Experience the captivating essence of Elden Ring condensed in Nightreign's take, a soulslike game that rekindles my passion for the genre, boasting a 14-year absence since finding a worthy investment.
The Soulslike Slump: A Tale of Elden Ring Fatigue
Let me tell you, I've been having a tough time keeping up with the Soulslikes. But it's not because I don't appreciate the thrill of decapitating a boss and snatching up their soul for lore revelations. No, it's the darn exhaustion.
Sekiro's Guardian Ape stood unyielding, and after witnessing him bounce back after decapitation, I'm still shell-shocked, spiritually scarred even. But Elden Ring finally confirmed that I've burnt out my soulslike stamina. An array of botched corpse runs and ill-timed attempts at tackling the duo boss in the Auriza Hero's Grave led me to question: "What enjoyment am I actually finding in a soulslike these days?"
I started mine with Dark Souls out of curiosity. I wanted to see if I could get a handle on a game that was kicking so many butts and read the item descriptions while soaking in FromSoft's lore. When I dived into Elden Ring, I was equally intrigued by the prospect of exploring a new world's worth of item descriptions, boss and equipment designs, and the extensive list of spells and weapon arts on offer.
However, the thrill of beating a boss has become less compelling.
Now, somewhere beneath Leyndell, I confess that after slaying any boss in Elden Ring, I didn't feel the satisfaction I used to. Mostly, I just felt relief. It meant I didn't have to spend more time proving, again, that I can dodge right, and I could move on to what truly interested me: the sheer variety of viable playstyles on offer. The fun is in exploring these playstyles, not in repetitively proving my mettle against bosses. I still adore the deliberate combat design of FromSoft, but today, that affection rests on the infinite variety of playstyles it provides.
That variety is hard to sample when you're repeatedly banging your head against a boss, or expending precious respec items to try a new build, or grinding for upgrade materials. Life's too short, and I've spent my share on getting good.
Enter Elden Ring Nightreign
In Elden Ring proper, the character progression arc spans dozens of hours. In Nightreign, it's approximately 48 minutes. In a single play session, I could jump between multiple playstyles, trying out Wylder for some old-school greatsword action, Duchess for some dex-centric spellsword action, or switching to Recluse for a full-on sorcery experience.
Nightreign has its flaws: Solo play remains a gamble, and time pressure from the battle royale-style circle has led to runs where I didn't have enough time to appreciate the build I cobbled together. An ideal world would offer a roguelike Elden Ring where I could set my own pace.
But the run-based structure and randomization mean that experimenting with FromSoft's extensive combat arsenal is as simple as firing up a new expedition. Whenever I crack open an equipment chest or see a boss's drops, I'm dipping my hands into the Elden Ring toybox and seeing what I can create with the new tools at my disposal.
I've had consecutive runs where Guardian went from wielding flaming halberds to being a lightning-throwing warpriest, turning dainty Revenant into a melee brute, and fitting Raider with a bow for ranged attack damage.
Nightreign condenses the Elden Ring experience into a single, enjoyable shot. It shouldn't replace traditional soulslike experiences, but for someone like me, who wants to spend more time playing with what's available than proving how good I've become, Nightreign provides a refreshing, less exhausting take on the Soulslike world.
Lincoln CarpenterWith eleven years of game writing under his belt, Lincoln Carpenter has a solid handle on information from Dwarf Fortress bird diplomacy to Crusader Kings son murders to Monster Hunter dinosaur hammerings. Initially freelancing for sites like Waypoint, Polygon, and Fanbyte, he joined PC Gamer as a full-time News Writer in 2024, leveraging his expertise in Caves of Qud, infuriating bosses, and game theory.
In the realm of Elden Ring Nightreign, a condensed version of the game, I can experiment with various playstyles within a single play session, transitioning swiftly from Wylder's old-school greatsword combat to Duchess's dexterous spell-based attacks, or delving into Recluse's full-on sorcery experience. This fast-paced, run-based game offers an entertaining, less exhausting alternative to traditional soulslike games, allowing me to focus more on playing with the extensive combat arsenal rather than proving my skills through repetitive boss fights. Lincoln Carpenter, with over a decade of game writing experience, has covered everything from Dwarf Fortress bird diplomacy to Monster Hunter dinosaur hammerings, and brings his expertise in game theory to PC Gamer as a News Writer.
