"I can not help but to love Elden Ring Nightreign. It's a strange beast, kitbashed from parts of Elden Ring that feel clunky in places (god, the vaulting system can be frustrating at times). It has bugs, and it has blemishes. It's not a traditional Soulslike experience and as such will surely turn away fresh faces and diehard veterans alike. But it's also a celebration of you, the massive community of Soulslike players, and, specifically Elden Ring players. It's a game and a story about you, and all the weirdos you've met along the way. If this is a send off to Elden Ring and The Lands Between, it's a perfect one."
"Diving into game after game, experiencing that Soulslike loop in a microcosm, was unbelievably satisfying, and those moments of victory have never felt better. There are some minor quirks, like the lack of cross-platform play and spongy bosses, but on the whole, Nightreign is one of the most inventive things to come out of FromSoftware since it coined the Soulslike genre."
"Elden Ring Nightreign successfully condenses the Elden Ring experience, cramming challenging combat, exploration, worldbuilding, and character development into a fast-paced and thrilling multiplayer game."
"With a lucky roll of the map, a skilled trio, and lots of practice, Nightreign provides transcendent moments of fun and accomplishment. It's a far more complex and nuanced battle royale than some of its more populist contemporaries. In its release form at least, Nightreign has a few limitations, like a somewhat unrewarding solo mode, no AI party members, and no duos. Still, while it may be a game that few Souls fans thought to consider essential, Nightreign is an unexpected gift that will no doubt be a new addiction for many."
"Elden Ring Nightreign is a very interesting game that’s likely going to divide FromSoftware fans. It’s not the hand-crafted RPG that we’ve come to expect from the storied developer, but it does manage to take much of the gameplay depth of Elden Ring, and retrofit it into a fast-paced multiplayer experience. While we don’t think it really holds a candle to games like Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring, it isn’t really trying to. This is basically FromSoftware having some fun with its IP, and with a squad of friends, Elden Ring Nightreign is a blast."
IGN (7/10)
"When Elden Ring Nightreign is played exactly as it was designed to be played, it’s one of the finest examples of a three-player co-op game around. The eight character classes are each fun to use and feature a surprising amount of depth despite their limited movesets, the new Nightlord boss battles are among the best FromSoft has ever crafted and make the most of the three-player dynamic, and the fast-paced, race-against-the-clock nature of each run leads to exciting moments of split-second decision making and frantic rushes to try and finish up a fight before the circle closes in."
"Built as a way to capitalize on the success of 2022’s Elden Ring without committing to a full sequel, Nightreign puts a clever co-op spin on the open-world game by turning it into a roguelike. It’s a smart remix that gets more use out of existing assets while inventing a replayable multiplayer game with unexpected strategic depth despite its RPG hooks being much more streamlined than a standard Soulslike. Fully finding that hook takes a lot of effort, but it pays off for those patient enough to push through its most obvious flaws."
"Elden Ring Nightreign is an overly clumsy attempt to graft multiplayer antics to one of the best RPGs ever. While its rougelike elements may entertain, a lack of variety and uneven combat system ultimately make for a curious sideshow that doesn't come close to the series that shares its name."
At the time of writing, Elden Ring Nightreign has a Metacritic score of 78 and an Open Critic rating of 80 - good scores for sure, but certainly a slight drop-off from the likes of Elden Ring and other FromSoft titles. For more launch day details, check out our full Pure Xbox guide down below.
