Elden Ring Nightreign is a spin-off game of FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed Elden Ring, meaning it immediately gets a 10/10 and there is no need for me to write the rest of this review. Thank you and have a good rest of your day!
All joking aside, the game was released on May 30. In this review I plan to dive into the game and see if it is still worth your time several months after its release, the answer may shock you…
What exactly is Elden Right Nightreign?
As previously mentioned, Nightreign is a spin-off of the game Elden Ring, and many of its core gameplay aspects are similar if not identical to Elden Ring, (most notably the combat, which is essentially the same apart from everything being sped up slightly.) However, rather than being your average souls game, Nightreign follows the formula of your typical roguelite, meaning that that game takes place in short “runs” where you quickly level up and accumulate loot in hopes of defeating one of the games night lords at the end of your run (more on that later.) It also differs in the fact that you choose to play as a character that has a pre-established role rather than getting to build your own character completely from scratch. This was an interesting change that I am indeed a fan of; I like the idea of each character having their own playstyle and abilities, but I am left a little disappointed as character building was one of my favorite aspects of the original game, and after a brief look online I am certain I am not the only one.
Regarding the gameplay, each run takes place in three main phases, though in practice it’s more like five with those phases being:
Day One
At the very beginning of day 1 you are shown a brief starting animation where you and your two teammates take flight with the help of several spectral hawks and fly down to a predetermined location on the game’s map, Limveld. Upon landing, players will have 15 minutes to run around the map to try and find whatever they can to prepare themselves for the coming night. Towards the end of day one, a circle of rain and blue fire will begin to close in from the edges of the map, forcing you and your party into a central area.
Night One
Both night phases are in essence identical as they both see you fighting a small group of enemies preceding a larger boss battle that serves as the climax for the night. If players are severely injured during the night, rather than simply respawning at the last site of grace they visited, (sites of grace being little golden areas you will find across the map, serving as both checkpoints and areas where you can level up your character and refill vital resources) they will go down and other players will have the opportunity to revive them by dealing damage to them, a unique revival mechanic that is extremely different from what other games of a similar genre have done in the past. Personally, I find it much more interesting and interactive than just standing in place and holding a button over someone until they magically come back to life.
Day Two & Night Two
Effectively the same formula as Day One and Night One, though you will be able to explore further much faster due to the strength and tools you accumulated through the first cycle.
Day Three
As mentioned earlier, Day Three ends the run in a single, final boss fight against one of the game’s eight night lords, particularly the one you set out to hunt at the very beginning of your run.
How is it?
Initially, I found the game very fun to play. As time went on however I found myself getting tired of it rather quickly; the whole appeal of a rougelite is the randomization of each run. Every time you play the game it should feel different. Unfortunately, Nightreign does not encapsulate that very well, there is hardly any new actual content – a vast majority of it is recycled assets from Elden Ring (though they do make use of some assets from older souls games which was very cool to see). I was hopeful that the DLC would introduce some original content but judging from the trailer it seems to just be recycled content from Elden Ring’s DLC! I will have to see if that is actually the case when it releases.
The game is certainly a fun time with friends, but I feel in its current state there is not enough content to keep most people entertained for long– myself included. While I do love this game, I feel there is still a decent amount of work to be done.
Final Grade: 6/10.
