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 parent game's name and aesthetic. It ditches the open world for a streamlined survival format where three-player teams descend onto shrinking maps, battling enemies and increasingly difficult bosses. This design undeniably evokes the hugely popular Fortnite—a not-so-surprising influence, given Fortnite's 200 million players this month alone.
However, Nightreign bears a stronger resemblance to a less celebrated, and often maligned, game: 2013's God of War: Ascension. And that's a very good thing.
Released between 2010's God of War 3 and 2018's Norse reboot, Ascension served as a prequel, preceding the original Greek mythology trilogy. It 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, God of War: Ascension earned a reputation as the franchise's black sheep—a decent appetizer preceding an amazing main course.
This reputation, however, is arguably unfair. While Kratos' confrontation with the Furies in Ascension didn't reach the heights of his fight with Zeus, this prequel boasted stunning set pieces, including the Prison of the Damned—a labyrinthine dungeon within a colossal, immobilized, 100-armed giant. More importantly, Ascension deserves credit for pioneering something the franchise hadn't attempted before, and hasn't since: multiplayer.
Ascension's multiplayer mode, Trial of the Gods, is a cooperative PvE experience. And it's essentially the blueprint for Elden Ring: Nightreign.
Gameplay previews of Nightreign, released before the network tests by prominent Soulsborne YouTubers like VaatiVidya and Iron Pineapple, along with IGN's coverage, highlighted similarities between FromSoftware's latest offering and live service games like Fortnite. Like those games, Nightreign features randomized loot, resource management, and environmental hazards that damage player health and restrict movement, increasing difficulty over time. Nightreign even pays homage to one of Fortnite's iconic visuals: players drop from the sky, carried by spirit birds, to their chosen location.
While God of War: Ascension lacks the "where we dropping?" element, beyond Nightreign's battle royale-esque surface lies deeper common ground. Both Nightreign and Ascension's Trial of the Gods feature cooperative gameplay where teams face increasingly challenging foes. Both offer the unexpected opportunity to battle bosses from previous games—Hercules from God of War 3 or the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3, for example. Both incorporate a countdown timer (though Ascension's is pauseable by defeating enemies) and take place on small or shrinking maps. Both are multiplayer games from studios known for their single-player experiences, developed without oversight from their respective series creators; Hidetaka Miyazaki is currently working on an undisclosed project, while the original God of War trilogy directors—David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, and Stig Asmussen—had left Sony Santa Monica before Ascension's release.
Crucially, Nightreign seems to evoke the same player response as Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Network test participants described frantic, exhilarating races against the clock. Unlike the base game's relaxed pace, where players can approach scenarios using various weapons and abilities at their leisure, Nightreign demands instinctive reactions, resource management, and speed—constraints described by VaatiVidya as emphasizing "speed and efficiency." For instance, the absence of Torrent is compensated by enhanced player speed and jump height.
Ascension's multiplayer adapted its single-player mechanics for faster pacing, mirroring Nightreign's approach. Increased run speed, extended jumps, automated parkour, and a grapple attack (similar to Nightreign's Wylder character) were implemented. These additions are crucial, as while combat isn't overly difficult, the sheer number of enemies in Trial of the Gods makes every second count. Players find themselves sprinting, slashing, and fighting through hordes with relentless efficiency.
AnswerSee ResultsNightreign's resemblance to Ascension is unexpected, not only due to the latter's obscurity, but also because the Soulslike genre, which Elden Ring belongs to, initially stood in stark contrast to God of War. Where one empowers players as god-slaying warriors, the other casts them as nameless, cursed undead facing significant challenges from even ordinary enemies. One rarely displays a game over screen; the other relentlessly employs it.
However, this challenge, once intensely frustrating in FromSoftware's earlier games, has lessened as fans improved and developers provided better weapons and spells, leading to numerous game-breaking builds in Elden Ring. Nightreign, lacking these builds, promises a renewed level of challenge. Simultaneously, skilled players will relish the same experience God of War: Ascension offered: the thrill of being a time-constrained, vengeful Spartan.
