Despite its immense sales and impressive player count, Elden Ring Nightreign has proven to be a polarizing title in FromSoftware's library, with many players somewhat confused about the overall experience. This confusion isn't helped by the game missing a few key multiplayer features, like crossplay, some form of voice chat, and duo runs, but it also stems from how large a departure the game is from FromSoftware's usual titles. Nightreign is the black sheep of FromSoftware's Soulsborne titles, and it could be easier to enjoy when viewed in a different way to these Soulsborne games.

Nightreign uses a lot of assets from not only Elden Ring, but the Dark Souls series too, with bosses and enemies from the prior games making a comeback to traumatize players all over again. Limveld is vaguely similar to Limgrave, the Roundtable Hold is back, and Lost Graces still provide a way to level up, but the game's overall structure is so different to anything else FromSoftware has made that it might be easier to make comparisons elsewhere. The combat is distinctly Soulsborne, but it may be best to approach the game like other roguelites for a more enjoyable experience.

Elden Ring Nightreign Is A Rogue-Lite Through And Through

And Should Be Treated That Way To Enjoy It

Although the most enjoyable way to play Nightreign is to somehow find two other friends who are willing to suffer through Limveld, which is the hardest boss FromSoftware has ever made, with recent changes, solo runs are becoming more manageable and a change in mentality could help people understand the game more. With the might of the Elden Ring IP, similar enemies, and Soulsborne combat, as well as the bulk of the community coming from Elden Ring, many might approach the game like it's a DLC for the game. I did the same thing, and found myself a bit confused.

The pace through me for a loop, the speed of the game made it difficult to track what items I needed, micromanage my abilities, and keep up with fellow Nightfarers. I tried playing Nightreign like Elden Ring with friends, but as I understood more of the game's mechanics and its gameplay loop, it reminded me more and more of other rogue-lites in my Steam library. Once I began considering Nightreign among their number and not as another Soulsborne game, the frustrations became more bearable and the repetition felt like a more manageable learning experience.

Rogue-lites are often confused with rogue-likes. Rogue-lites have progression after a run is completed, but rogue-likes have permadeath and no sense of progression.

Typically, weapons in Elden Ring dictate a playing style, and while this can be the case for some Nightfarers, especially Wylder, some have their play styles entirely dictated by their built-in abilities, like the Recluse and Revenant. This is something that is more in line with many modern rogue-lites and also steers quite heavily away from the fantasy Soulsborne titles, like Elden Ring and Dark Souls. The quick movement is also such a large departure, and while the climbing is janky at times, it gives the Elden Ring IP a dimension it didn't have before Nightreign.

Nightreign Is Less Like Elden Ring And More Like Risk Of Rain 2

Comparing The Titles Helped Me Understand Nightreign More

While the combat systems are obviously very different, there are a few similarities between Nightreign and Risk of Rain 2, one of the best modern rogue-lites. Both offer a co-op rogue-lite experience with a cast of characters with distinct toolkits while they run around a map looking for items to bolster these abilities. Both are time-sensitive, although in different ways, and are heavily reliant on communication between players to get the most out of the co-op experience, although they can be played solo for a greater challenge.

While the combat is vastly different, it does feel like Risk of Rain 2 is an example of what Nightreign could become with more updates, especially with its greater multiplayer functions. Players being able to do runs solo, in a duo, trio, or a group of four helps make Risk of Rain 2 accessible, especially with the balancing between these differences in party size, something that Nightreign needs to help overcome its communication issues. Both lack a form of voice chat for whatever reason, although Risk of Rain 2 somewhat makes up for that with a text chat.

Risk of Rain uses its text chat to send players notifications about the map, updates with allies, and changes to the run.

It seems Nightreign will be getting updates for at least some time, especially after the most recent patch, and it could mean that it could do what Risk of Rain 2 did by adding extra modes and ways to enjoy the gameplay loop, more bosses from previous Soulsborne games, and maybe even new Nightfarers. First and foremost, Nightreign needs better multiplayer functions to be a title with the legs to benefit from great longevity. Its initial boom in popularity stems from being a part of the Elden Ring IP, but that ironically gives players the wrong impression.

Players Need To Change Their Expectations To Enjoy Nightreign

A Different Director Has Produced A Different Vision

Although it is under the Elden Ring IP, Nightreign is a completely different experience made by a new director, Junya Ishizaki, who is perhaps showing how green he is with the lack of certain multiplayer functions. While the Elden Ring IP was used for this title to make it popular and reuse the combat mechanics and enemies, it has perhaps tricked people into thinking that Nightreign will be Elden Ring with friends for forty-five minutes at a time and has been the source of frustrations. Playing Nightreign with an Elden Ring mindset will do more harm than good.

A group's success will sometimes come down to RNG, what items they can get, and what bosses they face after each night. Nightreign isn't the predictable experience that Elden Ring is and players will have to be more adaptable while dealing with the game's oppressively quick pace. It is all a lot easier to stomach, and even enjoy, when compared to other rogue-lite titles, especially those with RNG elements, like Risk of Rain 2, Hades, and God of War: Ragnarok, since comparing Nightreign to these titles makes the lack of predictability easier to accept.

Ultimately, Elden Ring Nightreign will not be for every fan of Soulsborne games. It's a title without the typical Soulsborne predictability and forces players to use everything at their disposal, something the Soulsborne community famously shuns. As someone who has played several Soulsborne titles and rogue-lites, Nightreign feels like it's more in-line with the rogue-lites than the Soulsborne games and is more understandable when compared in this way. Although it seems very similar to Elden Ring, Nightreign is its own thing and should be treated as such.