Playing Elden Ring: Nightreign Alone Made Me Love Its Missing Features
, in its network test form, doesn't yet have every feature that might be expected of a co-op experience. Although it looks like external voice chat systems will have direct support, for example, I had no way to chat during the test period, and the rigid requirement to venture out with exactly three players doesn't leave much room for friend groups of different sizes. In the brief time I've spent with the game so far, however, I actually found myself appreciating the lack of options, and I expect those fond memories to linger even after the full release.
On some level, limited co-op functionality is a FromSoft tradition. The franchise always integrated multiplayer in an unusually subtle way, and the ghostly presence of both friendly summons and invaders helps to preserve the rich, lonely atmosphere of the games. As a title built around co-op, inherently needs to provide a more robust experience, but there's still something special about experiencing it in a way that maintains some of that mystery.
As much as I would have loved to spend a weekend messing around in the playtest with some friends, I was only able to squeeze in some playtime at the end. Four out of the five sessions had direct conflicts for me, whether they fell during work hours or simply intersected with my sleep schedule. I did jump on the final opportunity, however, spending a minute running through the roundtable hold before queuing up with a couple of random players.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a bit of an odd follow-up to the acclaimed RPG, but playing it is a great mix of familiar and surprising elements.
Although we couldn't verbally communicate, it wasn't hard to get the sense that my compatriots were also new to the experience. At the start, none of us were doing much more than running at the nearest enemies and hacking them down. The greater scope of 's gameplay loop and strategic opportunities emerges naturally, so it didn't take long for us to start properly navigating the shrinking nighttime
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