Elden Ring Nightreign review – FromSoftware brings multiplayer mayhem to the Lands Between

FromSoftware/Bandai Namco; PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Fortnite meets Elden Ring in a matchup where a three-person team faces so many high-speed challenges you may feel distinctly short-handed

A standalone spin-off from FromSoftware's incredibly successful yet mostly single-player dark role-playing game Elden Ring, the multiplayer-oriented Elden Ring Nightreign is a curious beast, often feeling like an amalgamation of several different experiences all at once.

Each session begins with players, either solo or in teams of three, dropping into a small but dense world, working to urgently gain as much strength as possible as a rapidly closing ring tightens around them - a very Fortnite experience. Rather than other players, they fight a variety of monsters and explore locations lifted directly from the Elden Ring universe. After each match, they also gain upgrade materials to modify future runs and advance the game's story, similar to a rogue-like game ... so it's a Fortnite/Elden Ring/Hades experience? This is getting complicated.