FromSoftware’s unique approach to multiplayer design has always charmed me. Their games don’t just give you the typical lobby experience or let you send and receive invites; instead, there’s this fascinating layer to their online play. You can watch ghostly replays of players who met their demise, lend a hand to others when they need it most, and—my absolute favorite—you can scrawl messages on the ground. Whether these messages are helpful, cryptic, or entirely misleading, they breathe life into their games, be it Dark Souls or Elden Ring. So, it’s with a tinge of sadness that I share that these features won’t make it to Elden Ring Nightreign. But trust me, it’s for a worthwhile reason.
With the release year of Elden Ring Nightreign upon us, I can barely contain my excitement to dive into FromSoftware’s new roguelike twist. This time, you and up to two pals will traverse Limveld—a mesmerizing, procedurally generated open-air dungeon—bounded by a three-day cycle. Unfortunately, these tweaks mean we’ll be bidding farewell to the beloved message-writing feature that’s been around since the Demon’s Souls era.
In a recent chat with IGN Japan, translated by Twisted Voxel, Elden Ring Nightreign’s director, Junya Ishizaki, shed some light on this decision. “Players can still see the other players’ ghosts, but we’ve taken out the message feature,” Ishizaki explains. “Why? Well, in Nightreign, with sessions lasting around 40 minutes, there’s just not enough time for players to jot down their thoughts or read through messages left by others.”
Nightreign is switching things up with a brisk, cooperative pace that’s a departure from the slower, immersive exploration Elden Ring fans are used to. I totally get why FromSoftware would axe the messaging system here. In a nail-biting race to conquer Limveld and battle a slew of bosses, there’s simply no room for a cheeky note comparing a tortoise to a dog, amusing as it might be.
Ishizaki goes on to describe Elden Ring Nightreign as a “compressed RPG,” where the sprawling ups and downs of a long adventure are packed into a much tighter timeframe. That’s why every session is a new, randomized experience, and you’ve got eight bosses to tackle before reaching the final showdown.
And here’s something exciting: you can register for an Elden Ring Nightreign demo soon, with a network test slated for February 2025. The details of the demo remain a bit of a mystery, but we do know that FromSoftware is keen on testing the game’s cooperative connectivity ahead of full launch.
If you recently picked up FromSoftware’s latest masterpiece during the holiday season, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Elden Ring builds, as well as the top weapons to wield in your adventures.
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