Elden Ring Nightreign Channels the Spirit of a Forgotten God of War Game

This past weekend marked the initial network tests for Elden Ring Nightreign, the eagerly anticipated standalone multiplayer game derived from FromSoftware's acclaimed Elden Ring. Unlike the expansive open world of its predecessor, Nightreign adopts a more focused survival format. In this game, teams of three players parachute into progressively shrinking maps, battling waves of enemies and increasingly formidable bosses. This design echoes the success of Fortnite, which has captivated over 200 million players this month alone, suggesting a clear influence from Epic's battle royale phenomenon.

However, Nightreign's gameplay bears a striking resemblance to a less celebrated title: 2013's God of War: Ascension. This comparison is not only intriguing but also beneficial.

Released between God of War 3 and the Norse-themed reboot in 2018, Ascension served as a prequel set in the Greek mythology era, following Kratos as he attempted to break his oath to Aries. While it didn't match the epic finale of the original trilogy, Ascension was often unfairly labeled as the franchise's black sheep. Despite not reaching the heights of Kratos' battle with Zeus, Ascension featured impressive set-pieces like the Prison of the Damned, a dungeon carved into a giant's body. More importantly, it introduced a multiplayer mode, a first for the series.

In Ascension's story, players encounter an NPC in the Prison of the Damned who prematurely celebrates being saved, only to be crushed by the level's boss. In multiplayer mode, this NPC becomes the player character, teleported to Olympus to pledge allegiance to one of four gods—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, or Aries—each offering unique weapons, armor, and magic. Players then engage in five multiplayer modes, four of which are competitive PvP, while the fifth, Trial of the Gods, is a cooperative PvE mode strikingly similar to Elden Ring Nightreign.

Gameplay previews of Nightreign, shared by prominent "Soulsborne" YouTubers like VaatiVidya and Iron Pineapple, as well as IGN's coverage, highlight its similarities to live service games like Fortnite. Nightreign features randomized loot, resource management, and environmental hazards that challenge players as the game progresses. It even nods to Fortnite's iconic skydiving entry, with players being transported by spirit birds to their chosen drop points.

While God of War: Ascension lacks the battle royale element, it shares significant commonalities with Nightreign beyond the surface. Both games offer cooperative experiences where teams tackle increasingly difficult enemies, including iconic bosses from previous titles. Both feature countdown timers and shrinking or small maps, and both were developed by studios renowned for single-player games, without direct oversight from their series' creators.

Nightreign evokes the same excitement and urgency as Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Participants in FromSoftware's network test described their runs as a thrilling race against time, contrasting with the more relaxed pace of the base Elden Ring game. Nightreign forces players to rely on instinct, increasing the pace and limiting resources, as noted by VaatiVidya, who praised the game's focus on "speed and efficiency." Without the trusty steed Torrent, players channel their inner spirit horse to run faster and jump higher.

Ascension's multiplayer mode similarly adjusted its single-player mechanics for tighter pacing, using techniques like increased run speed, extended jumps, automated parkour, and a grapple attack, all of which are mirrored in Nightreign. These enhancements are crucial in the face of relentless enemy waves, pushing players to move swiftly and decisively, embodying the essence of Kratos' relentless fury.

Nightreign's resemblance to Ascension is surprising, not only because Ascension has largely been forgotten, but also because the Soulslike genre, to which Elden Ring belongs, initially stood in stark contrast to God of War's power fantasy. While God of War lets players feel like god-killers, Soulslike games challenge players as nameless, cursed undead. Yet, as players have mastered FromSoftware's games and the difficulty has been adjusted, Nightreign reintroduces a level of challenge absent from the overpowered builds of Elden Ring. For seasoned players, it offers the thrill of being a time-pressed, vengeful Spartan, much like Ascension did.