FromSoftware has been on a roll for nearly two decades now, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Starting withDemon’s Soulson the PS3, the studio has gone on to make hit after hit, including theDark Soulstrilogy,Bloodborne,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, andElden Ring. Having recently revived itsArmored Corefranchise withFires of Rubicon, FromSoftware’s next stop is the experimentalElden Ring Nightreign, a cooperative roguelike built out ofElden Ring’s framework. It won’t be long beforeElden Ring Nightreignarrives, and hopefully its efforts bear fruit.
Nightreignis branching out so far from what brought FromSoftware its modern successes that there’s no telling how it will turn out. Even the network test forNightreigncouldn’t provide answers, as the full game is supposed to have much more variety inmixedDark SoulsandElden Ringbosses, twice as many preset player characters, and more randomized aspects on the map of Limveld itself. At the very least,Nightreignis a great break from the norm, and if FromSoftware wants to workshop its ideas further, it has the perfect IP to apply its formula to next.
Elden Ring Nightreign Could Find A Worthy Successor Through Sekiro
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twicewas the farthest FromSoftware’s modern AAA games had strayed from their Souls core untilArmored Core 6. In being so distinct,Sekirofinds a lot of common ground withElden Ring Nightreignthat the two could develop in a future game. The“default” Nightfarer inNightreign, the Wylder, seems like a very direct adaptation of the shinobi Wolf’s major tools, especially their shared grappling hook.Sekiro-like movement speed is even more present inNightreignthan inElden Ringitself, and both titles put more emphasis on special moves tied more to the player character than those attached to their weapons.
Applying Nightreign To Sekiro Could Create The Best Of Both Worlds
Though speaking of weapons, that’s one thing thatSekirolacks, and aNightreigntake on it could add in abundance.Sekiro: Shadows Die Twicehas the least build optionsof any of the FromSoftware Soulslike catalog, and its gameplay deemphasizes what little options there are. Parrying and managing the player and enemies’ stagger gauges is what matters most, and what Shinobi Prosthetic tools and special techniques players use, or find in the first place, are left up to them. AnotherSekirogame inNightreign’s vein wouldn’t completely throw out these elements, but it would have to shake things up to make everything fit.
How Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Can Present Its Own Take On Nightreign
Sekiro’s Hypothetical Nightreign Spin-Off Must Choose Its Battles Carefully
As previously mentioned,Sekirohas many elements that lend themselves easily to aNightreignadaptation, and its world is one of them. The nation of Ashina, and the surrounding areas, like those controlled by the Interior Ministry, arewar-torn in and aroundSekiro’s story, and a group of Shinobi on missions during this era would cleanly replaceElden Ring’s assorted Nightfarers. Plenty of tools and martial techniques inSekirocan easily slot into these characters’ default movesets, and they can find brand-new ones as they grapple and leap across battlefields and huge estates while avoiding closing rings of lightning or red fire.
Inserting roguelike and survival elements into aSekiro: Nightreignisn’t a big issue. What might be is making co-op fit alongsideSekiro’s signature parrying and stagger mechanics. Ironically,going whereNightreigndidn’t and emphasizing duosinstead of just trios and solo runs could work best for thisSekirospin-off. How these elements come together is up to FromSoftware’s designers, but even this early, it seems like there’s a way to make it all click. Ultimately,Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceandElden Ring Nightreigndeserve sequels of some kind, so combining the two would kill two birds with one stone.
