Elden Ring Nightreign surprised everyone with its unexpected reveal, and has since captivated the attention of gamers eager for a fresh take on co-op roguelikes. FromSoftware’s simple but engaging formula has inspired other studios to follow in its footsteps, creating the Soulslike genre. With this latest release being multiplayer-first, the Japanese developer could open the way for an almost unprecedented second hit sub-genre: the “Reignlike.”
Nightreign appears to take some inspiration from other games, namely Battle Royales and Breath of the Wild, but this does not mean it won’t forge its own distinct identity. Despite the BR genre seeing a wealth of innovative ideas, there has been fierce competition to break in, causing many to be crowded out. This is where Elden Ring Nightreign stands apart, as its fusion of design ideas could very well land it a completely unique place in the market for other studios to follow.
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Nightreign Could Make Other Developers Want to Make Their Own “Reignlikes”
While it may be a household name today, the renown FromSoftware garnered by pioneering the Soulslike genre did not appear overnight. Demon’s Souls was first released on the PS3 in 2009, and the genre’s real kickoff wasn’t until 2014 when the original Lords of the Fallen came out, touted as the first Soulslike game that directly emulated the style.
Soulslikes began to trickle out slowly at first, usually as Indie or double-A offerings, but the volume of them only increased. Nioh was perhaps the first triple-A Soulslike of many. Today the genre is a staple for new and old studios alike to experiment with, seen in the recent smashing success of The First Berserker: Khazan.
But FromSoftware has come a long way since then, and if its foray into Souls-flavored Roguelikes is a success, it has the potential to kickstart another sub-genre. Many publishers will be watching the game with one eye open, and Reignlikes will come out thick and fast if there is a large enough appetite for them.
How Reignlikes Could Be Different to Soulslikes
The formula of Soulslike games is one of a simple combat style backed up by careful resource management, a damage-mitigation move, and learning through repetition. The simplicity of the formula is the reason for its success, as games in the genre can adjust all the elements individually while innovating with their own ideas. They also tend to follow the very interpretive way of storytelling the Souls games are known for, drip-feeding details through environmental details and half-mad NPCs.
Reignlikes are not just multiplayer Soulslikes. It’s yet to be clear what makes for a Reignlike, but it could focus on a much faster style of gameplay than its genre counterpart. With the night closing in, Nightreign‘s combat is fast-paced, and traversal is streamlined significantly. Death is not the end either, as reviving is an expected part of Nightreign, turning that expectation from Soulslikes on its head.
There are familiar Roguelike elements of randomness in Nightreign, from weapons to location variety, and Reignlikes would have a lot of room to tweak these aspects to fit. These weapons are predominantly melee oriented, but that doesn’t mean spiritual successors could not explore shooter-oriented approaches.
Finally, and perhaps most uniquely, is the day system, where the night recedes and repopulates the map. In BRs and Roguelikes, the progression is usually linear, but a system of days culminating in the final boss shakes up the idea of what a storm mechanic can do for replayability. FromSoftware seems to be avoiding PVP, but other studios could follow up with an invasion system like Deathloop where a player attempts to sabotage another team.
There is a lot of potential for Reignlikes, but everything hinges on the impact Nightreign makes. Given FromSoftware’s track record, it feels like it is not a question of if this genre emerges, but when.
Action RPG
Soulslike
Roguelite