Elden Ring Nightreign Removing an Iconic Feature is a Necessary Evil

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During The Game Awards 2024, FromSoftware didn’t unveil a follow-up to Elden Ring as some might have anticipated. Instead, they introduced an offshoot titled Elden Ring: Nightreign, surprising quite a few FromSoftware enthusiasts for various reasons. Some gamers were taken aback because they hadn’t foreseen FromSoftware returning to the world of Elden Ring so swiftly, given that they had recently released the highly-praised Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. On the other hand, others were taken aback as FromSoftware usually doesn’t produce spin-offs within its main series. However, the announcement of Elden Ring: Nightreign emerged as one of the most exciting moments for many fans during The Game Awards.

Despite a superficial resemblance, Elden Ring Nightreign and the 2022 hit RPG Elden Ring share very distinct traits. Unlike its predecessor, Nightreign emphasizes co-operative multiplayer and offers a more dynamic, swift-paced battle system. Instead of being a traditional Soulslike, Nightreign is a roguelike set in a procedurally-generated version of Limgrave. Unlike Elden Ring, Nightreign does not include the feature to leave messages for other players. This popular mechanic is missing from Nightreign, but given its unique nature as a game, it’s understandable.

Elden Ring Nightreign Ditching the Messaging Mechanic from Elden Ring Makes Sense

Most of FromSoftware’s Soulslikes Allow Players to Leave Messages for Others to See In-Game

FromSoftware has been incorporating a distinctive form of player interaction into most of its Souls-like games, except for the singleplayer-focused “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice”. Unlike conventional direct messages or chats found in other multiplayer games, many of their recent titles offer an alternative means of communication by enabling players to leave messages at specific game locations. These messages can serve various purposes such as alerting fellow gamers about potential dangers ahead, offering guidance to newcomers, sharing jokes, or even tricking others to meet a untimely in-game death.

Elden Ring Nightreign Won’t Give Players the Ability to Leave Messages For a Few Reasons

In a chat with IGN Japan, the director of Elden Ring Nightreign, Junya Ishizaki, shared some interesting insights about our upcoming RPG. He mentioned that compared to the original Elden Ring, there will be fewer opportunities for asynchronous multiplayer interactions. While we’ll still catch glimpses of other gamers’ spirits, it seems we won’t be able to leave messages for each other directly within the game. That said, I can’t wait to discover alternative ways to connect and communicate with fellow adventurers in Elden Ring Nightreign, although it might not offer the same level of interaction as Dark Souls or Bloodborne did.

Some might express apprehension regarding the absence of a certain feature in Elden Ring Nightreign and its potential impact on future FromSoftware games. However, there’s little cause for concern as there are valid explanations behind its exclusion in the upcoming RPG. As Ishizaki clarified, the gameplay structure of Elden Ring Nightreign is more compact compared to the Dark Souls series. This game is designed for brief, 40-minute sessions, which means players won’t have the opportunity to linger and read messages others have left behind on the ground due to the condensed nature of the gameplay.

Another crucial point when talking about Elden Ring Nightreign is its randomly generated landscapes. Because no two stages in the RPG are identical, leaving messages in these areas might not hold much significance. In a game where levels don’t follow a set design, the messaging system used in games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring Nightreign might not function as intended due to the context-specific nature of player-left messages. Consequently, it’s no surprise that FromSoftware chose to abandon this cherished feature in Elden Ring Nightreign.

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2025-01-05 20:23