This past weekend marked the first network tests for Elden Ring: Nightreign, the upcoming standalone multiplayer game branching from FromSoftware's acclaimed title. Unlike last year's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Nightreign shares only its name and aesthetic with Elden Ring, trading the open world for a streamlined survival format. Three-player teams descend into shrinking maps, battling enemies and increasingly difficult bosses. This design clearly draws inspiration from the immensely popular Fortnite—a game boasting 200 million players this month alone—but Nightreign bears a striking resemblance to another, less celebrated game: 2013's God of War: Ascension. And that's a positive comparison.
Released between 2010's God of War 3 and 2018's Norse reboot, Ascension—a prequel set before the original Greek trilogy—followed Kratos as he attempted to break his oath with Ares. Failing to match the epic finale of the original trilogy, and aiming for a formula shake-up, Ascension became the franchise's black sheep; a decent appetizer to an amazing main course. This reputation, while understandable, is unfair. While Kratos's confrontation with the Furies didn't reach the heights of his fight with Zeus, the prequel boasted stunning set pieces, such as the Prison of the Damned, a labyrinthine dungeon within a colossal, immobilized giant. More importantly, Ascension pioneered something the franchise hadn't done before: multiplayer.
In Ascension's story, players encounter a chained NPC who cries out "You saved me!" before being crushed. Unlocking multiplayer after this point reveals this NPC as the player character, teleported to Olympus. Players pledge allegiance to one of four gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, or Ares), each granting unique weapons, armor, and magic. These are used across five multiplayer modes, four being competitive PvP. The fifth, Trial of the Gods, is cooperative PvE—and remarkably similar to Elden Ring: Nightreign.
Previews from YouTubers like VaatiVidya and Iron Pineapple, and IGN, highlight similarities between Nightreign and live service games like Fortnite. Like those games, Nightreign features randomized loot, resource management, and environmental hazards that damage players and restrict movement. Players even drop from the sky, reminiscent of Fortnite. Beyond the battle royale surface, however, lies a stronger connection to Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Both are co-op experiences with increasing enemy difficulty, allowing players to face bosses from previous games (Hercules from God of War 3 or the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3). Both feature countdowns (though Ascension's is pauseable) and take place on small or shrinking maps. Both are multiplayer games from studios known for single-player experiences, created without oversight from their respective series creators (Miyazaki is working on a separate project, while the original God of War trilogy directors had left Sony Santa Monica).
Nightreign evokes the same response as Ascension's Trial of the Gods: a frantic race against time. Unlike the base game's relaxed pace, Nightreign forces players to act instinctively, limiting resources and increasing speed. To compensate for the lack of Torrent, players experience enhanced running and jumping abilities. Ascension's multiplayer also adjusted its single-player blueprint for tighter pacing, using similar techniques: increased run speed, extended jumps, automated parkour, and a grapple attack (also present in Nightreign's Wylder character). These additions are crucial, as the combat, while not overly difficult, throws so many enemies at players that every second counts. Teams sprint, hack, and slash their way through enemies.
AnswerSee ResultsNightreign's resemblance to Ascension is unexpected, not only due to the latter's obscurity, but also because the Soulslike genre is the antithesis of God of War. Where one lets you be a god-slaying warrior, the other makes you a nameless undead facing constant challenge. One rarely shows a game over screen; the other frequently does. Yet, this challenge, rage-inducing in earlier FromSoftware games, has lessened as fans improved and developers provided better tools. Nightreign aims to reintroduce this challenge, while simultaneously offering experienced players the chance to feel like a time-constrained Spartan.
