Summary
FromSoftware’s biggest experiment yet,Elden Ring Nightreign, is officially here, offering players one of the most unconventional Soulslike experiences they have likely ever had. Whether its attempt at innovation will pay off in the long run is still up in the air, butElden Ring Nightreignhas nonetheless finally arrived, with a brand-new take on FromSoftware’s signature formula.
Unfortunately, innovative it may be, butElden Ring Nightreignis a bit of a strange one. It just doesn’t feel likeElden Ring, despite having the name, and a big part of that feeling is how it handles the Lands Between. It goes without saying thatElden Ring’s greatest strengthis its open world and the autonomy players had to go off the beaten path, discover hidden dungeons, and just take it all in. InNightreign, there’s just no time to do that because everything moves so fast. Of course, this is how the game is intended to behave, but it still makes what was once the most glorious part ofElden Ring’s design nothing more than ground to be trampled on.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Momentum Comes at a Cost
Nightreign Replaces Exploration With Urgency
Elden Ringis known for having one of thebest open worlds in video game history, to the point that it is considered by some to be even better thanThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand its successor,Tears of the Kingdom. Exploration inElden Ring’s Lands Between is immensely rewarding, as there are just so many different secrets to find, making just about every adventure worthwhile. EvenElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree acknowledged this by somehow taking everything the base game did and quite literally soaring to new heights.
However, all of this has largely gone out the window inElden Ring Nightreign. FromSoftware’s latest experiment is more about players gaining muscle memory for its gameplay loop so they don’t have to even think about where to go or what to do next. Understandably,Elden Ring Nightreignis designed to be afast-paced Soulslikeexperience, to the point that each playable character can even sprint at unprecedented speeds. Regardless, however, the magic of the Lands Between is lost inside the pressure of the ever-enclosing ring — replaced by a sense of urgency that doesn’t give players time to truly experience the world around them.
Autonomy Takes a Backseat to Optimization in Nightreign
One of the key characteristics of a Soulslike is that it gives players a great deal of agency in how they play. They can build their character the way they want to, venture off the beaten path at any moment, and even take on challenging boss fights before they are ready. WhileElden Ring Nightreignobserves some of these principles, the autonomy players had toexplore inElden Ringis missing. Instead of letting players explore the world to uncover secrets,Elden Ring Nightreign’s pacing makes it little more than a boss rush that has them quickly sifting through items and gear, leveling up when they can, and always on the lookout for the next best thing.
The magic of the Lands Between is lost inside the pressure of the ever-enclosing ring — replaced by a sense of urgency that doesn’t give players time to truly experience the world around them.
Again, this design philosophy makes sense for whatElden Ring Nightreignwants to accomplish, but it nonetheless spoils what madeElden Ringso great in the first place. Effectively, this turnsNightreigninto an asset flip, making itElden Ringin name only, lacking the substance that defined the game it is founded on. It’s a shame that the wonder ofElden Ring’s Lands Betweenhas been lost in exchange forNightreign’s experimental mechanics, but there’s still room for this ambitious spin-off to evolve in the future.
