Many fans of the Souls genre will be asking themselves about Elden Ring: Nightreign: Is this game for me, even though it takes a different approach than Dark Souls? Our Souls expert Christos Tsogos, a long-time fan of the genre, has taken on the question and provides you with an answer.
Who is writing here? Christos, one of the Souls experts from MeinMMO. My journey with the genre began back with Demon’s Souls on the PS3. From there, I progressed through all the Dark Souls titles, Bloodborne, and of course Elden Ring – along with their respective DLCs.
I have completed every game at 100%, collected every achievement, and spent hundreds of additional hours raiding worlds and stealing players’ souls. So, I should have a good sense of what the community in the genre wants.
When it comes to Elden Ring: Nightreign, it’s not surprising that fans are skeptical. After all, the spin-off is supposed to diverge significantly from the beloved Souls formula. Therefore, I want to clear up your question marks and explain whether the game is for you or not.
Is Elden Ring: Nightreign Worth It for Souls Fans?
Since the announcement, I’ve been gathering every bit of information about Nightreign and was even able to participate in the developers’ network test. At first, I was skeptical, but the closer we get to the release, the clearer my impression of the game becomes. In my view, there are now two potential concerns for Souls fans regarding Nightreign:
Is this game for me, even though there isn’t a vast open world to explore?
To the first question, I can tell you right away: If you want to explore a huge world like Lordran, Yharnam, or the Lands Between and lose yourself in it, then you’re in the wrong place with Nightreign. The size and extent of the maps will be significantly limited to make the rain mechanics meaningful.
However, what might be interesting are the maps themselves. They are supposed to be procedurally generated and provide variety through different biomes. While this can’t replace a vast world, it might still encourage fans to explore the small maps repeatedly.
The shooter Helldivers 2 demonstrates this with its maps. While they are always consistent in terms of biomes, their procedural generation keeps them feeling fresh and gives the impression that you are always discovering something new.
Will the game become monotonous once I’ve defeated all the bosses?
The second important question concerns replayability. The goal of Nightreign is to defeat all Night Lords. But what happens once you’ve defeated them all? FromSoftware has anticipated this as well, offering the following features to keep you engaged:
- There will be various skins from Dark Souls that you can earn for your Nightfarer
- Each Nightfarer has its own story that can be explored as you continue playing
- You can try out different builds and also take on challenge runs
- A DLC is also planned and will provide new content once the game is released
FromSoftware is already aware in advance that Nightreign needs to offer something that fans can engage with for a longer time. After all, the bosses alone won’t last long.
Concise Conclusion: Should I Join in as a Veteran?
If you’ve played all the Souls titles from FromSoftware and are looking for a nostalgic trip with old bosses, you will have fun with Nightreign. Especially if you can even wear iconic armors like those of Solaire.
However, if you are looking for an Elden Ring 2 or Dark Souls 4, you will be disappointed by Nightreign. The game focuses more on short, memorable experiences rather than a long journey that concludes with a dark ending.
I must finally say: The base game of Elden Ring impressed me back then, as FromSoftware is known for initially downplaying its products just to surprise fans with their vast scope. I think it will be similar with Nightreign.
The network test was surely just the tip of the iceberg, and there will likely be much more in the game that will leave us speechless. I am definitely excited and will be there at release. Do you want more information about Nightreign? Then check here: Elden Ring: Nightreign – All information about release, gameplay, and price
