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 clearly draws inspiration from the wildly popular Fortnite—a not-so-surprising influence, considering 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' struggle 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 earned a reputation as the franchise's black sheep—a decent appetizer preceding an amazing main course.
This reputation, however, is somewhat unfair. While Kratos' confrontation with the Furies in Ascension didn't reach the heights of his battle with Zeus, this divisive prequel boasted truly impressive 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 novel to the franchise: multiplayer.
In Ascension's story, players encounter a chained NPC who prematurely exclaims, "You saved me!" before being crushed by the level 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 essentially the blueprint for Elden Ring: Nightreign.
Previews of Nightreign, released ahead of the network tests by prominent Soulsborne YouTubers like VaatiVidya and Iron Pineapple, as well as IGN, 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 players and restrict movement, increasing difficulty over time. Nightreign even pays homage to one of Fortnite's most iconic visuals: 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 closer look reveals significant common ground with Nightreign. Both Nightreign and Ascension's Trial of the Gods are cooperative experiences 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). Both feature countdowns (though Ascension's can be paused), and both take place on small or shrinking maps. Crucially, both are multiplayer games developed by studios known for their single-player titles, created without oversight from the original series creators; Hidetaka Miyazaki is 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 development.
Nightreign appears to evoke the same response as Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Network test participants described frantic, exhilarating races against the clock. Unlike the more relaxed pace of the main game, where players can approach scenarios at their own speed, Nightreign demands instinctive action, limiting resources and increasing speed—constraints described by VaatiVidya as "made in the name of speed and efficiency." For example, to compensate for Torrent's absence, players utilize enhanced running and jumping abilities.
Ascension's multiplayer adapted its single-player design for faster pacing, employing techniques similar to Nightreign: increased run speed, extended jumps, automated parkour, and a grapple attack (also present in Nightreign's Wylder character). These new mechanics are crucial, as while the combat itself isn't overly difficult, Trial of the Gods throws so many enemies at players that every second counts. Teams find themselves sprinting, hacking, and slashing through hordes with unrestrained ferocity.
AnswerSee ResultsNightreign's resemblance to Ascension is unexpected, not only due to the latter's obscurity, but also because the Soulslike genre, to which Elden Ring belongs, 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 regular enemies. One rarely displays a game over screen; the other relentlessly hammers it home until players laugh, cry, and laugh again.
However, this challenge, initially rage-inducing in FromSoftware's earlier games, has lessened as fans improved and developers introduced better weapons and spells, leading to numerous game-breaking builds in Elden Ring. Nightreign, without access to these builds, promises a return to greater challenge. Simultaneously, skilled players can experience what God of War: Ascension offered: the thrill of being a time-constrained, vengeful Spartan.
