Elden Ring Nightreign’s Pacing Overlooks an Obvious Feature

Summary

Elden Ring Nightreign's fast pace aligns with its design, focusing on urgency and defeating Nightlords.
A free-roam mode could offer players a break from time constraints and encourage world exploration.
This mode could help players orient themselves, learn the map, and engage more deeply with the game.

Elden Ring Nightreign is certainly an ambitious experience, to say the least. Rather than FromSoftware giving fans another challenging single-player action RPG, the developer opted for a spin-off that takes the foundation of one of its most successful titles and builds on it with brand-new gameplay mechanics that take some time to warm up to. While FromSoft has been upfront about what kind of game Elden Ring Nightreign is, it still hasn't been able to avoid critical comparisons to its namesake, particularly when it comes to its fast pace and cooperative framework.

The thing is, Elden Ring Nightreign's fast pace fits its design, which sees players racing against the clock and an encroaching ring of death in each session to defeat various Nightlord bosses on their way to the game's overarching antagonist. Nevertheless, this increase in pace is a stark contrast from classic Soulslike titles — even Elden Ring itself — and the atmosphere and exploration brought about by the slower movement of those titles is lost in the process. As such, Elden Ring Nightreign could benefit from one optional gameplay mode that might help balance things out a bit more for those who miss that classic Elden Ring feel.

Elden Ring Nightreign Skipped Solo Feature

Elden Ring Nightreign Skipped the Solo Feature That Would Have Finally Made Sense

Nightreign's single-player mode introduces a ticking clock, yet the one feature that could have balanced that pressure isn’t anywhere to be found.

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By Josh Cotts

Elden Ring Nightreign Could Use a Free-Roam Mode

A Free-Roam Mode Would Give Nightreign Time to Breathe

Again, it's not that FromSoftware hasn't been open about the kind of game that Elden Ring Nightreign is, which ultimately justifies its pacing. Rather, it's that the spin-off title alienates certain fans of Elden Ring who appreciate the game for its atmosphere and world-building, especially when it comes to the freedom it offers players to explore at their own pace and play the way they wish. Elden Ring Nightreign's biggest "weakness," then, is that it is too limiting for those fans to enjoy, but something like a free-roam mode might help to alleviate that.

Players can access the cliff by which they leave for expeditions via an open archway in the Roundtable Hold, and this would be a great way for them to initiate a free-roam mode in Elden Ring Nightreign.

Currently, the only way to experience Elden Ring Nightreign's alternate Lands Between is by way of the game's expeditions, which send players on a three-day mission to defeat specific Nightlords. The catch, however, is that the first two days of each expedition are timed, and that clock runs out rather quickly, thereby stripping players of their freedom to explore the world and simply take it all in. With an optional free-roam mode that rewards players with limited upgrades or cosmetic enhancements, players could explore the world freely without time constraints, and they might then feel more inclined to tackle the game's expeditions.

A Free-Roam Mode Could Serve as a Way for Players to Orient Themselves

A free-roam mode in Elden Ring Nightreign could also serve as a way for players to orient themselves in the world. At the moment, new and casual players may feel a bit intimidated by the pressure of Elden Ring Nightreign's gameplay loop, which, in turn, might have them leaning more on the expertise of more experienced players instead of actually learning the ins and outs of the game's map. This is where a free-roam mode would come in handy, as players could take their time familiarizing themselves with Elden Ring Nightreign's map so they can be of more use when going on expeditions with other players.

With an optional free-roam mode that rewards players with limited upgrades or cosmetic enhancements, players could explore the world freely without time constraints, and they might then feel more inclined to tackle the game's expeditions.

While Elden Ring Nightreign clearly has its own identity, the absence of a slower, more exploratory mode feels like a missed opportunity. The game's fast-paced gameplay is effective in creating tension and urgency, but it overlooks the value of quiet moments that allow players to connect with the world itself. A dedicated free-roam mode would cater to fans who miss that classic Elden Ring rhythm, but it would also help players learn, adapt, and ultimately engage more with the experience Nightreign wants to offer.

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