A A standalone spinoff from FromSoftware’s immensely popular single-player dark-fantasy game Eldenling, the multiplayer-focused Eldenling Night League is an intriguing mix that often feels like a blend of various gaming experiences.

Each session, whether solo or in a team of three, begins as players enter a compact, dense world, striving to gain strength as the rapidly closing ring constricts around them. Instead of facing other players, you will combat various monsters and explore locations directly drawn from Eldenling’s universe. After every match, players obtain upgrade materials to enhance future runs and advance the game’s narrative alongside rogue elements. This complexity can be quite overwhelming.

Each session presents a frantic race against time to develop an in-flight strategy that takes you across the map. The match unfolds over three days. In the first two days, you can quickly become a local boss, acquire minor buffs with powerful passive abilities, gain weapons with impactful skills, or evade the encroaching rings to ensure successful runs. Each night culminates in a more formidable battle than ever faced, heightening the stakes.

It’s a thrilling yet intense experience as you gear up for the final day. As dawn breaks, you find yourself ready to enter the desolate arena and confront one of several challenging mega bosses designed for group play.

Nightreign is predominantly tailored for a trio of players. You can venture solo, but this poses a significant risk. If you inadvertently fall victim to a boss attack and perish, there’s no one to revive you. Furthermore, many enemies intended for teamwork can easily overwhelm an individual player.

Ultimately, this game emphasizes momentum. The urgency you feel while navigating the world is palpable. Every moment prompts the question: Am I wasting time exploring this corner? Can I defeat this boss quickly enough to secure a reward? It’s an exhilarating experience as you rush to assess equipment and make build decisions on the fly, yet it strays from the traditional FromSoftware formula, as many elements have been adapted for speed.

For instance, there’s no stats option for leveling up. Leveling has been simplified to button mashing at rest areas. While the world is filled with numerous minor enemies, defeating a couple in quick succession will only help you reach level 2; engaging with them feels minimal since tackling bosses is the key to gaining strength.

This momentum gives Nightreign a “one more run” allure, but the fast pace diminishes much of the world to mere distractions that squander your time. The glitches we’ve encountered in the review versions contribute to this irritation. Spending five minutes on a dragon only to glitch through the wall feels particularly frustrating.

One of the most criticized mechanics in the Dark Souls series was the necessity to return to the boss arena upon death. Fans were relieved when Eldenling allowed respawning just outside the arena. However, Nightreign’s experience feels like a cumbersome regression, almost Sisyphean. Each run demands approximately 35 minutes to reach the final boss, yet these bosses often have unique mechanics capable of obliterating unsuspecting teams with just a few hits. You find yourself rolling that boulder up the hill repeatedly, which feels awfully punishing.

Given Elden Ring’s triumph in adapting FromSoftware’s intricate design philosophy into an open world, it’s disappointing that the developers seem to have missed the mark with Nightreign. The repetitive nature of the game and its reliance on content borrowed from Eldenling—often haphazardly arranged—leaves the world feeling more like a fan-made mod than a unique title.

The efforts to preserve established gameplay mechanics are commendable, and defeating massive enemies alongside friends adds to the gratification of overcoming what initially felt like an insurmountable challenge. Nonetheless, the game’s pacing issues and dependence on Eldenling’s assets detract from the overall experience.