Some individuals have successfully conquered numerous Elden Ring Nightreign bosses, or even completed the entire game single-handedly. While it can certainly be played independently, I concur with Will’s Elden Ring Nightreign review that it can be quite dismal on your own.
It’s amazing how much more enjoyable Nightreign becomes when playing with friends! Similarly, working together on a hot, humid day while shoveling tons of mulch can make the task less daunting. Generally speaking, everything seems better with companionship. However, in Nightreign, the difference between solo and team play is immense, ranging from synchronizing abilities to dividing loot, managing aggression, and more. This disparity has sparked thoughts about designing games specifically for teams of three, especially when communication within the game is limited and crossplay isn’t available. Relying on players to gather two friends to enhance their gaming experience feels risky.
Looking for one
Since the recent alpha version of Marathon, which is intended for teams of three, I’ve found myself pondering over it. Intriguingly, I had quite a bit of enjoyable moments playing it with two friends. However, Nightreign proves challenging on my own, whereas Marathon becomes nearly unplayable when played solo. Frankly, I’d need an enticing incentive to play that game with strangers. It’s as if I’m trying to wrangle cats! In Nightreign, going at it alone is tough; in Marathon, it feels like standing in an open field naked and hoping for a team to arm you.
In both these games, matchmaking ensures you’ll be part of a team of three, which I must say, their servers have performed quite well in my brief encounters. However, they fall short when it comes to helping the teams collaborate effectively and enjoy themselves. Having matchmaking is essential, but it’s merely staying alive – I aspire for more than that. Other multiplayer games excel at fostering teamwork and fun, and I wish these games could do the same. For instance, Marathon allows you to mark important locations by pinging them, while Nightreign lets you place a marker on the map to indicate a destination. But even with two random players, playing either game can feel like attempting to stick wet leaves onto a wooden post.
Sometimes, I can’t stand the uncertainty of whether my group finder team will make my night better or ruin it. Last night, for instance, a random mage joined my friend and me, who seemed unable to use their abilities effectively but was generous in teaching us how to revive teammates. I find this kind of gamble more bearable when the games let me control the situation, but the matching system and communication in these games are like taking a chance at a dice roll.
There’s been quite a buzz about Bungie excluding solo and duo modes (alongside proximity chat) from Marathon, among other concerns regarding the game. Interestingly, FromSoftware has acknowledged their mistake by admitting they overlooked the possibility that people might prefer playing Nightreign with just one friend. However, they’re contemplating incorporating specialized duos in the future. It’s no secret to any raid leader that arranging one friend is much simpler than coordinating two or, worst-case scenario, multiple friends online simultaneously. Could it be that the demand for a third player option in the Nightreign Reddit community is so high because adult gamers find it challenging to coordinate game nights due to busy lives and hectic schedules?
In addition, not all gamers appreciate Souls series games. While Elden Ring is a new take from FromSoftware, it remains part of the same genre. My friends who prefer Destiny and Monster Hunter find it hard to adapt to Nightreign. And this is even more true for extraction shooters like Marathon. It’s fascinating that two genres known for their intensity and difficulty have chosen to forego multiplayer features, which less challenging games have been using for years.
It seems that Marathon, a game yet to be released, is nearing its launch. However, the direction Bungie intends for the game feels off-target considering their decade-long experience guiding Destiny players and presumably five years of studying other extraction shooters. On the brighter side, Nightreign, developed by FromSoftware, has already planned a patch to improve the solo gaming experience. But I’m hoping for more enhancements such as better duo balancing, cross-platform play, in-game chat, and smarter communication tools, which could significantly boost the overall enjoyment of the game. It remains to be seen how feasible these changes might be in future updates, but they surely would make a noticeable difference.
From my perspective, exceptional matchmaking and multiplayer game design truly elevates the fun factor. Playing with friends establishes a peak of enjoyment, while playing with strangers forms the base. Top-notch multiplayer systems work to bridge this gap, enhancing the overall player experience and ideally fostering lasting friendships within the game. Multiplayer-first designs definitely have their advantages – games like Split Fiction are among the year’s best – but developers need to put in extra effort to foster and sustain these teams. Until I can gather my Nightreign pals, I’ll be immersed in Fantasy Life instead.
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2025-05-30 21:10