Fans Question the Reuse of Assets in Elden Ring Nightreign
As the network tests for Elden Ring Nightreign wrap up, some fans question if it's worth paying $40 for a new game that reuses so many FromSoftware assets.
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Players have taken to Steam to express their distaste for Elden Ring Nightreign, the latest game from award-winning developer FromSoftware. This comes in the midst of Nightreign’s network tests, where players are given a chance to try the game while FromSoftware tests its network’s capability to host online play. After a rocky start, many players have now had the opportunity to give the new game a try. You can also read our preview of Elden Ring Nightreign, where we are worried that repetitiveness could become an issue.
Fans are not happy with Elden Ring Nightreign re-using assets
Elden Ring Nightreign was announced at the Game Awards at the end of last year. It is a standalone title, meaning it’s not DLC. Players don’t need to have purchased the original Elden Ring to access Nightreign. This stands out from previous FromSoftware as a primarily multiplayer-focused game. Players can team up with up to three friends and try to survive a roguelike gauntlet of FromSoftware bosses, not just ones from Elden Ring. Nightreign even has a release date of May 30th, 2025, which is not far off. As good as this might sound to FromSoftware fans, not everyone is welcoming it with open arms.
On the Steam discussion page for Elden Ring Nightreign, some users have complained that the game reuses assets, with one person titling their discussion “This DLC has a DLC” presumably in response to news that Nightreign will add additional bosses and characters in the future. This could be compounded by the outrage about the most recent Game Awards event, at which Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, a DLC expansion for Elden Ring, was nominated for Game of the Year.
In these discussion posts, users classify Nightreign as “watered down” and express disappointment that FromSoftware is “basically making every asset a reuse…” Responses are mixed to many of these posts, with some supporting the disappointment and others not minding the reuse.
I couldn’t join the Elden Ring Nightreign network test, but another Gamepressure writer, Maciej Bogusz, had this to say about his experience: “I have mixed feelings. I imagine many players feel the same way…” referencing the $40 price tag given the reuse of assets. Regarding future DLC: “Based on what I’ve seen, Nightreign might start feeling repetitive after just one run. Hardcore players could likely complete a full cycle in just a couple of hours—then what? They’ll need more bosses, more maps, and so on.” It’s not hard to recognize that Nightreign will need more content to remain relevant over time, and “that could become a challenge if the developers only use original assets. So, their best option is to repurpose elements from their past works…” In conclusion: “Right now, I’m a little uncertain about Nightreign’s future, but I’ll definitely be playing it when it releases at the end of May.”
Elden Ring Nightreign is treading a lot of new ground for FromSoftware, and it makes sense that there will be some bumps in the road. It’s only natural that some players might decide to get off the bus. The Elden Ring series has created some of the most popular and well-reviewed games of the last few years, right now, it’s hard to tell if Nightreign will continue or break that streak.
