Elden Ring: Nightreign Reviews
As we wrap this review up, I can honestly say I’m impressed. Fromsoft took a big gamble by pursuing a game of this caliber that is outside their usual palette and dare I say it is a great experience when it’s firing on all cylinders. Certain things such as a lack of in game chat, and weird balancing issues for anything other than the three person queue make it a little trivial, but the game plays flawlessly for the most part and retains much of what made the 2022 Elden Ring game so fun.
What could have felt like a game chasing trends or designed by committee has maintained so much of what’s special about the core franchise.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is not a classic role-playing game but, rather, a competitive action game with moderate role-playing colors. It is worth underlining this because, of course, the two nomenclatures are destined to run close together, but on two parallel lines. Although not without flaws, FromSoftware's work is still an immersive and challenging experience, which reaches its peak in the specific three-player mode. There are several limitations, both conceptual and content-related, which make the game probably not suitable for everyone (including Elden Ring fans) or difficult to metabolize. However, the game has a certain charm and is one of the most intriguing cooperative experiences of recent years, still offered at a fair price.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Great gameplay and character classes in Nightreign are not enough to overlook the obvious issues regarding player communication, the game's technical state, and the absence of a duo mode. With these fundamental problems, the game feels unfinished upon launching.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
I can understand the critical voices surrounding “Nightreign”. Although I also have experienced enough frustration with the game myself due to the overwhelming start and the lack of options in multiplayer, the familiar “Souls” feeling still gripped me in the end.
Review in German | Read full review
Elden Ring Nightreign is a great example of recycling content and turning it into a new experience. Even while it stumbles in some technical aspects, it truly shines when it comes to the game's original content.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Elden Ring Nightreign is ultimately carried by FromSoftware’s stellar gameplay systems applied across a fresh mix of subgenres, delivering a thrilling and dynamic experience, though its lack of modern social features and limited multiplayer flexibility make it a nostalgic but flawed spin-off.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Elden Ring Nightreign is one of the most interesting, creative takes in the multiplayer space for years. It’s unlike quite anything else out there with dashes of Monster Hunter, Fortnite, Diablo and a good old fashioned MMORPG in there, but it’s also distinctly Souls-like with the focus on brutal bosses and punishing challenges. The irony being that most of the game’s drawbacks come from a technical point of view, with matchmaking issues and lack of functionality, but if you want to try something different and interesting, if you have the patience and resolve for it, you’re going to fall under this one’s spell pretty fast!
Elden Ring Nightreign stands as a great way to switch up the normal Souls formula while still keeping it faithful to its roots. The battles are fantastic, the world is finely crafted, and the gameplay is top-notch. I had a blast running through each of the Night Lords, and I don’t think I am going to stop anytime soon. However, the game removes the need to adapt on the fly, which was quite disappointing to me. While the multiplayer is good, it doesn’t quite hit the mark when it comes to communication. Overall, Elden Ring Nightreign is a great new iteration in the genre, but just like Dark Souls 2, it doesn’t quite live up to what came before it.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is an ambitious side project. When the stars align—you and two friends, the same console, no plans for the next few hours—it’s magical. You’ve got great classes like the Guardian or Executor, a Sekiro-esque parry system, and a beautifully atmospheric world. But if even one piece is missing, the tower collapses like a ton of bricks. Anyone looking for a classic Elden Ring experience will quickly skip this one. It’s a big surprise, then, that this successful experiment is being released as a standalone game, rather than as paid DLC for a smaller price. Because then we’d probably have labeled this the best expansion ever for a game that’s already considered a masterpiece by many.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Elden Ring Nighreign utilizes the popular IP to deliver an experimental game that, at first glance, appears to be a bizarre mash-up of genres. The reality is that this mix of souls-like, rogue-lite, battle royale, and "hero shooters" works surprisingly well. The main flaw, however, is the amount of content. There's very little that's completely new, making the game feel more like a recycled or perhaps even fan-made modification. Moreover, it lacks deeper systems to engage beyond a maximum of a dozen hours for die-hard fans. For everyone else, though, it probably won't be a compelling reason to return to the world of Elden Ring, and it won't convince them otherwise.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Elden Ring Nightreign is not for everyone. It’s a brutal, atmospheric, deeply demanding experience that rewards patience, persistence, and curiosity. But if you’re the kind of player who grinned every time you saw “YOU DIED” flash across your screen in past Souls titles… this is your next obsession. Nightreign doesn’t just offer a new challenge—it rethinks what challenge means. It takes the bones of a beloved classic and rebuilds them into something darker, sharper, and even more punishing. If you’re ready to suffer beautifully once more—step into the dark.
Elden Ring: Nightreign unleashes FromSoftware’s savage Soulsborne grit into a whirlwind of multiplayer chaos—an irresistible thrill ride that drags you and your fellow Nightfarers back for just one more cursed round. Multiplayer isn’t flawless, and solo runs, though still fun, tip into wild imbalance—leaving you bruised, battered, and beyond tarnished.
Elden Ring: Nightreign takes the franchise into cooperative territory with a bold, punishing multiplayer expedition mode. While its demanding design may alienate casual players, the game delivers deep combat, rich class variety, and satisfying progression for veteran Souls fans.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a game that does so much, and none of it feels arbitrary. The world is fascinating, the combat is exceptional, and there's plenty to see.
Elden Ring: Nightreign turns the series’ boss fights into a fast, focused roguelike loop. It’s tough, best played with a regular trio, and drops the open-world structure in favour of tight planning and co-op execution. While the solo mode and limited map variety hold it back, the build variety and challenge make each run feel earned. If you enjoy FromSoftware combat and don’t mind reruns, there’s a lot to like here
Elden Ring Nightreign does offer a new and interesting step in a different direction for FromSoftware and Bandai Namco, but I’m not exactly confident that this is the best choice. I think it’ll be an enjoyable title to mess about in with your friends, lending itself more to games like Risk of Rain with the roguelike/roguelite aspects, but as a FromSoftware game boasting the Elden Ring title, I think it’s missing the mark from what we expect from the studio.
Elden Ring: Nightreign offers a bold but uneven twist on Soulsborne formula, blending PvE co-op with battle royale mechanics. While its intense boss fights and improved mobility shine, the punishing solo experience, restrictive class builds, and awkward shrinking-map gimmick hold it back. Best enjoyed with a coordinated team, Nightreign caters to hardcore fans—though its experimental design may alienate those craving FromSoftware’s signature depth.
Elden Ring Nightreign is not the triumph FromSoftware was hoping for. Even though the variety offered by the nightfarers and the known strength of the souls series' gameplay does indeed limit the damage, the game is held back by several subpar mechanics. A serverely lacking balancing, a paper thin divide between victory and defeat and a repetitive exploration prevent the first dive into multiplayer for Miyazaki's software house from hitting a perfect shot, but might prove to be a valuable lesson nonetheless.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Those who do embrace the significant change will be rewarded with some incredibly memorable gameplay sessions and find themselves enjoying Elden Ring in entirely new ways.