When From Software comes knockin’, the gaming world listens. Even as much as a cough from the Elden Ring creators sends the internet into a collective frenzy. Scrambling for new information like Black Friday shoppers stampeding through a Best Buy after Thanksgiving. When Elden Ring Nightreign premiered at The Game Awards, none of us really knew what the hell we were looking at. Is it a sequel? A battle royale? Was that the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3?
In a recent interview with IGN Japan, Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki dropped a few more crumbs to satiate our curiosities about the upcoming spin-off title. Nightreign is a “compressed RPG,” and speedrunning culture may be part of its development philosophy.
Videos by VICE
‘Nightreign’ and ‘Elden Ring’ are parallel worlds led by different captains
Elden Ring Nightreign is Ishizaki’s first time directing a From Software title. Previously, he served as a level designer for Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Later, as battle designer for Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring. When asked about Hidetaka Miyazaki’s involvement, Ishizaki states, “Miyazaki was involved up until the creation of the initial concept for ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN.” George R.R. Martin is also not involved with Nightreign.
“The reason why I chose a parallel world is because I wanted to respect the story that ELDEN RING players experienced. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a different story from ELDEN RING, so I think that people who have an attachment to ELDEN RING can play it with peace of mind,” Ishizaki states (translation by Google).
Nightreign takes place on a map called Rimveld, a sort of bizarro version of Elden Ring‘s Rimgrave. While you won’t see any new maps appearing, the details within Rimveld will change with every playthrough. This means castles, forts, boss types, and loot will all be random for each session.
While you won’t be creating any custom characters, Nightreign features eight fixed characters, including tanky fighters, squishy wizards, and everything in between. Customization comes in the form of Relics and various gear found in each playthrough, allowing you to tailor a playstyle that fits your needs.
Live fast, die young, ‘Nightreigns’ do it well
Borrowing elements from roguelikes, playthroughs of Nightreign are meant to be completed in one sitting. Its 40-minute sessions span over three in-game days. Players team up to defeat eight unique bosses and scrounge through whatever loot they come across. Unlike the typical ‘Soulslike’ format, enemies don’t respawn after resting or when the day changes. Instead, players keep moving as the game’s BR-esque “bad zone” continuously nudges them forward.
Using a currency called Marks, players can purchase permanent upgrades for the eight fixed characters. These upgrades, called Relics, lead to the “optimized gameplay” strategy that Ishizaki is gunning for. Better relics mean better stats. Better stats mean faster kills. Already popular with the speedrunning community, this style lends itself well toward rapid playthroughs and vying for world records.
“I think that ‘optimizing gameplay’ and ‘researching good gameplay’ are ways to enjoy games,” says Ishizaki. “…I think that this play style fits ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, so you could say that this game is inspired by cultures such as speedruns.“
Elden Ring Nightreign will release later this year, but its first network test takes place in February. Registration opens on January 10, so make sure to sign up and jump into the 2022 Game of the Year spin-off.