by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: $17.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
It’s tough, brutal, frequently demanding and yet responsive, addictive and deeply satisfying.
When Elden Ring dropped in 2022, it changed the video game landscape forever. Although FromSoftware, the developers of Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro, were gaining in popularity over time, Elden Ring made them a household name, offering the most approachable version of their tried and true formula of challenging combat, intricate exploration and swearing at the telly when you’re clobbered by a massive slimy boss for the fiftieth time that day.
Elden Ring sold an absurd number of copies, and was glazed with deserved critical adulation, and speculation began as to whether we’d get a sequel or not. That question has recently been answered with Elden Ring Nightreign, a roguelike spin–off project that despite shortcomings is pretty bloody good.
Elden Ring Nightreign takes place in an alternate universe version of the Lands Between from Elden Ring. In this grim version of reality, the Nox triumphed over Marika and the Golden Order, turning an already dark and nasty place into somewhere almost as wretched as Cessnock Macca’s car park at 2am on a Friday morning. The only force stopping this joint from getting worse are The Nightfairers, warriors of various stripes, who bravely battle the Nightlords to stop the entire world from being swamped by stygian evil. If this all sounds like a fairly thin premise upon which to base a roguelike then, yes, you’ve been paying attention.
The first thing that you need to know about Nightreign is that it’s very, very different to Elden Ring. That epic dark fantasy masterpiece had a slow, deliberate pace, a genuinely fascinating sense of subtle but emerging narrative, drip fed over time and a feeling of dreamlike exploration that was unlike anything else on the market, before or since. Nightreign takes visual elements of Elden Ring – environments, enemies, weapons etc. – and places them in the context of a fast-paced, zippy roguelike designed to be played in teams of three (although it’s possible to solo, albeit nightmarishly unbalanced). You’ll spend two day/night cycles running around, ganking enemies, levelling up and scoring the best loot you can, all while avoiding a shrinking barrier that pushes you into a single area and then, on the third day, you’ll fight one of eight beastly Nightlords who will almost certainly wipe you and your team out a good number of times before you finally best them. After that, you’ll unlock upgrades and/or additional Nightfairer classes and then do it all over again, in classic roguelike style.
So, was FromSoft’s rather bold experiment in multiplayer worth it? It really depends on you. If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Elden Ring fan looking for more of that measured, exquisite experience, Nightreign probably won’t be for you. This is a game that you need to meet on its own terms. If, however, you love a good roguelike experience and are happy to see FromSoft cast their net a little wider, there is much to like here. The combat is excellent and, thanks to a surprisingly deep roster of Nightfairers, varied enough to catch the attention of most gamers. The boss fights are brutal and the Nightlord battles are insanely challenging at times, so you’re unlikely to steamroll your way through all the content in a weekend.
There are downsides. Rushing through these gorgeous environments feels vaguely sacrilegious at times and the repetitive nature of the genre, combined with one (admittedly massive) map at launch, which casts doubt on the long-term replayability of the thing. Plus, unless you’ve got a couple of mates willing to hook in, the playing-with-randoms experience can be a frustrating nightmare.
Still and all, when you’ve got a decent team and you manage to score some solid weapons, Nightreign can be an absolute blast. It’s tough, brutal, frequently demanding and yet responsive, addictive and deeply satisfying. It shouldn’t be held in the same revered regard as Elden Ring, that title is a once in a generation masterpiece, but for players willing to move a little out of their comfort zone, Elden Ring Nightreign has much to offer.
