A Brutal But Brilliant Multiplayer Roguelike
This is going to be a hard review to write.
I love Elden Ring; both the main game and that of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. I love it so much that if there was such a thing as a favourite developer, FromSoftware would be right up there.
Elden Ring Nightreign from those at FromSoftware and Bandai Namco then should be a no-brainer; a game set in the universe of the classic Elden Ring, just this time pulling in a bit of a multiplayer twist on things. And luckily, the multiplayer here is cooperative. Win win!
The Nightlords’ Reign
It must be said though that the narratives found in FromSoftware games are usually a little bit wooly, and so it proves here in Nightreign.
We are a disparate collection of heroes who have been gathered at the Roundtable Hold, because the lands of Limgrave are being overtaken by the Night. The Night (with a capital N) is controlled by a series of baddies called the Nightlords, and our job, should we choose to accept it, is to bring their reign of terror (their Nightreign, if you will) to an end. Once one Nightlord is down, a new bunch appears, and then finally the big bad appears once enough have been killed.
And be in no doubt, Elden Ring Nightreign is about as easy as we’ve come to expect from FromSoftware. So prepare to die. A lot.
Familiar Foes, Fresh Fights
The presentation of the game is up to the standard we have come to expect from the Elden Ring universe, and the Lands Between (even in this indeterminate time scale, where the Erdtree appears to be missing) look really good. There are enemies scattered throughout the place, drawn from the last few FromSoftware games and at one point I found myself randomly fighting a boss from Dark Souls 3. That does mean there is a fair amount of reusing of assets going on. However, putting these bosses in random locations around the countryside makes them a bit more of a challenge, and also changes the way they fight, so we’ll forgive them.
The characters that we play as all look great as well, with some very interesting designs, whilst the weapons obtainable change how attacks look, so every game is different. The sound is also top notch, instantly recognisable but still sufficiently different to be distinct. The voice acting is as good as usual too.
The Cycle of Damnation
It is in the gameplay where things start to get tricky. You see, Elden Ring Nightreign is basically a roguelike, with each run beginning at level 1, all before chaos ensues; a case of running about, killing baddies, levelling at graces (this is all automatic, so no choosing what facets of the character to upgrade this time) and trying to take down the field bosses to get our hands on powerful new weapons and passive upgrades. You can get a boost to your maximum HP, for instance, or a new weapon, and this is after battering the boss that holds them.
As we battle our way through the landscape, an eye must be kept on the time and the map, as the map gradually gets smaller with a blue ring of fire that closes in. Being in the fire is a really bad idea as it will constantly erode your health, and thus we are herded into a showdown. Each run takes place over three in-game days, the climax of which is a multi-stage boss fight. Manage to triumph at the end of day 1, and the ring of fire is reset, giving the opportunity to run the whole map again, rinsing and repeating the process.
The Power of Friendship (and Lack of Cross-Play)
The problem with Elden Ring Nightreign though comes with the quality of the people that you find to play with. I’ll admit to having gotten lucky during this review process to find a couple of regular folk to play with, but you’ll want to ensure you have a squad ready to roll; having people you can rely on makes things an absolute joy, and with communication it is possible to take the fight to the enemies.
However, I’ve also seen the flipside – solo runs are absolutely brutal. Even more so than in the original, which at least leads you gently, with Elden Ring Nightreign it is perfectly possible to land (each run starts on a Spirit Hawk, flying us into the danger zone) at level 1 and run straight into a Draconic Tree Sentinel, and this is flipping rough. With a team, it is possible to at least make a fight of it, and if a team member is knocked down, then attacking them will get them back on their feet (weird, I know), yet as long as someone stays alive, the team can be brought back in with the final boss fight of each day. Outside of those encounters, you have a timer during which you can be revived, but if it expires, you lose your runes (the souls for this game that let you level up) and more vitally, you also lose a level. Obviously, you want to be as strong as possible by Day 3, so avoiding death is pretty vital. Practically impossible, but vital!
Relics and Remembrances
Completion of runs sees the gaining of relics that can be equipped to our characters, helping to make us stronger from the get to. My favourite class, the Ironeye, uses bows as a default, and one of the relics I’ve found grants the starting bow the dealing of fire damage, which is great in the early stages. Equipping relics in different combinations can also make the team more able to deal with the final boss of the day, as each one has its own elemental weakness. Obviously having that power in your arsenal will help no end.
The other classes we can play as are all a mixed bunch, from the Guardian class that acts as a tank to the squishy Recluse, a magic user that is best not mixing it with the big baddies. There are also a couple of extra characters to unlock, but no spoilers here. Each character comes complete with a questline to take on and finish, which does add a bit of spice to the single player, as doing these “Remembrances” does mess up the matchmaking, weirdly.
A Challenging Co-op Journey for the Tarnished Faithful
And so we come to a conclusion – the hardest part of this whole process. If you have a reliable squad to run Elden Ring Nightreign with, then this is as easy a sell as the original Elden Ring, but I’m at a loss to understand why crossplay is not in place. Yet if you come to these lands as a solo player, things are a bit different; while you can certainly try and go it alone, Elden Ring Nightreign is so hard that it is a bit of a masochist’s pursuit. For the hardcore players, it is possible, but a team makes things so much easier, especially when you start to synergise your builds.
It is hard to score a game that depends so much on a community, but the challenge and the reward found in Elden Ring Nightreign is there for the taking.
Important Links
RISE TOGETHER, TARNISHED! Elden Ring Nightreign Unleashes Co-op & New Nightmares – https://www.thexboxhub.com/rise-together-tarnished-elden-ring-nightreign-unleashes-co-op-new-nightmares/
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN: A Standalone Co-op Action Survival Game Announced – https://www.thexboxhub.com/elden-ring-nightreign-a-standalone-co-op-action-survival-game-announced/
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Hands-On Preview: A Glimpse into the Lands Between’s Roguelike Future – https://www.thexboxhub.com/elden-ring-nightreign-hands-on-preview-a-glimpse-into-the-lands-betweens-roguelike-future/
Buy Elden Ring Nightreign on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/elden-ring-nightreign/9PJ22QNVCZ3G
Or grab the Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/elden-ring-nightreign-deluxe-edition-pre-order/9NP70G4MLDR2/0017
