2022’sElden Ringfelt like a culmination of everything developer FromSoftware had created up until that point, combiningDark Souls' boss fights withBloodborne’s world-building andSekiro’s stealth, setting a new standard for any future FromSoft release in the process.Last year’sElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreecemented that lofty legacy even further, and this year,Elden Ring Nightreignoffers an intriguing, unexpected continuation of the beloved IP.
Announced during last year’s Game Awards,Elden Ring Nightreignis a project unlike anything FromSoftware has ever made before. And while boss fights will still play a major role inElden Ring Nightreign’s gameplay loop, they probably won’t be the game’s defining feature, nor the one that determines the experiment’s success at the end of the day.
Elden Ring Nightreign Can’t Rely Solely on its Boss Fights
Great Boss Fights Are Already Expected in a FromSoftware Game
One of the biggest highlights ofDemon’s SoulsandDark Soulswere the games' intense, challenging, and grandiose boss fights, with each one offering a unique test of mettle and a distinct set piece. FromSoftware quickly cemented boss fights as a core part of its identity, delivering some of the greatest bosses in gaming withBloodborne’s Lady Maria and Orphan of Kos,Dark Souls 3’s Soul of Cinder and Slave Knight Gael, andSekiro’s Isshin and Owl.
Of course, FromSoftware’s penchant for bosses carried through toElden Ring, with the base game having over 200 individual boss fights. Though many of these bosses reused assets,Elden Ring’s roster still had plenty of standout faces, including Radahn, Godfrey, and the now-infamous Malenia.Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansiondelivered another onslaught of satisfying boss fights, adding Rellana, Bayle, and Messmer, among many others.
FromSoftware has proven time and time again that it can deliver incredible boss fights, so much so that they’ve become an expectation rather than a hope for many fans. So whileElden Ring Nightreignis putting boss encounters front and center, they probably won’t end up determining the game’s fate or setting it apart from its predecessors, as fans now expect (fairly or not) a certain level of quality from the developer’s boss fights.
Elden Ring Nightreign Will Live and Die By Its New Mechanics
Instead, it will much more likely beElden Ring Nightreign’s bold new featuresthat will determine the game’s reception. According to some previews following the game’s reveal a month ago,Elden Ring Nightreignis essentially a roguelike game with some battle royale and hero shooter mechanics thrown in for good measure.
The start ofElden Ring Nightreign’s general gameplay loopwill see players select one of eight predetermined classes, each one coming with a unique loadout, a distinct passive ability, an active ability, and even an ultimate ability. Players will then join two allies, and the team of three will drop together into a procedurally generated version of Limgrave.
Players will need to clear enemy encampments and defeat bosses as fast as possible, as the map’s borders shrink over the course of 40 minutes, or three in-game days. Defeating bosses will reward players with Marks, a new kind of currency that can be used to purchase Relics in between runs, which offer permanent stat boosts.
ThoughElden Ring Nightreignhas the name and look of atraditional FromSoftware experience, its gameplay loop is unlike anything the studio has made before, and it’ll be these new interweaving systems that determine how fans feel about the game, more so than any boss fight contained within.
Elden Ring Nightreign
WHERE TO PLAY
“ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op.Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair.While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team.Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!”
