Nightreign’s distilled shot of Elden Ring juice makes it my ideal level of soulslike investment after 14 years of getting good

by

I’ve fallen off of soulslikes.

Despite not being about an absence of admiration: I’ll always value the experience of defeating a FromSoftware boss to acquire their soul, peruse the item details, and ponder the potential significance of those many proper names.

It’s a problem of exhaustion.

Initially, Sekiro presented the first signs of strain as witnessing Guardian Ape rise again after being beheaded left an indelible mark on my spirit. However, Elden Ring ultimately solidified that my endurance for soulslike games had reached its limit. Multiple failed respawn attempts and mishaps during battles against the twin boss in Auriza Hero’s Grave led me to set aside my controller and ponder: What enjoyment am I deriving from playing a soulslike game these days?

We have only so much time on this earth, and I have spent my share on getting good.

The thrill of mastering Dark Souls had diminished over time. When I initially played Dark Souls, it was due to my curiosity: I aimed to understand a game that was dominating many others, while also immersing myself in FromSoft’s intricate storyline. Upon starting Elden Ring, I shared the same eagerness to explore a new world filled with detailed item descriptions, imaginative boss and equipment designs, an array of spells and weapon arts, and the limitless possibilities for character builds.

After completing three Dark Souls games and one Bloodborne, the challenge of defeating a boss no longer held much appeal for me.

In the vicinity of Leyndell, I acknowledged that after defeating any boss in Elden Ring, I wasn’t experiencing fulfillment; instead, I felt a sense of relief. This was because I didn’t have to invest more time demonstrating my ability to dodge strategically, and could move on to what truly piqued my interest. Although the combat design of FromSoft still evokes admiration and affection from me, today, that affinity is rooted in the vast array of viable playstyles it presents. This variety can be challenging to explore when one is persistently colliding with a boss, or using up a limited respec item to experiment with a new build, or farming for upgrade materials to make my newly acquired weapon effective. Life gives us only a certain amount of time, and I have already invested mine in mastery.

Enter Elden Ring Nightreign.

In Elden Ring, the journey of a character’s development takes up many hours. Conversely, in Nightreign, it spans approximately 48 minutes. Throughout a single gaming session, I might switch among three different playstyles: If I’m in the mood for classic greatsword attacks, Wylder is ready to go. For agile spellcasting, Duchess offers dexterity-based spellsword action, and when I want to focus on sorcery, Recluse is my choice.

Nightreign isn’t without its imperfections: Despite some adjustments, solo play remains somewhat unpredictable, and the time constraints of the battle royale-like circle often leave me insufficient time to fully appreciate a structure I’ve carefully constructed. Ideally, in an ideal scenario, I’d opt for a Nightreign-esque roguelike that allows for a self-determined pace.

Nightreign takes the Elden Ring experience and distills it down into a single, swiggable shot.

However, the run-based structure and randomness make it easy to explore and experiment with the vast array of combat tools provided by FromSoft. Each time I open a chest containing equipment or see the drops from a boss, I feel like I’m rummaging through Elden Ring’s toybox, combining different items to see what unique creations I can come up with.

In a sequence of games, Guardian has transformed from brandishing a pair of flaming halberds to becoming a warpriest who hurls lightning. By equipping the right combination of combat skills and magical enhancements, I’ve made the delicate Revenant into a formidable melee powerhouse. During one of my victories against the final Nightlord, I was using Raider, but instead of using a massive weapon, I was firing powerful arrows from a greatbow, thanks to a build that boosted ranged attack damage.

Nightreign condenses the Elden Ring adventure into a compact, sip-able form. While it doesn’t replace or aim to surpass the conventional soulslike experience, I find myself yearning for a more relaxed playthrough rather than continually demonstrating my mastery. Nightreign offers me the delight of FromSoftware’s signature gameplay without shouldering the burden of traditional soulslike exhaustion.

Read More

2025-06-07 16:02