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 namesake and aesthetic with Elden Ring, abandoning the open-world structure for a streamlined survival format. Three-player teams descend onto shrinking maps, battling enemies and increasingly difficult bosses. This design undeniably evokes the hugely popular Fortnite—a not-so-surprising inspiration, given Fortnite's recent 200 million player milestone this month.
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. Following Kratos' struggle to break his oath with Ares, it failed to match the epic finale of the original trilogy, and its attempts to refresh a well-established formula led to its reputation as the franchise's black sheep—a decent appetizer preceding an amazing main course.
This reputation, however, is somewhat unfair. While Kratos' confrontation with the Furies didn't reach the heights of his battle with Zeus, Ascension boasted breathtaking set pieces, including the Prison of the Damned—a labyrinthine dungeon within a colossal, immobilized, 100-armed giant. More importantly, Ascension pioneered something the franchise hadn't attempted before: multiplayer.
Within Ascension's story, players encounter a chained NPC in the Prison of the Damned who prematurely exclaims, "You saved me!" before perishing. Unlocking the multiplayer mode after this point reveals this NPC as the player character. Teleported to Olympus moments before death, players pledge allegiance to one of four gods—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, or Ares—each offering unique weapons, armor, and magic. These tools are used across 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, and IGN, highlighted similarities between FromSoftware's latest creation and live-service games like Fortnite. Like Fortnite, Nightreign blends randomized loot, resource management, and environmental hazards that damage health and restrict movement, increasing difficulty over time. Nightreign even echoes one of Fortnite's most iconic visuals: players drop 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 significant common ground with Nightreign. Both Nightreign and Ascension's Trial of the Gods mode are cooperative experiences where teams face increasingly challenging foes. Both offer the unexpected opportunity to battle bosses from previous games (Hercules from God of War 3 or the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3). Both feature a countdown timer (though Ascension's is pauseable), and both take place on small or shrinking maps. Crucially, both are multiplayer games from studios known for single-player excellence, created without oversight from their respective series creators; Hidetaka Miyazaki is currently working on an undisclosed project, while the original God of War trilogy's directors (David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, and Stig Asmussen) had left Sony Santa Monica before Ascension's development.
Nightreign appears to evoke the same player response as Ascension's Trial of the Gods. Participants in FromSoftware's network test described frantic, exhilarating races against the clock. Unlike the more relaxed pace of the base game, where players can approach scenarios strategically, Nightreign demands instinctive action, limiting resources and accelerating the pace—constraints described by VaatiVidya as prioritizing "speed and efficiency." For example, the absence of Torrent is compensated by enhanced player speed and jump height.
Ascension's multiplayer adapted its single-player mechanics for faster pacing, mirroring Nightreign's approach. Increased run speed, extended jumps, automated parkour, and a grapple attack (also present in Nightreign's Wylder character) were implemented. These additions are crucial because, while combat isn't overly difficult, Trial of the Gods throws so many enemies at players that every second counts. Consequently, players find themselves sprinting, slashing through hordes with unrestrained aggression.
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Nightreign's resemblance to Ascension is unexpected, not only due to the latter's obscurity, but also because the Soulslike genre, to which Elden Ring belongs, initially stood in stark contrast to God of War. Where God of War empowers players as god-slaying warriors, Soulslike games cast players as nameless, cursed undead facing significant challenges from even regular enemies. God of War rarely displays a game over screen, while Soulslike games frequently do so.
However, this challenge, initially rage-inducing in FromSoftware's earlier titles, has lessened as players improved and developers offered better weapons and spells, leading to game-breaking builds in Elden Ring. Nightreign, lacking these builds, promises a renewed sense of challenge while simultaneously offering experienced players the same visceral satisfaction as God of War: Ascension: the chance to feel like a time-constrained, vengeful Spartan.
