Elden Ring: Nightreign Reviews
After Elden Ring set the bar impossibly high for what's expected of open-world RPGs, Nightreign delivers a fantastic accompaniment to FromSoftware's core portfolio. It's unafraid to turn the established Souls formula on its head and ask if it can mesh well with other genres. While the answer is a resounding yes, Nightreign won't be for everyone. For series veteran fans with no interest in multiplayer, it's a hard sell. Solo play is an officially supported mode, but it feels much like an afterthought. Played with the intended group size, however, Nightreign is an irresistible co-op experience with far more depth than I expected.
In the end, Nightreign manages to offer up something unique that I’m sure a certain audience will find a vast amount of enjoyment in, but in the process, it sacrifices a lot of what made Elden Ring so special.
Elden Ring Nightreign in an experience that will appeal to those who know Elden Ring by heart and had mastered its combat system. However, if you don't fall into that group, Elden Ring Nightreign likely isn't for you. At the end of the day, FromSoftware presents us with a unique experiment that makes it clear that its 2022 title has the potential to expand almost anywhere, though that doesn't mean it should.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Elden Ring Nightreign shoots for the stars with a clean retrofit of familiar assets into a roguelike format, but it's dragged back down to earth with repetitive encounters, overtuned bosses, and lacklustre meta-progression. Random chance and an urgent pace rewards blind haste over careful buildcraft, but I'm confident its biggest issues can still be fixed.
When everything's running smoothly in the team, we excel at an event, level up significantly, or a strategy works, it's really fun.
Review in German | Read full review
Elden Ring Nightreign is definitely a game apart in FromSoftware's catalog. Despite a clear requirement primarily geared toward three-player co-op, we legitimately had many memorable moments on this "Rogue-Lite Survival" spin-off in a generally successful and frankly addictive way, despite obvious balancing issues and questionable choices for a title focused on multiplayer. To fully appreciate all its flavor, however, we can only strongly advise you to play it with a group of friends. If you are a primarily solo player, unless you are a true Souls-like god, it is clearly better to move on, or suffer the bitter consequences.
Review in French | Read full review
We are aware that with a well-defined update program in the coming weeks we could find ourselves in the presence of a completely different experience but, at least for the moment, we can talk about a great experiment that is half successful.
Review in Italian | Read full review
FromSoftware has created a new format within its universe, and it's done so without betraying its essence. Nightreign not only expands the game's scope, it also expands the possibilities of the genre, and is sure to set a new standard.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
This first drop into the roguelike genre with the Souls series is intriguing enough to make me consider exploring future explorations into it, but beyond that, I will happily stick with my exploration-heavy and deep character customization options instead.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a pleasant surprise. Its thrilling bosses, well-crafted character archetypes, and strong combat make it worth your time, but don't expect the usual FromSoftware lore standard.
Elden Ring Nightreign is being billed as a standalone follow-up to Elden Ring, which is like saying that Wallace stands alone from Gromit. Both are th...
The Gang’s All Here with Elden Ring Nightreign—And, Surprisingly, It Works
Elden Ring Nightreign is a faster, roguelike remix of the Souls formula that swaps deep exploration for co-op urgency. Combat is more agile, pacing is relentless, and boss fights thrive on teamwork. Still, not every change lands. FromSoftware's familiar connection issues can spoil a good run, the storytelling lacks expected depth, and the Limveld map may be mastered very quickly. Overall, Nightreign delivers exciting high-speed battles and rewarding experimentation. It's a bold spinoff that breaks the rules and mostly gets away with it.
Elden Ring Nightreign is an unusual yet well-executed effort by FromSoftware, blending rogue-like progression and battle royale mechanics into a fun co-op experience despite some nagging issues.
Elden Ring Nightreign is the "greatest hits" album of FromSoftware games. With bosses from Dark Souls, builds inspired by Bloodborne and Sekiro, and the world of Elden Ring, it has something for every Soulslike fan. And it's multiplayer. It throws a lot into one pot and ends up as more of a cracked pot. But patches may fix it over time. No, not that Patches.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun concept, but despite excellent boss fights and a fun start, it quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.
Elden Ring Nightreign won't be every FromSoft fan's cup of tea, and this is especially true if you're a lone wolf.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is both a love letter and a remix of everything FromSoftware fans adore. While the multiplayer focus won't work for everyone, the sheer amount of challenge, variety, and the ever-elusive dopamine hit make it something special and something to be remembered.
Elden Ring: Nightreign does not seek widespread audience - and that's a really good thing. FromSoftware doesn't make compromises. Instead of doing “more of the same,” it has opted for a design that is completely new, system-dense and ruthlessly honest. Does it have flaws? Of course; excessively long boss fights can be frustrating. Still, Nightreign demands, but it also rewards. And it does so without half measures.
Review in Polish | Read full review
I first went into Elden Ring: Nightreign during the PS5 network test some months ago, and my expectations weren't overly high. After that network text, I was left somewhat optimistic. All the FromSoft magic was there, excellent, minimalistic writing, fantastic audio, and crushing enemies. All of this has continued into the final game.