Known by some as the “Incredibly Hard Action RPGs” or the “Games that make me want to hurl my controller at the television”, the soulslike genre is one whose namesake is based on FROMSoftware’s iconic Souls series. Starting with the initial (originally) PlayStation 3 exclusive Demon’s Souls and later expanding to a range of series and titles, including Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the one that arguably has the most significant reputation is their 2022 experience, Elden Ring. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, who can be considered the “father of the soulslike” and featuring a narrative that drew input from American author George R. R. Martin (author of Game of Thrones), it received praise for its harrowing lore, expansive dark world, and the many challenges that await players within it. While I can imagine the interest from FROMSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment in releasing an Elden Ring II was there, they have instead opted to release a new, fully-fledged experience dubbed Elden Ring Nightreign, which combines key design and gameplay philosophies of the original with roguelike mechanics and three-player multiplayer. Is this the online Elden Ring that fans may have been hoping for, or will it be another dime-a-dozen roguelike that fails to thrill even with a popular IP? Read on to find out!
Elden Ring Nightreign takes the haunting, lore-rich world of its predecessor and subtly reshapes it, providing an experience that is unique in its own right but also shines as its own game – whether or not you have played the original. Returning Elden Ring fans will recognise the familiar narrative threads of the series. However, in true roguelike style, it is less linear and more fragmented, providing a world that has a sense of mystery and discovery, along with both narrative threads and lore snippets that incrementally unlock as you complete playthroughs. However, this approach comes with the downside of occasionally leaving pivotal plot points feeling incomplete, cryptic or even hard to keep track of – arguably even more so when you are dealing with a game that is trying to challenge you. Therefore, the experience may be frustrating to players seeking a more straightforward narrative experience, especially given, as will be outlined later in this review, that you are reliant not only on your competencies but also on those of others.
However, the strength of Elden Ring Nightreign’s narrative lies in the experience it offers, which is rooted in darkly atmospheric storytelling, bolstered by character interactions and a more profound lore that has continued to permeate the Elden Ring universe. Is there enough on offer? I could always use more, but there was always something to keep me moving one, two, five runs forward.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s design ethos cleverly builds upon the dark, atmospheric framework of Elden Ring while accommodating the faster pace and looped structure of a roguelike. The game world of Limveld retains a Gothic, decaying sense of beauty and, with the change in genre, has been designed with verticality and modular map elements in mind, allowing for shifting between runs and making the experience significantly more freeing than the flagship game. It keeps in mind the traversal tools at the player’s disposal – double jumps, wall climbs, and the complete removal of fall damage, which feel liberating, albeit occasionally janky, and feed directly into the run-and-gun rhythm Elden Ring Nightreign demands.
The user interface is a clever evolution of the series’ signature minimalist design, preserving its iconic layout while introducing key tweaks for squad-based and time-sensitive gameplay. Ping wheels and contextual gesture stones allow for surprisingly smooth communication between players, though the lack of voice or cross-play options leaves room for frustration – although, at least for PC players, that is something that can be alleviated with Discord when playing with friends. For PlayStation or Xbox gamers… not so much. One sore spot is the text size, which remains inexplicably small across menus and item descriptions, an issue that’s even more noticeable here, given the faster loop and reliance on tooltips (or perhaps my vision has just deteriorated). Overall, Elden Ring Nightreign respects FromSoftware’s visual language but shows a commendable willingness to refine it for a different type of challenge.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s audio design stands as a standout element, with a score that dynamically rises and falls in tempo to match the chaos of its condensed expeditions. Each of the Nightlords is accompanied by a bespoke, multi-phase orchestral track that underscores the tension and drama of each climactic encounter. At the same time, the soundscape of navigating around Limveld is also pleasing. Voice acting remains sparse but effective; cryptic NPC monologues return at the Roundtable Hold, and player characters now call out key events – such as revives or danger alerts – without breaking immersion. The only drawback is that, during particularly chaotic encounters, overlapping sound effects and voice lines can occasionally make the mix feel overcrowded.
At its core, Elden Ring Nightreign maintains a tight, responsive gameplay loop that feels unmistakably FromSoftware while streamlining systems to accommodate shorter, high-stakes sessions. Combat remains weighty and deliberate, with familiar dodge rolls, stagger mechanics, and punishing attack windows, but is tuned for faster encounters and tighter arenas. The three-day expedition format condenses the traditional Souls experience into a punchy loop of loot, fight, upgrade, and repeat, with each day ending in a major showdown that escalates both tension and difficulty. Mobility has been reimagined to encourage bold traversal (with things like fall damage no longer being a thing), and the simplified levelling and inventory systems reduce downtime without compromising the complexity. For those who live for the moment-to-moment thrill of combat as your explorable area gets smaller and smaller, Elden Ring Nightreign succeeds in delivering an intense, compact take on the genre’s brutality.
Elden Ring Nightreign launches players into battle with a roster of eight distinct characters, known as Nightfarers, each with their own weapon loadout, stats, and unique skill set. From the ranged precision of Ironeye to the revive-centric support mechanics of the Guardian, every class feels thoughtfully designed to serve a role within the chaos of a three-player team. What elevates the experience is the subtle synergy between these archetypes. The variety and intentional team dynamics add a welcome layer of strategy. But at the same time, when you are partied up with two other unknown players, any strategy has the potential of going out of the window based on their experience, knowledge and approach to gameplay.
Loot and build-crafting in Elden Ring Nightreign pivot toward fluid improvisation over long-term commitment. With six weapon slots (three for each hand) and a medley of items to collect, players are encouraged to experiment mid-run rather than chase a single perfect loadout. This lends itself to high-stakes decisions: do you equip a powerful legendary weapon that mismatches your current class or hold onto a lesser item that better aligns with how your character grows? The inclusion of class-specific Remembrances and relic combinations adds meaningful build depth between runs. However, the lack of a reroll or crafting system occasionally makes chasing specific bonuses feel like a frustrating gamble rather than a strategic pursuit.
The game’s run economy and design deserve praise for their effective balance of chaos and structure. Early-game moments are all about hitting familiar priorities – from Flask churches, camp clears, and scrambling for stonesword keys – while mid-game introduces a decision fork: head toward boss-rich zones for significant rune gain, or loot cautiously at the fringes. Time management is paramount, with the encroaching fire circle pushing players into calculated risks. One run might see you narrowly escape a collapsing castle after defeating a demon, while another might punish your greed for staying too long in a now-doomed rot zone that rapidly depletes your HP.
Boss design straddles nostalgia and novelty in a way that fans of the genre will likely appreciate. Encounters in the first couple of days remix enemies from earlier Souls titles, letting veterans tackle familiar foes in less familiar environments while introducing tweaks that keep them from feeling like pure repeats. But it’s the Nightlords – eight multi-phase showdowns unique to Elden Ring Nightreign – that steal the spotlight. These encounters are designed with multiplayer in mind, often featuring arena-wide hazards, aggro-splitting mechanics, and interruption tests that demand team coordination. Some players may bristle at the occasionally bloated health pools, especially when RNG denies you the element a boss is weak to, but these fights still deliver standout moments.
Beyond the shifting environments and randomised loot pools, you will incrementally get more and more potent by the boons every failed (or successful) run grants you. Between runs, players unlock and equip Relics that can define one’s approach to future expeditions. These range from subtle stat boosts to dramatic modifiers like free Ultimate charges or shared flask healing among teammates. There’s also a journal system tied to each Nightfarer, offering micro-quests and personal lore fragments that reward narrative progression alongside mechanical depth. Though RNG still governs much of what happens inside a single run, these persistent upgrades help smooth out long-term frustration and give players a sense of control over their evolving strategy. It is a staple of any good roguelike experience, and Elden Ring Nightfarer implements it well.
Perhaps Elden Ring Nightreign’s most polarising design choice is its solo versus squad balance. While it is technically possible to venture solo, the experience feels heavily skewed toward full three-player teams. Enemies retain their group-oriented numbers and aggression patterns. While solo players get a mild damage boost, the lack of resurrection mechanics and sheer lack of party members for a what-if situation potentially makes every death a hard fail. As it stands, Nightreign is designed for full squads – those jumping in alone or with a single friend may find the odds stacked a bit too steeply against them. Of course, with so many live service games competing for player attention nowadays, even with a major like Elden Ring, it leaves one asking what will be done should it be less practical to party up with other players – or the ultimate end goal for every live service – the servers are eventually shut down.
Ultimately, Elden Ring Nightreign is more than just a spin-off. Instead, it’s a reimagining of a universe that has become beloved to many gamers over the recent years, fusing the brutal intensity of FromSoftware’s approach to soulslike game design with the high-stakes tension of the roguelike genre. It doesn’t replace Elden Ring, nor does it try to. Instead, it offers an experience which is shorter, sharper, and snappier, with synergy and replayability at its core. While it may frustrate solo players or those yearning for a traditional narrative arc, what it delivers is a compelling and addictive take on multiplayer Soulslike gameplay. The speed, style, and structure truly shift the Elden Ring formula in exciting ways – with friends by your side this time and death always one misstep away. Is it a heavy hitter / gamechanger like Elden Ring was? Not really… but an enjoyable game in its own right.
Final Score for Elden Ring Nightreign
A PlayStation 5 digital review code was provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment Australia to facilitate this review. This review was conducted on a PlayStation 5 Pro retail unit.
Elden Ring Nightreign is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
