining items for lore, can't leave messages for other players, and why your nightfarers are pre-set characters rather than ones you can customise yourself. The archetypes you're presented with are nonetheless an interesting bunch that play quite distinctly. Wylder is your typical jack-of-all-trades knight, Raiders hit hard and can also take quite a few hits without being interrupted, while Duchess (who's unlocked later) moves and attacks swiftly though also more fragile. Perhaps best of all is IronEye, who actually makes bow combat very viable – you can actually get in decent attack damage while maintaining a safe distance. In that hero shooter-inspired vein, each nightfarer also has their own unique passive and active skills, the latter relying on cooldowns before they can be used. IronEye can slide into enemies to mark them, doubling the damage they receive, while Revenant can summon phantoms as temporary allies. Naturally, each also has ultimates, like how duchess can cloak everyone with invisibility to give you a quick respite from hostile enemies, while Executor transforms into a primordial beast with unique and powerful attacks for a brief time. To match the faster pace, everyone can sprint and clamber up walls quickly, while using spiritstreams and spectrals hawks can also help you traverse the map at greater speed. It's not always well implemented though; it can take just a rock or branch on the ground to stop you in your tracks. You're also still reliant on classic Soulsy combat mechanics such as stamina management and the loss of your runes if you die (though your teammate can revive you, assuming you're sticking together). You can even shield parry, but why would you stand still to attempt it when there are better options? Three to play You've not just got nightlords to deal with; a plethora of bosses encountered both on the field and at the end of each night have cheekily been pulled from both Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series. A shrewd case of recycling content, though it does add to the feeling that this is the work of modders rather than an official FromSoft joint. The one striking change from how these bosses were before is they're super spongey now, compounded by having mobs spawning in to distract you. This makes it clear how vital it is to level up at checkpoints regularly. If you reach the end of the second day and your level's still a single digit, you're unlikely to survive the boss at the end of that day, let alone the nightlord on the final one. In some team-based games you might count on a strong player to carry the team, but Nightreign demands that you be in synergy with one another to stand a chance. The game doesn't scale down in difficulty either, meaning the solo expedition option is really just for the most hardcore of masochists. For the rest of us, it means hoping you match up in a competent trio – in other words, nightfarers who don't run off randomly, or try tackling a big dragon when they haven't levelled up sufficiently – though it's definitely recommended organising a party of likeminded pals on voice chat. Summoning a stranger to help you with a boss in Elden Ring is one thing, but trusting two others for three in-game days that can take between 30-45 minutes can feel like a risky commitment. There are many crushing lows that make you question the time you've spent and your poor decisions. Yet when the team is in sync, you feel fully prepared by the final day, and someone's able to revive you without you having to yell into a headset, it turns out that Nightreign still, against all odds, keeps the spark of what makes Elden Ring special in the first place. You know what they say about how the night is always darkest before the dawn. Elden Ring Nightreign verdict In its streamlined online co-op structure, Elden Ring Nightreign often rubs up against the foundations of the FromSoftware action RPG formula in ways that frustrate, and in many ways it really shouldn't work. This isn't necessarily going to be one for every Elden Ring devotee who enjoys spending many hours in the Lands Between. Yet with a compelling roster of nightfarers, each who also have their own optional arcs, a mash-up of past and present FromSoft bosses, and the right team synergy, triumphing over the nightlords brings a new challenge and reward that redefines our expectations of jolly cooperation. For those who felt that this year's Monster Hunter Wilds had made its core loop a little too frictionless to widen its appeal, here's a co-op game that keeps its uncompromising teeth intact. Stuff Says… Score: 4/5 Adapt to its initial frustrations and you have one of the most challenging but rewarding co-op action fantasy games around Pros The best of Elden Ring in digestible sessions Cool variety of character classes and skills Rewarding boss fights include a best-of from past FromSoft games Cons Faster structure sometimes at odds with traditional FromSoft mechanics Some bosses feel spongy and unbalanced A miserable time for solo expeditioners
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Elden Ring Nightreign' Reviews Are In, And They Are Okay
Elden Ring Nightreign FromSoft FromSoft decided they should release the third piece of Elden Ring content in three years as it shoots for more accolades for its blockbuster hit. But Elden Ring Nightreign is not more DLC, but a standalone project focused on the concept of a co-op survival game of farming enemies, getting loot and killing big bosses in a repeating cycle. Now, reviews are coming in for Elden Ring Nightreign with the embargo lifted. They are…pretty good, though far from the epic high scores we saw from the original game and its DLC. As it stands, here's how all three scored on Metacritic: That's a perfectly acceptable score, but again, with FromSoft and Elden Ring, you're holding them to a higher standard. It may not surprise fans that doing a pure multiplayer game and straying away from the core of the series is not quite as attractive as sticking with what we know works. Elden Ring Nightreign Metacritic I did have a code myself, but did not have enough time to play to write a review. In my very limited time with the game, I understood the loop but my initial impression was that even if I loved the game and its expansion, this was probably not going to be for me. That's the case for some reviewers, but we'll see how fans feel when they get their hands on it in two days. The game is likely going to be overly challenging for those wanting to play solo, even if that's how the base game is played. It was at least somewhat balanced for that, but it's still harder than how it was meant to be played, with three players, either friends online or matchmade with randoms. FromSoft has admitted that it was an oversight not to make a duos mode, which is not possible to play in the current state of the game. What are critics saying? It's a range: This is largely going to be player-dependent, whether co-op multiplayer or crushingly hard solo content in a roguelike world appeals to you when it's so different from how the base game functioned. These scores do not indicate a GOTY contender this time, but fans may enjoy it all the same. Or not, we'll find out at launch soon enough here.
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Elden Ring Nightreign' Just ‘Overlooked' Making A Two-Player Mode
Elden Ring Nightreign FromSoft When Elden Ring Nightreign was first shown off, many were not expecting a multiplayer game from FromSoft, and in the explanation that followed, players learned about its intent. Nightreign was built around teams of three using various classes to farm maps and defeat bosses for XP and loot over the course of three nights before fighting a super-boss, a Nightlord. However, players were quickly reassured that the experience would also be playable solo, and it's possible to do that even offline. However. While many may have assumed this was the case, there is no option for duos to play together. As in, if you go in with another friend, the game will automatically match you with a third teammate you won't know. Even though you can opt not to fill for solo, you can't do so for duos. The explanation? FromSoft effectively just…forgot. In an interview with IGN, Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki addressed the issue: 'The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that. As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign.' 'Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start. And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well.' Elden Ring Nightreign FromSoft It's a very strange omission given that in almost all other games you can opt to not 'backfill' another teammate if you want to go in with just you and a friend. It's hard to think of many games in this style where you can't do this. He goes on to explain how the game is balanced for solos, where enemies are less aggressive to a single player so you don't get fully overwhelmed. Solos can also discover a self-revive feature on the map given that they have no teammates. But the experience is meant to be harder. For duos, however, that would be an entirely different kind of balance between threes and solos. Simply doing the threes balance may not work for some sections or bosses, and it needed to be a third pillar of design. And they just…didn't do it, unfortunately. Nightreign is not going to be a 'live' game in the traditional sense, but adding more features including this? It seems likely, even if unfortunately it won't be there for launch. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
