Elden Ring Nightreign Review – Elden Experiment

FromSoftware is a developer that’s no stranger to trying something new and Elden Ring Nightreign might be their quirkiest game yet. Adapting the signature souls combat into a co-op, roguelite gameplay loop, Elden Ring Nightreign is a spin-off that presents an experience that’s familiar but equally fresh. Instead of slowly exploring a handcrafted fantasy world full of monsters on your lonesome, you’re encouraged to blaze through it with a group of friends, all in an effort to level up faster as the clock ticks closer to the end of each run. Nightreign is a divisive entry in FromSoftware’s library that may alienate both veterans and newcomers, but those who click with the unique gameplay formula will find an addictive yet brief romp to enjoy with friends.

The Nightfarer’s Destiny

Elden Ring Nightreign takes place in the familiar world of Elden Ring, but its story plays out in a separate universe from the base game. Here, an ancient darkness has gripped the Lands Between, transforming the land of Limgrave into Limveld, and plunging it into never-ending waves of rainfall. Along with the damaging rains come otherworldly beasts, commanded by eight powerful Nightlords, who wish to see Limveld further succumb to the dark. As such, a set of heroes called the Nightfarers have been summoned to the Roundtable Hold, with plans of thwarting the Nightlords and restoring Limveld to its former glory.

Beyond this initial story setup and a handful of cutscenes throughout the game, Elden Ring Nightreign is light on narrative, but there are strings of storytelling to tug on if interested. Each of the Nightfarers has a “Remembrance” quest line to follow, but these are optional and often provide a bit of background lore on the characters.

While intriguing enough to pay attention to at first, Nightreign‘s story lacks any real connection to the base Elden Ring tale, and the narrative feels supplementary to the gameplay overall. To be fair, I didn’t expect a gripping narrative when playing Nightreign, but this feels a bit thin by FromSoftware standards. Still, the gameplay provides enough motivation to keep you moving from boss to boss, which was all the drive I needed. It would’ve been cool to see some grander links to the existing Elden Ring narrative, but in the grand scheme of things the story served its purpose, even if it was light for lore nerds like me.

Another Trip to Limveld

Elden Ring Nightreign‘s gameplay loop is what sets it apart from other FromSoftware titles, and for a first stab at a fusion of roguelite, co-op, and battle royale, I’m pretty impressed. Playable either solo (though I don’t recommend it) or with a group of 3 players, Nightreign begins with you landing on the outskirts of Limveld and left to your own devices. The map is reasonably large but easy to traverse, thanks to new super sprint and occasionally clunky wall-climbing mechanics.

Limveld is dotted with various locations to investigate, like castles, encampments, and mines, where you can discover better gear and earn runes to level up. Playing on an accelerated day/night cycle, you spend the sunny hours speeding around the map, picking up supplies as you outrun a Fortnite-style storm circle that continues to enclose around you.

Eventually, you’re forced into a boss fight at the end of the night, and if successful, you move on to day two, where you repeat the same process before a climactic Nightlord boss fight. Dying is only permanent if everyone on your team perishes during one of the major bosses, but with the ability to revive fallen teammates, run-ending team wipes can be staved off. A successful run should take you roughly 45 minutes, with roughly 15 minutes per day/night cycle.

There are a total of eight different Nightfarers to choose from, each with a distinct playstyle and set of abilities. For example, the bird-man Guardian is perfect for tank builds, while the archer Ironeye finds his stride with ranged weaponry. I dabbled with all of the Nightfarers, but ended up preferring the longsword wielder, Wylder, and the parry-focused swordbearer, Executor. Some Nightfarers have a higher skill ceiling than others and all seem viable to some degree, so you can favor any member of the roster without feeling underpowered. Nightfarers do not maintain progress from run to run, but you can earn “relics” that offer passive buffs when equipped, which make up the majority of cross-run progression. Relics can be bought at the Small Jar Bazaar in the Roundtable Hold, but these buffs are relatively minor, so you can’t rely on them to become overpowered.

There and Back Again

Considering that Elden Ring Nightreign is a roguelite designed to be played over and over, the map of Limveld is surprisingly static. Within reason, you can learn the location of important items and bosses after just a few runs, quickly developing a “perfect” route to aim for. There are a handful of mechanics that shake up the exploration side of the game, such as the Shifting Earth events that add large locations to the map, along with random world bosses and raid events. Thankfully, the number and variety of bosses are admirable, even if the run-ending Nightlords feel occasionally cheap.

With only eight Nightlords to fell, you won’t spend too long in Limveld, provided you have a decent team and don’t drag your feet. I played purely with random players online, and even with teammate disconnects and random buffoonery, I cleared the Nightlords in roughly 30 hours.

I still have some Remembrances to wrap up, cosmetics to unlock, and endings to uncover, but it didn’t take long for the credits to roll. Towards the end, the loop of hitting the same locations and finding similar loot and bosses started to grow repetitive, but this may just be a side effect of playing way too much Elden Ring. Nightreign doesn’t drastically change the bread-and-butter combat, which is still very fun, but for those who have sunk 100+ hours into the base game, the feeling of “too much of a good thing” can start to set in.

The Bottom Line on Elden Ring Nightreign

If you enjoyed Elden Ring or some of FromSoftware’s other recent souls-like titles, Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun spin-off of the expected formula. Combat remains tight as ever and boss fights are exhilarating and fun, even if veteran players have experienced them before. Despite a lack of communication options, this co-op title is still plenty of fun when played with random teammates through matchmaking, but it’s best played with a group of skilled pals. As a roughly 30-hour-long experience that’s mostly tied to online multiplayer, Elden Ring Nightreign is a decent package that can be thin on content, but that’s reflected by its lower price tag. At times, the gameplay loop can feel repetitive, especially if you’ve played a lot of Elden Ring in the past, but it stays entertaining enough throughout the initial run of eight Nightlords. Elden Ring Nightreign won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I had a good time playing it, and recommend it to those who like fast action or have a dedicated group of players ready for a unique challenge.