I have more to say about Nightreign (FromSoft), so this is the third part of taking a quick look at it. Hey, this is as quick as I get. Deal with it.Here’s yesterday’s post in which I compare playing with randos with playing with people you know.
I have put in 15 hours, and I have a few general observations about the game. I’ll list them in no particular order.
1. The runs are too long and have very little reward if you don’t beat the Night Lord.
Each run can take up to forty-five minutes if you make it to/beat the Night Lord. Even if you don’t make it that far, you’ll probably get a half-hour run at the very least. Unless people just peace out early in the run when things aren’t going well.
I’m still at the very beginning of the game, which means the rewards are shitty relics (you have three slots for each character, color-coded, in which you can slot relics). Or a piddling amount of murk (the currecncy in this game) that won’t buy you much.
I’ve heard that you get more later in the game, which I would assume. And, yes, it’s very FromSoft to make things really fucking hard at the beginning of the game, but it’s not fun. Well, it’s a very specific kind of fun. And that fun is waning with each failed run.
2. There is no need to slap the trademark obtuseness all over this game.
I know it’s something they pride themselves on, but it really feels out of place in this game. The biggest example is that two of the characters are locked. Weirdly, one of them was in the beta. The other wasn’t even mentioned until the last trailer or two, and the embargo included this character’s ult.
I stumbled over the way to unlock the first character organically, but I could not figure out the latter for the life of me. That’s the character I was really intrigued by, so I desperately wanted to unlock them. When I wasn’t able to do it, I broke down and asked the RKG Discord for general hints. Then, once I got the item I needed (should have figured it out myself, really), I had to…SIGH. When I looked it up, I was not pleased. It involved my absolutely least-favorite aspect of the From games–PvP.
It was so bad, I thought I might not be able to do it. I tried for over an hour, and I just could not do it. I tried it with my main first, the Recluse, but then I thought maybe it would be better to do it with the archer, Ironeye, because he has infinite ammo. But I could not hit the opponent with the arrows as they kept dodging them. I went back to the Recluse, and I realized to my dismay that she had infinite FP herself for this fight. Had I known that, I would have used her the whole time.
I finally got it done and cursed loudly and steadily for about ten seconds after finishing it. I didn’t even feel triumphant because I was too emotionally spent. I took my new character out for a spin on solo. Which leads me to my next negative.
3. Oh my god solo play FUCKING SUCKS!
I did not expect solo to be great, but it’s horrid. Honestly, FromSoft should not have put it in at all rather than put it in like this. Supposedly, there’s a patch next week, but still. One of the issues is that you can’t revive. Well, there is an item that will allow you to revive yourself, but apparently, it’s expensive–if you can even find it. In the main game, you can hit your teammate to revive them. I talked about how that’s good in theory, but not gerat in reality in the last post.
I tried solo with my newly unlcoked bestest character (well, jury’s still out on that). I’m quite fond of the Recluse, honestly. Funnily enough, she and the new character have the smallest amount of health. Of course. I’m always drawn to the squishy characters. Mages for the win, yo! Plus, the Recluse has the sickest outfit in the game. Reminiscent of my favorite outfit in Dark Souls II & III. I also found out that any weapon can be used as a shield. 100% physical defense. Which is nice.
I basically tried to learn the map and how to navigate around the world when I did a few solo expeditions. I could not even hope to get one of the field bosses let alone the Night Lord, so I just wandered around getting used to the new character. I had no reason to think I would make it past the first day, and I didn’t.
4. The different elements don’t quite gel.
I have no problem with FromSoft trying something new. They get to spread their wings and fly, baby, fly. If they want to make a multiplayer/co-op, roguelike-lite game based on their very popular Elden Ring, mixed with some very FromSoft elements (such as obscure ways to unlock things), have at it.
I think it’s fair to point out, however, that the sum is not greater than the parts in this case. Why do I say that? Because while there is fun to be had, I find the deliberately esoteric nature of some things grating. Such as how you unlock two of the characters. There was no reason for it other than to be FromSoft about it.
It’s also difficult to properly tune up for the Night Lord, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve played roughly fifteen hours, and I have not found very many upgrading materials in that time. I’m not even sure you can upgrade staves and seals. I think this might fit in the last point more than this, but I really wish things were spelled out a bit more in this game. When you have to hit the ground running, literally, there’s no time for nuance and in-depth explanations.
It’s hard to cram everything in Elden Ring into a very small, self-contained game like Nightreign. There is only one map, but it changes from run to run. Well, at least it’s supposed to. FightingCowboy noted in his review that this was not really true. If a certain thing spawned, then the thing next to it was going to be the same thing as well. So, yes, there is some RNG, but it’s not as varying as you might think a roguelike should be.
I think the breakneck speed of the game doesn’t work well with this kind of game, either. I understand that From doesn’t want you to dally, but I hate that if I take three seconds to look over my new loot, I feel like I’m being a drag on my teammates. This actually segues nicely into the next point.
5. The loot needs to be more tailored to the character you’re playing.
I don’t want about 90% of the loot I get. I understand that it’s shared loot, so in theory, one of your teammates might want something you don’t. However, because of the aforementioned speed of the game, I rarely even glance at what other people drop on the ground.
FromSoft has simplified the stats so if there’s a green arrow, it’s better than what you’re holding in your hand (if it’s a weapon). I appreciate that because I don’t want to have to parse out percentages or whatnot while I’m on the run. It would be nice if there was loot specifically to my class, but I don’t know how easy that would be to patch in.
I will say that when I have loot just for me (after killing a field boss, for example), it was geared towards me. Staves and seals, mostly. But the loot in general? Nope. Very random. And I can’t help but resent it when I get shit items.
More tomorrow.