It’s been more than three years since the release of the mega hit, Elden Ring, back in 2022, and From Software is ready with their next game in the series, even if it isn’t quite their usual affair. Did their attempt at a primarily multiplayer title work as well as most of their other releases? Or does the game change too much, too quickly? Well, the answer is a bit of both, so keep reading the XboxEra Review-In-Progress for Elden Ring: Nightreign to find out.
Where Am I?
A quick disclaimer before I dive in: I was given access to the game only a couple of days ago and have had no chance to play with a group at all. Naturally, for a game built almost entirely on the concept of three-person teams, having to play solo is not a final representative of the game, which is why this is a Review-In-Progress for now. I’ll still give my general thoughts, but don’t fret about things like the tentative score.
Elden Ring: Nightreign takes place in Limveld, an area with many story connections to the base Elden Ring game, I’m sure, but for now is a finely crafted island for us to fly into and explore as we try and take out “The Nightlord”. The goal is to survive two days on the island, which means two sessions of exploring and getting stronger, and then two boss encounters after that, until we come face to face with The Nightlord itself and take that out too. Successfully doing so completes one “Expedition”, granting more rewards and story progression.
Spawn. Die. Repeat.
Considering my limited time with the game so far, I’m going to focus now on my own experiences and thoughts, and less on the various gameplay mechanics. Keep an eye out for my full review in around a week or so for that.
To give a brief overview of the gameplay loop, it essentially goes like this. You pick one of (initially six) eight premade characters to play, each with their own stats and two unique skills, and then start up the expedition. You land somewhere on the edge of the island, and then it’s up to you what path you choose to explore, or which areas to go to. Either way, you kill whatever you can and level up at the many Sites of Grace spread throughout. You also collect consumables and other weapons, which have passive stat bonuses that are essential to getting stronger. Such as picking up an axe that increases the damage you do at full hp, or increases damage negation, etc. The enemies you fight should be familiar to Elden Ring veterans, with a few balance changes here and there, but I’m not going to dive into the full specifics, not yet anyway. There’s a ring of fire that narrows as time goes on until eventually it’s a small circle where you fight a boss. Do that twice, and you’re on the final day, fighting the last encounter of the expedition.
There’s a fair bit more, of course, such as the different available bosses, or various buffs and boons you can find on the island, but one thing that was made clear to me in my many attempts was that the name of the game in Nightreign is speed, almost more than anything else. When you land in Limveld there’s a heck of a lot to do on your map, or even right beside your character. But the game doesn’t give you time to explore at your own pace, you need to pick a destination, finish it quick, and get out. Hopefully, with enough time saved to do one or two more before the circle starts to shrink.
Gotta Go Fast
While I’m sure some will appreciate this more hectic style of play, personally, it clashed significantly with what I love about every Souls-like out there. Namely, that I take my time to fully explore and clear out an area before moving on. So, as you can imagine, there were times with Nightreign that frustrated me, such as being forced to abandon a boss finally near death because I took too long, or didn’t take enough of a direct route. While you can sprint quite fast in this game, the rain that falls kills you quite quickly, meaning even a small mistake (such as getting stuck next to a cliff) usually spells death.
Speaking of, this was another point of contention for me. In solo play at least, dying while exploring has too big of a consequence (especially when any random boss roaming around can essentially one-shot you if you’re not careful.) In Elden Ring: Nightreign, dying is a regular part of the experience, and if you fully succumb (as in you’re not revived by teammates in time), then you respawn somewhere nearby, lose your runes like normal, but also lose a level. This level loss is permanent, as in you need to purchase another level with your very limited currency. This isn’t a big deal in early levels where the cost is low, but in later ones, dying felt like ruining your entire run right then and there. Thankfully, there seems to be a limit on how low you can drop in Day 2 and onwards, preventing you from regressing too much at least.
Bring A Friend (Or Two)
I imagine dying isn’t as big of a consequence in the usual group style of play, but this mechanic, along with other things, is not tuned well for solo players. This game was designed for a full group of three people, and while the game does reduce the HP for enemies when queuing alone, little else changes. Meaning, wide area encounters full of numerous enemies are still there, or boss encounters with multiple foes, or large areas to explore that take too long going at it alone. As of now, at least, the solo play seems to be only for those who want the hardest experience they can, or for those who have no choice. Couple that in with the game not having cross-play (which is pretty crazy for a 2025 release), and I don’t think playing solo is going to be as rare an occurrence as From may have thought.
The last thing I’ll touch on is that, at least insofar as, the permanent upgrade options seem to be lacking. You can create a “loadout” of sorts for your characters before you depart by equipping different coloured relics in available slots that differ by character. These can do things like increase your critical damage, give you +3 strength, or even change your base weapon skill. The concept is intriguing, and I imagine as you keep playing, you do get a good amount of variety, but as far as creating the feel of getting stronger after every run, they don’t do a good job. The upgrades seem marginal most of the time, and the colour restrictions mean it’ll take even longer to find ones that slot in well with your character of choice.
Hey, if it works…
The game’s performance was okay on an Xbox Series X, where right away I noticed that the game was running a fair bit lower than 60 fps. I either got used to it as I kept playing, or it was just an initial issue as I no longer felt the low frames.
I did have a couple of moments where enemy AI clearly bugged out, however, usually due to terrain or elevation. In one of the end-of-the-day boss encounters, the boss got stuck in a running loop for a good minute or so as I slowly plodded it with arrows. While funny, this also highlighted moments where I was caught in unseen terrain as I scrambled to get away.
It’s a Review-In-Progress, guys
As you’ve no doubt realized, I haven’t exactly been loving my time so far with Nightreign, largely due to only being able to play alone so far, but there’s more than just that. The game encourages exploration, but barely gives you any time for it. The permanent upgrade options rarely feel like they’re giving me a tangible advantage, and not being able to play exactly how I want to feels off in a game of this series.
All of that being said, most of my complaints stem from either not playing the game enough or not adapting to what this game is, rather than trying to shoehorn in my own conceptions. The game is fast paced, yeah, but the chance to explore is still there, it’s just over the course of many runs rather than all at once. The relic upgrade system seems minor initially, but you can also eventually unlock new Relic Rites, which let you slot in more relics for your character. And while no character may play exactly how my own do, I need to learn to actually use the character abilities on cooldown and mesh them to their own playstyle, rather than trying to force mine on each one.
This review might seem a little contradictory, critiquing and then partially absolving those critiques, but this is a review in progress after all. I’m still forming my final opinion of the game as I keep playing it, but what I can tell you now is that if you’re interested in Elden Ring combat and exploration, and also have a couple of friends who are, Elden Ring: Nightreign is a game full of depth and plenty of things to kill and places to explore. That being said, my mostly solo-play experiences were a mixed bag at best, preventing me from praising the game too much or giving a high “review-in-progress” temporary score.
Elden Ring: Nightrein
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- Great Combat
- A ton to explore
- Good character variety
CONS
- Solo Play isn't balanced
- Death penalty is too high
- Permanent upgrades too weak (at least initially)
- No Cross-Play
- Too Fast Paced
