Elden Ring: Nightreign Revives Lost God of War

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 structure for a streamlined survival format where three-player teams battle enemies and increasingly difficult bosses within a shrinking map. This design undeniably evokes the hugely popular Fortnite—a not-so-surprising influence, given Fortnite's staggering 200 million players this month alone.

However, Nightreign bears a striking 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 struggled to break his oath with Ares. Failing to match the epic finale of the original trilogy, and attempting to revitalize a familiar formula, God of War: Ascension quickly gained a reputation as the franchise's black sheep—a decent appetizer before a truly amazing main course.

This reputation, while understandable, is arguably unfair. While Kratos' confrontation with the Furies in Ascension didn't reach the heights of his battle with Zeus, this divisive prequel boasted truly spectacular set pieces, including the Prison of the Damned—a labyrinthine dungeon carved into a colossal, immobilized, 100-armed giant. More importantly, Ascension deserves credit for introducing something unprecedented to the franchise: multiplayer.

In Ascension's story, while navigating the Prison of the Damned, players encounter a chained NPC who prematurely cries out, "You saved me!" before being crushed by the level's boss. Unlocking the multiplayer mode after this point reveals this NPC as the player character. Teleported to Olympus moments before their demise, players pledge allegiance to one of four gods—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, or Ares—each offering unique weapons, armor, and magic. These tools are used across five multiplayer modes, four of which are competitive PvP. The fifth mode, Trial of the Gods, is cooperative PvE—and remarkably similar to Elden Ring: Nightreign.

Gameplay previews of Nightreign, released ahead of the network tests by prominent Soulsborne YouTubers like VaatiVidya and Iron Pineapple, as well as IGN's own coverage, highlighted similarities between FromSoftware's latest creation and live-service games like Fortnite. Like those games, Nightreign offers randomized loot, resource management, and environmental hazards that damage health and restrict movement, increasing challenge over time. Nightreign even pays homage to one of Fortnite's most iconic elements: players drop from the sky, carried by spirit birds, to their chosen location.

While God of War: Ascension lacks the "where are we dropping?" element, a deeper look reveals significant common ground between Nightreign and Ascension's Trial of the Gods mode. Both are co-op experiences pitting teams against increasingly difficult foes. Both unexpectedly offer boss encounters from previous games—Hercules from God of War 3 or the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3, for example. Both feature a countdown timer (though Ascension's can be paused by defeating enemies), and both take place on small or shrinking maps. Both are multiplayer games from studios known for their single-player titles, created without direct oversight from their respective series creators; Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki is working on an unannounced project, while the directors of the original God of War trilogy—David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, and Stig Asmussen—had left Sony Santa Monica before Ascension's development.

Crucially, Nightreign seems to evoke the same response as Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Participants in FromSoftware's network test described their runs as frantic and exhilarating races against time. Unlike the base game's more relaxed pace, where players can approach scenarios strategically, using various weapons and abilities at their leisure, Nightreign forces instinctive reactions, demanding speed and limited resources—constraints described by VaatiVidya as "made in the name of speed and efficiency." For instance, to compensate for the absence of Torrent, players utilize a spirit horse-like ability, enhancing running speed and jump height.

Ascension's multiplayer adapted its single-player design for faster pacing, employing techniques similar to Nightreign. It increased run speed, extended jumps, automated parkour, and included a grapple attack for pulling objects (a mechanic also present in Nightreign's Wylder character). These additions are vital because, while combat isn't overly difficult—given the power fantasy nature of the franchise—Trial of the Gods throws so many enemies at players that every second counts. Consequently, players find themselves sprinting, hacking, and slashing through hordes with relentless efficiency.

Nightreign's resemblance to Ascension is unexpected, not only due to the latter's obscurity, but also because the Soulslike genre, which Elden Ring embodies, initially stood as a stark contrast to God of War. Where one empowers players as god-slaying warriors, the other casts them as nameless, cursed undead facing formidable challenges. One rarely displays a game over screen; the other relentlessly throws it in your face until you're simultaneously crying and laughing.

However, this challenge, so frustrating in FromSoftware's earlier games, has lessened in recent years as players improved their skills, and developers provided better weapons and spells, leading to numerous game-breaking builds in Elden Ring. Without access to these builds, Nightreign promises a renewed sense of challenge. Simultaneously, skilled players can experience what God of War: Ascension offered: the thrill of being a time-constrained, vengeful Spartan.