FromSoft’s Elden Ring remix is magical when it’s not being miserable.
Dawn has broken over Elden Ring Nightreign, by which I mean the review embargo has lifted and we can actually talk about FromSoft’s roguelike spinoff. And folks, there’s going to be a lot of deliberation in the days ahead.
In our Nightreign review, Tyler Colp wrote that it’s « both a trend-defying remix of Elden Ring and also a pile of complete bullshit that I shouldn’t have to deal with. » Having played a fair amount of Nightreign with Tyler myself, I stand by the assessment: Nightreign can be brilliant, but it can also be a despicable kind of brutal.
Conversations about Nightreign—a game bearing a title of one of the most acclaimed games in the last decade, but currently sitting at a 78% on Metacritic and OpenCritic—are bound to be divisive as players weigh its moments of roguelike triumph against its arbitrary difficulty. Here’s what other reviewers are saying. »It proves to be a relentless sprint that can be both exhilarating and excruciating. »
GamesRadar: 3.5/5
In his GamesRadar review, Will Sawyer says Nightreign is « an uncharacteristically frantic and fast-paced ride that boils down and livens up the core Elden Ring experience. » He also says that it’s, you know, extremely hard.
« Nightreign’s Expeditions can be upwards of 45 minutes of brutally relentless, heart-pounding hunting with an incredibly narrow margin for error », Sawyer says, noting that the demands of its frantic, randomized structure can make it feel excessively punishing when you face a boss with an interminable health bar.
