I reviewed both Elden Ring and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC upon their respective releases, and must say, it’s been a blast. Bloodborne might always be my personal favourite game within this genre for its darker tone and linear nature, but make no mistake, developer FromSoftware Inc. hasn’t really missed a beat as of late.
Elden Ring Nightreign in many ways, will ultimately feel familiar to fans of the franchise. But with it’s faster-paced gameplay, rogue-like elements and shorter, bite-sized bursts of gameplay, it will generally feel more accessible to those who just couldn’t get into Elden Ring or its DLC for its tougher difficulty and slower pace.
The Hunt is On
Elden Ring Nightreign serves as a prequel and spin-off to Elden Ring, which explores the stories of the Nightfarers, our group of playable protagonists, who serve to ward off what stems from the reign of the night, where evil spirits and monsters wreak havoc on this new setting of Limveld.
The story is relatively light, but given it’s taking place in an alternate universe within the Elden Ring lore, it’s barely at the forefront of the experience. Most of the game revolves around you choosing between one of the game’s eight characters, each with their own class and special abilities.
The game then sees you undertaking an expedition with the goal of killing a particular target, over the course of three days and two nights. Each day allows you to explore the land of Limveld, which feels like a culmination of everything you’ve seen in Elden Ring, in a more condensed form.
As you explore, you’ll take on smaller enemies, larger bosses and ultimately make your way to the centre of a designated area, as the Ring of Reign closes in around you. Along the way, you’ll be able to stop at Sites of Grace and level up with runes, which basically boost each of your stats along with growing your health, magic and stamina bars.
Each run usually lasts around 45-60 minutes, and you’ll progressively unlock a total of 8 expeditions as you kill each of your targets. It’s a decent gameplay loop that feels constantly engaging and rarely boring, mainly thanks to its rogue-like elements that see you pushing for success with each new run.
I don’t have an issue with the overall gameplay loop as much as its difficulty settings, which at the time of writing, feel really unbalanced. Let’s talk about it.
Better Together
Elden Ring Nightreign can be played either solo, or in a session of three players. It’s admittedly strange that there’s no option for two players, although there is an upcoming update at the time of writing that will add this feature.
Only one character can be picked per expedition, which is neat as it encourages players to mix up their strategies and play styles as each player brings their own unique flair to the party.
The only real gripe though, is the overall difficulty. In groups of three, gameplay feels incredibly accessible and balanced, with a suitable number of enemies, and bosses that can usually be taken down in just few tries. Now I don’t mean to say that Nightreign is easy; it’s still probably quite far from it. But, with friends, it simply feels more balanced and less punishing.
On solo runs however, it’s clear that Nightreign hasn’t been balanced in the same way. It’s still entirely possible to complete runs on your own, but after finishing Elden Ring twice, along with Shadow of the Erdtree, I must say, solo runs in Nightreign are some of the most punishing encounters I’ve had to date.
The game simply doesn’t adjust the amount of enemies or even the health bars of enemies for a smoother experience. It becomes very apparent when enemies come at you in groups of three, or one of the final bosses splits their singular form into three smaller bosses for you to take on. It’s very clear that FromSoftware had three players in mind at all times.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s not worth playing alone, but for as fast-paced and accessible as this game can feel when played it’s friends, immediately back tracks on that sentiment when played alone, making it a gruelling experience for newer or uninitiated players.
Bring the Noise
Elden Ring Nightreign is still really solid where it counts. Gameplay is super fun, and it generally feels like it did in the original game.
But there are some interesting differences that set it apart. For example, the rideable Torrent is now gone, and players are simply able to sprint around the environment at around the same speed.
Players can now climb up walls with a double jump and mantle ledges automatically, which helps with general exploration. There’s no more fall damage and players can also access Spritspring Jump Points, which essentially propel you into the air and help you get over higher mountains and walls.
As each class has their own armour and appearance, you’ll now get access to six weapon slots, two Talisman slots and four Consumable Tool slots, which streamlines the experience a little more.
You’ll also track down a bunch of Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary weapons along the way, and even gain Murk (the game’s currency) after runs to purchase special relics that can help customise your loadout.
It’s these features that I feel help refine the experience for those who either don’t like the slower pace or the original Elden Ring, or simply want to jump into the action right away without the need to suffer the consequences of a build that doesn’t necessarily feel up to scratch.
Look the Part
Elden Ring Nightreign looks and feels fresh for the most part. Even within a smaller environment, everything feels unique and detailed, and rarely looks flat or bland.
That being said, general performance begs to differ. A Quality Mode bumps up the resolution while delivering around 30-40 frames, while the Performance Mode dips the resolution while delivering around 40-60 frames. The only issue here, is that the frame rate never feels consistent.
While I would recommend the latter Performance Mode, there’s just go getting around how uneven it can feel at times. I understand some of it can be chalked up to lag or a dodgy server, but even in solo runs, you can still feel it.
Final Thoughts
Elden Ring Nightreign fits the bill of an exciting and engaging spin-off that makes the most of its newer gameplay features and rogue-like elements, to deliver a more engaging and fast-paced experience that will please both newer and existing fans alike.
While general performance and the overall difficultly level feel uneven ant times, especially on solo runs, I’ll certainly give it the befit of the doubt if becomes a little balanced at some point. Either way, there’s still plenty to love in this newest entry.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Same solid gameplay; Engaging list of characters and classes; New gameplay mechanics greatly increase sense of pace; Systems feel much more streamlined
Lowlights: Incredible difficulty on solo runs leaves them feeling unbalanced; Uneven performance at times
Developer: FromSoftware Inc.
Publisher: From Software Inc., Namco Bandai Games America Inc., Bandai Namco
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
