Elden Ring isn't just my favourite Souls game—it's my favourite game of all time. The biggest reason for that is the incredible amount of variety it offers. Whether it's the hundreds of unique weapons, countless spells/incantations, diverse enemy types, or unforgettable bosses, there is always something new to discover. That's exactly why Nightreign caught my attention. Instead of committing to a single build for the entire playthrough, this game gave me the chance to adapt and experiment with different weapons, while trying different characters, each with their own unique playstyle, abilities, and skills. It provides great replayability, and I genuinely enjoy my time playing this game.
[h2] Positives/PROS [/h2]
[h3] Gameplay- [/h3]
Nightreign is much more fast-paced compared to Elden Ring. You have Surge Sprint, which lets you run faster (just like Torrent, but without him). You can actually climb walls and obstacles in your path, and there is the Spectral Hawk, which helps you traverse long distances quickly. I wish they had added these features to the main Elden Ring too :(.
Every run feels different due to randomized loot. You also get different characters—each Nightfarer has a different playstyle. For example, Ironeye is an archer, while Recluse specializes in sorceries and magic. Every Nightfarer has its own passive ability, Character Skill, and Ultimate Art. After each run, you receive rewards, including Relics (items that contain passive bonuses, effects, and other benefits), which you can equip on your character to gain advantages, and Murk (the in-game currency), which can be used to purchase cosmetics, emotes, Relics, and other items. All of this makes the gameplay enjoyable and provides excellent replayability.
[h3] Bosses- [/h3]
As this game reuses assets from Elden Ring, you will face many of the same enemies and bosses that you already fought in that game. The game also features six returning Dark Souls bosses that are not part of Elden Ring. You will encounter these either at the end of Day 1 or Day 2. But keep all of that aside—if you reach Day 3, you will face the Nightlords, which are completely unique bosses. There are eight of them in total (excluding the DLC), and they are much harder than the regular bosses you have faced in Souls games. They have diverse movesets and can wipe out your entire expedition with their devastating AOE attacks. And oh my God, the music for these Nightlords is just beyond this world. No other Souls game has boss OSTs of this quality. Special mention goes to Caligo, Fulghor, and Libra. I honestly don't know why this game wasn't nominated for Best Soundtrack at TGA 2025. Everything you do beforehand throughout your journey—your builds, upgrades, and teamwork—ultimately leads to this one final challenge, making it incredibly memorable.
[h3] Quality of Life- [/h3]
This game still has approximately 20–35k active players every day. In my experience, Matchmaking usually took only a few seconds, with the longest wait being around 2–3 minutes. This game provides a smooth multiplayer experience with almost no connectivity or network lag issues. At least it's much better than previous FromSoftware games, where the co-op system felt like hell without mods. This was FromSoftware's first proper multiplayer/co-op game, and I think they did a pretty good job. The optimization is just okayish. During chaotic boss fights, or when a Nightlord gets mad and uses its "signature move," FPS fluctuations are very common. And just like Elden Ring, this game is locked at 60 FPS, which is pretty disappointing.
[h2] Negatives/CONS [/h2]
Now this game starts to show its actual disappointments if you put its positives aside for a moment.
-> This game is very fast-paced - You have to make decisions quickly because you don't get enough time for exploration. Each day lasts for about 15 minutes, and during that time you are under constant pressure to gather gear and loot as fast as possible while the safe zone continuously shrinks. You can miss a lot of things if you don't act quickly. This also means that even if you enjoyed Elden Ring, it's not guaranteed that you'll enjoy this game too. If you're the kind of person who likes to explore the world slowly at your own pace, then this game is not for you.
-> The gameplay loop gets repetitive after some time- After you achieve 100% completion, which can take around 40–50 hours at most, there's nothing much left to do other than grinding in Deep of Night mode.
-> You only get one map - Although there are variations with Shifting Earth events and changing boss locations, they don't make enough of a difference. After several hours of playing, you'll know the entire map, and it becomes very predictable and repetitive.
-> No communication tools when playing with randoms - At least they should have added a text chat or voice chat because communication is very important in a PvE co-op game. Right now, the only way to communicate is by marking locations and equipment on the map.
-> This game is not made for solo play - I know the game scales the health of enemies and bosses depending on the number of players, but solo play is still very difficult because you don't get revived. Although you can obtain Wending Grace, which gives you one extra life, the game can still throw two or even three bosses at you at the end of a day.
-> Lack of content - As FromSoftware has now abandoned this game, there have been no updates regarding its future. The community has been asking for a new map, another Nightlord, or even SOTE weapons from Elden Ring (which I also want). But sadly, with the base game and the Forsaken Hollows DLC, Nightreign's journey seems to be over. There's still hope within the community for at least one more update... but for now, it's just "hope." :(
[h2] Should you buy Nightreign if you want to play solo or with randoms? [/h2]
As I mentioned earlier, the game is not well-balanced for a solo playthrough. You have to act fast from the very first day so that you don't end up under-leveled or without good weapons and upgrades. It is very difficult, but some people still manage to do it. If you equip Relics with useful benefits and just "GIT GUD," you can even defeat the Nightlords solo, so yeah, it's ultimately up to you. Playing with randoms is also fun. Sometimes they'll carry you, and sometimes they'll rage quit mid-game lol. The lack of communication tools is the biggest problem when playing with randoms. Still, most players are cooperative and show good teamwork. But if this game had a chat or voice chat option, it would have been much better.
[h2] Final Verdict- [/h2]
This game was just an experimental project by FromSoftware. I know it's not perfect and has many flaws, but this was never meant to be a live-service game. FromSoftware delivering multiple updates and a DLC is more than enough for what this game was intended to be. The community has its own demands, but I think it's time to move on from this game and let them focus on their future titles. I played this game for over 40 hours, but even in that short time, I made a lot of memories with the friend I played duo with. I still remember the day when we finally reached our first Nightlord together after so many attempts. Although we failed, that fight was absolutely dramatic, and I loved every second of that experience. I will still do at least one run every day because I genuinely love this game. I'm even thinking about starting another playthrough of Elden Ring because this game motivates me to do so. I love everything about the world of Elden Ring—the bosses, characters, music, worldbuilding, lore, and the incredible diversity of its weapons, skills, enemies, spells, and so much more. That's exactly why I loved Nightreign, even with all of its flaws.
[h3] "In the end, it was never about surviving the night—it was about wanting to face it again." [/h3]
[b] Rating - 8/10 [/b]
