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 name and aesthetic with its parent game. Instead of an open world, it features 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 immensely popular Fortnite—a unsurprising 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 as he struggled to break his oath with Ares. Failing to match the epic finale of the original trilogy, and attempting to revamp a well-established formula, God of War: Ascension quickly gained a reputation as the franchise's black sheep—a decent appetizer preceding an amazing main course.
This reputation, while understandable, is somewhat unfair. While Kratos' confrontation with the Furies in Ascension didn't reach the heights of his five-stage battle with Zeus, this divisive prequel boasted truly breathtaking set pieces, including the Prison of the Damned—a labyrinthine dungeon carved into the flesh and bones of a colossal, 100-armed giant. More importantly, Ascension deserves credit for introducing something novel to the franchise: multiplayer.
Within Ascension's story, as you navigate the Prison of the Damned, you encounter a chained NPC who prematurely exclaims, "You saved me!" before being crushed by the level's boss. Unlocking the multiplayer mode after this point reveals this same NPC as your player character. Teleported to Olympus moments before your demise, you pledge allegiance to one of four gods—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, or Ares—each granting unique weapons, armor, and magic attacks. These are your tools in 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 before the network tests by prominent Soulsborne YouTubers like VaatiVidya and Iron Pineapple, along with IGN's coverage, highlighted the similarities between FromSoftware's latest creation and live service games like Fortnite. Similar to those games, Nightreign offers a blend of randomized loot, resource management, and environmental hazards that damage health and restrict movement, increasing difficulty as the match progresses. Nightreign even pays homage to one of Fortnite's iconic images, with players dropping 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 more common ground. Both Nightreign and Ascension's Trial of the Gods mode offer co-op experiences where teams face increasingly challenging foes. Both unexpectedly allow players to confront bosses from previous games, whether it's Hercules from God of War 3 or the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3. 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 developed by studios known for their single-player experiences, created without direct involvement from their respective series' creators; Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki is currently working on an undisclosed 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 player response as Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Participants in FromSoftware's network test consistently described their runs as frantic and exhilarating races against the clock. Unlike the relatively relaxed atmosphere of the base game, where players can approach scenarios at their own pace, using various weapons and abilities, Nightreign forces instinctive reactions, demanding speed and resourcefulness—constraints described by VaatiVidya as "made in the name of speed and efficiency." For example, 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 mechanics for faster pacing, employing similar techniques to Nightreign. It increased running speed, extended jump distances, automated parkour, and included a grapple attack to pull objects (a mechanic also present in Nightreign's Wylder character). These new moves are crucial because, while combat isn't overly difficult—given the power fantasy nature of the franchise—Trial of the Gods throws so many enemies at you that every second counts. As a result, players find themselves sprinting, hacking, and slashing through hordes with unrestrained intensity.
AnswerSee ResultsNightreign's resemblance to Ascension is unexpected, not only due to the latter's obscurity, but also because the Soulslike genre, which Elden Ring belongs to, initially stood as a stark contrast to God of War. Where one lets you play as a god-slaying warrior, the other casts you as a nameless undead facing significant challenges from even regular enemies. One rarely shows a game over screen; the other relentlessly throws them at you.
However, this challenge, so frustrating in FromSoftware's earlier games, has lessened as fans improved and developers offered better weapons and spells, leading to numerous game-breaking builds in Elden Ring. Nightreign, without access to these builds, promises a return to heightened difficulty. Simultaneously, skilled players can experience what God of War: Ascension offered: the thrill of being a time-constrained, vengeful Spartan.
