Elden Ring: Nightreign has received reviews ahead of its release, but they indicate that it’s not a new masterpiece, but rather an experiment with mixed results.
The average score on Metacritic — 78/100, by OpenCritic — 80. And this is much worse than previous FromSoftware projects. For example, the original Elden Ring keeps the bar at 96/100, and even Dark Souls 2, which was criticized at the time, has 91.
Nightreign is a spin-off with a focus on cooperative PvE, which offers a three-player passage, but without the classic duo You simply can’t play together here. So either you collect the full three or look for allies online. Or you play alone — and this, as reviewers say, can be a serious problem.
Elden Ring: Nightreign or how opinions are divided
IGN (7/10) praises the three-player combat system, for example, the Nightlord boss battles — some of FromSoftware’s best. However, the publication criticizes the lack of crossplay and duo play, as well as poor support for solo mode, which spoils the experience. If you don’t have two friends at hand, it will be difficult to enjoy the game. If you play alone, you’re guaranteed a difficult passage, as Nightreign is team-oriented.
«All of this amounts to an ambitious spin-off that’s exhilarating when you’re able to create the proper conditions, and one that quickly flips to incredibly frustrating when you’re not», — IGN writes.
CGMagazine and TheGamer gave it a 9/10 rating, describing the expansion as a love letter to fans of the Souls genre. They note the large number of challenges, the dopamine cycle of victories, and the fresh approach. Even with its drawbacks — like the lack of cross-platform support — the game looks like a decent addition to the Elden Ring legacy.
But TechRadar Gaming and Eurogamer were 8/10. Among the positive aspects, they emphasized the flexibility of combat, good use of old mechanics, and overall potential for development. Nightreign was called a good cooperative game that can expand over time — through new bosses, characters, and world events. But it is still an experimental spinoff, and its aforementioned problems make the game a bit raw.
Less impressed were GamesRadar+ (7/10) і VGC (6/10). The first edition found the game interesting and well implemented in the roguelike genre, but was dissatisfied with the mixed bosses and poor player selection. The second edition called Nightreign a clumsy attempt to mix multiplayer with Elden Ring RPG mechanics. The main complaint was the lack of variety, repetitive battles, and an unbalanced combat system.
«While its rougelike elements may entertain, a lack of variety and uneven combat system ultimately make for a curious sideshow that doesn’t come close to the series that shares its name», — adds VGC.
The most devastating rating was 4/10 from Critical Hits, which called Nightreign’s idea imperfect. Journalists believe that cycle-based games, such as roguelike, completely destroy the magic of the FromSoftware formula. Such an addition, in their opinion, looks like a set of mods that quickly lose their charm due to repetition.
To summarize, most of the reviews focus on the multiplayer, which doesn’t really develop «game charm». Even those who are satisfied with the overall gameplay say that the game requires ideal conditions — a gathered three friends ready to play in sync. Without this, the experience is spoiled, and most players simply won’t have such conditions. Because of this, Nightreign falls short of the level that FromSoftware usually claims.
Despite the imperfect ratings, FromSoftware doesn’t give up on experiments. The next game of the studio — The Duskbloods — will also be multiplayer, with a focus on PvPvE. It was announced as an exclusive for Nintendo Switch 2.
In the meantime, fans are waiting for the release of Nightreign. The expansion weighs a little, but system requirements have not changed. Elden Ring Nightreign officially comes out on May 30 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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