Nightreign’s Similarities to Another Franchise Expose Its Limitations

Summary

Elden Ring Nightreign stands out with a blend of mechanics from various genres, including Soulslike and roguelike games.
The game draws noticeable similarities to Monster Hunter, but falls short in terms of character customization and gameplay flexibility.
While Elden Ring Nightreign has its own unique appeal, comparisons to Monster Hunter highlight its limitations in variety and player freedom.

Elden Ring Nightreign has made a big splash since its launch in more ways than one, with one of the boldest, most creative, and perhaps riskiest moves FromSoftware has ever taken. Rather than giving fans another single-player Soulslike adventure where patience, deliberation, and strategy are rewarded, Elden Ring Nightreign puts them in a roguelike race against the clock as they fight their way through hordes of enemies and challenge bosses to improve their characters in time for a final Nightlord at the end of every three-day expedition. By and large, there’s nothing quite like it, but that doesn’t mean it has been able to avoid every comparison with other experiences.

As far as Soulslikes go, there really isn’t anything like Elden Ring Nightreign. Those who have followed FromSoftware for some time to the point of becoming experts in the field have likely never played anything remotely close to Nightreign, as it blends mechanics from various genres that might have been previously detached from one another. Sure, it bears similarities to Elden Ring and other Soulslikes, and it even mimics roguelike games like Risk of Rain and Hades. However, another unlikely franchise it shares some similarities with doesn’t really do it any favors, as it really serves to expose its limitations more than anything else.

Elden Ring Nightreign Traversal Torrent Sized Void

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Traversal Can’t Fill the Torrent-Sized Void

Elden Ring Nightreign may offer new ways to get around, but the absence of Torrent leaves a gap that traversal mechanics alone struggle to overcome.

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Monster Hunter Similarities Are Its Biggest Critic

The Monster Hunter Comparison Isn’t Just Superficial

From the moment players begin an expedition in Elden Ring Nightreign, the similarities it bears to Monster Hunter are hard to ignore. Team-based hunts, a mission structure that ends in giant boss battles, and even the terminology itself all echo Capcom’s long-running franchise. Sure, Monster Hunter may not incorporate traditional roguelike elements into the mix like Elden Ring Nightreign does, but everything else FromSoftware’s latest title capitalizes on makes it feel every bit like a Soulslike Monster Hunter game.

Elden Ring Nightreign‘s comparisons to Monster Hunter have been drawn for some time now, even ahead of its release, giving the perspective even more weight. And while some might argue that Elden Ring Nightreign isn’t anything like Monster Hunter, those arguments are largely based on everything Nightreign does that Monster Hunter doesn’t do. Even when highlighting those elements, though, Nightreign still exudes Monster Hunter in its most prominent aspects.

When the Imitation Highlights the Gaps

The unfortunate reality of these comparisons, however, is that where Monster Hunter thrives in variety, Nightreign restricts players with some understandable but weighty limitations. It’s possible to customize Nightfarers in Elden Ring Nightreign using Relics, but this customization system pales in comparison to Monster Hunter‘s crafted builds that make every character feel like a personalized extension of the player. These predefined chracter classes are largely locked into a particular playstyle, unlike the more personal creations offered by the Monster Hunter series. While that structure certainly supports balance in Elden Ring Nightreign, it still comes at the cost of creativity and experimentation, particularly for fans coming from RPG-heavy experiences.

Monster Hunter‘s freedom doesn’t end in class choice and customization either, but also how players explore and even engage solo. Nightreign‘s fixed three-player structure feels inflexible, unlike the personal approach Monster Hunter allows its players to take. Duo play isn’t supported at launch, although there are plans for it to be added, and solo players are met with uneven difficulty that currently doesn’t scale well. Add to that the absence of meaningful exploration between encounters, and it becomes clear that Nightreign‘s similarities to Monster Hunter only make its shortcomings more obvious.

The unfortunate reality of these comparisons, however, is that where Monster Hunter thrives in variety, Nightreign restricts players with some understandable but weighty limitations.

Of course, these are things that can’t be changed about Elden Ring Nightreign due to its chosen gameplay structure, and that part of it all makes sense. Nevertheless, something with the name “Elden Ring” carries with it certain expectations when it comes to freedom — expectations that Monster Hunter almost always meets with its own emphasis on player agency. Perhaps some of these limitations will become a bit less restrictive as time goes on, but that remains to be seen for now.