NIGHT SHIFT

ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN is a flawed, but strangely compelling experiment

- Tyler Colp

In the fight against Elden Ring: Nightreign’s riff on Mothra, I never expected it would eventually touch down and mount the head of its partner, a giant stick bug with claws, like a mech. For the rest of the fight they were operating in unison, a kaiju cowboy with orbital lasers piercing the sky. That's a problem pesticide can’t solve, but, it turns out, three guys with bows absolutely can.

There’s nothing like fighting a boss in a FromSoftware game that is designed to be a joke with you as the punchline—and defying fate with your own ridiculous strategy. Elden Ring: Nightreign is a game about losing a fistfight over and over until you luck your way into the opportunity to bring three guns.

The most peculiar game FromSoft has made since the '90s

Even if you've played Elden Ring, Nightreign will surprise you. Imagine the Lands Between as a stadium filled with familiar monsters and a team of three players as its contestants. It’s an action RPG as a sport, cranked up to two times speed, and designed to be replayed every 30 minutes. Randomized loot and an ever-tightening battle royale-style circle apply constant pressure that you're only released from at the end of the match, whether you survive or not. Nightreign is the most peculiar game FromSoft has made since the '90s. It’s also its most abrasive.

Even now after putting well over 30 hours into it, I believe Nightreign is both a trend-defying remix of Elden Ring and also a pile of complete bullshit that I shouldn’t have to deal with in the year 2025.