Impressions of the game Nightreign: this is an Elden ring for Zoomers

There is no time to waste time, so let’s get directly to the matter: Nightreign is not a bad concept in the nucleus, but the almost opposite of the game and the genre from which it comes. Forget about the reasonable review of the dangerous world: here is one who can focus the fastest. Nevertheless, the game “breathes” the atmosphere of selection of works, such as new music or stylish lectures, unmistakable. However, in order to enjoy the Nightreign more than one weekend, it will be very important for its depth, which is not very promising.

An unexpected fort, night

Elden Ring was a huge success for its creators and publishers and it makes sense that both sides are looking for a way to use this potential. Last year, we received an exceptionally extensive addition in the same spirit, but this year, instead, a more radical remix will be submitted, reminiscent of a fan of popular randomizers in many respects than an officially released new game. But the main change is not a remix known, but an emphasis on speed.

You choose one of the heroes (as in commanding arrows, they have a fixed look and abilities) and plunged into a team of three players to the Limbrave remix card with the original Elden Ring. You have about ten minutes before the first gaming day, while the map gradually reduces the progressive circle of deadly rains from all sides. At the end of the day, the “night boss” was born in the middle of the circle, which you must win in order to go through the night and run the second day, which occurs in the same spirit.

The main change is the emphasis on speed.

Almost constantly repels from the absence of time: to defeat the night boss, you need to find the best equipment and, above all, to increase the level, so every second when you do not kill some enemies on the map, and you do not get runes (experience). The first minutes are especially important when you need to immediately kill the first few pawns and get at least the third level of the figure, thereby increasing the number of lives and endurance in order to withstand more than two three wounds. The need to collect experience and equipment is present as quickly as possible throughout the game.

Unperepted diamond or naked skeleton?

Although I sincerely regretted that I could not explore the world in this game and absorb its atmosphere, since I was used to the original, the focus at a high pace itself is not a problem and can lead to a new interesting experience. However, what I perceive as a problem is the seeming poverty of previously completed content and a certain non -choice of mechanics. Of course, there is a hope that this test deliberately demonstrated only part of the upcoming game, which came in three months. However, looking at her price tag and mentioning “plans for additional content”, I’m not at all sure.

The map itself seems static, including the location of unique places and enemies. Sometimes you get an accidental invasion of one of the bosses, which may be quite worried, but this is actually the only dynamic element. In the same way, the bosses of individual nights do not change. If this really worked like that, you would learn to quickly start one optimized route, which sharply approaches the game. This is not a classic combat Royale or Extraction Shooter, in which the main source of unpredictability and amazing human enemies.

There is a hope that the test showed only part of the upcoming game.

I also found that some mechanics are somewhat untouched, for example, having started special characters’ capabilities using strange COMBS buttons on the controller, even after a few hours, did not go into the bloodstream, collection and sorting is incomparably less clear and slow against similar games. The ring of the rainy wall is not as visually read as it was necessary – as in other aspects, there is a comparison with Fortnite, where it is much better to see the approaching wall. Here the sky is less read, and the wall itself acts more as a random blue impact on the landscape than as a clearly readable progressive border.

Three or nothing

Given the audience of the original game, it would be much sense to go much in one player for Nightreign, but in this test we did not find anything like this. You must be online to enter the game (which is why the first test attempt was not possible from the fall of servers), and you need to compare with two random players or use a password with specific friends on the Internet. Although the creators initially rejected the support of the game for two, after the current criticism, it seems that they are considering it.

Even if the game enters one, I’m not sure how well it works. Of course, it is possible that the decision in the form of a general change in the values ​​of life or the strength of enemies, but, for example, the main boss of this test has a stage where it literally breaks into three to correctly use all three players. Will it be that the developers will also change for the game in one? Many Roguelike games are great in one player, and many Souls fans pass through the game with a partner of two, so the lack of significant support of these two options is not quite trifles.

You must be online to enter the game.

The game does not look (except online servers) of breakfast or poor quality, and at better moments refers to the original name, whether it is the melancholic atmosphere of your base or tense battles with bosses. The launch of the same map around the dough was tired quite quickly in a few hours of this test, and it was not preserved even by the fact that playable characters are interesting or that you are gradually accumulating constant improvements. Thus, the full game will depend primarily on how rich, colorful or alternating content in May comes.

Elden Ring: Nightreign will be released on May 30, 2025 for PS4, PS5, X1, XSX and PC.