Elden Ring Nightreign: More Like Risk of Rain 2 Than Hades

The whole roguelike craze? It’s like everybody and their mother is diving in these days—big-time studios and indie teams both. Take FromSoftware’s latest, Elden Ring Nightreign. It’s got this twisty vibe on the usual action—team up style, which, let’s be honest, we didn’t see coming. It’s not a picture of perfection, but hey, it’s got heart and guts, venturing into the wild unknown.

Nightreign, though, tips its hat a lot to the classics. It’s remixing old tricks with its own dash of spice. People can’t help but stack it up against other big dogs in the roguelike yard. And yeah, pros and cons fly every which way in gamers’ comments. So let’s dig a bit, see how it sizes up next to the titans everyone knows and loves.

So, about Hades—they say you can’t mess with perfection, right? Hades came out in late ’19 and owned the roguelike throne, setting the bar sky high after games like The Binding of Isaac. Its combat snaps, the storytelling vibes are strong, the game just looks gorgeous. Hades’ influence? Kinda spread far and wide. Even biggies like God of War caught the spinoff bug. But, not every roguelike wears the Hades crown. Nightreign? Is it shackled to Hades’ shadow? Heck no. It packs its own punch, more of a Risk of Rain 2 flavor than Hades.

Now, Risk of Rain 2—it may not steal headlines, but it sure holds its ground. Sure, it strays from the checklist Hades wrote in stone—even lets players run wild in open, sprawling maps. No room-hopping here. Progression? Barely there. Instead, you pick Survivors to get unique moves and chase glory. And here we are thinking Nightreign feels more like a long-lost sibling. Its Nightfarers kinda echo those Survivors, and its broad, point-of-interest rich maps are a nod to Risk of Rain 2’s style. But hey, I’m just tossing it out there—it might not be a better or worse pick, just another flavor to taste.