Elden Ring Nightreign Guardian holding a large halberd. Reviews for Elden Ring Nightreign have started coming in, and it’s surprisingly resulted in a relatively low score for developer FromSoftware. The studio’s so-called Soulsborne catalog is chock-full of critical darlings, but the three-player co-op action roguelite of Nightreign doesn’t seem to reach the same heights.

At the time of writing, Elden Ring Nightreign has only received an aggregate score of 77 on Metacritic, based on the most reviewed platform, PlayStation 5, where 60 critics have weighed in. PC is slightly higher with 31 reviews, resulting in a Metascore of 80. Xbox Series X/S is a curious outlier with an aggregate of 88, but that’s only compiling four reviews.

Elden Ring Nightreign now claims the lowest Metacritic score of any FromSoftware Soulsborne release, falling below Dark Souls Remastered‘s 84. Discounting re-releases, remasters, and remakes, the second lowest is a three-way tie at an astounding score of 89 between the original Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls 3.

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Score Is Weak For FromSoft

The Developer’s Reputation Has Become Illustrious

Elden Ring Nightreign Cover Art features a Wylder holding a sword. Close-up on Executor in Elden Ring Nightreign. Elden Ring Nightreign Raider holding a great axe in front of a crescent moon. Recluse casting a spell in Elden Ring NIghtreign.

77 isn’t necessarily a dire score, but it’s unexpected coming from FromSoftware. The studio has become known for reliably releasing incredible games, especially those that fall into the ever-broadening Soulsborne catalog. For reference, the table below has every Soulsborne game (including re-releases, remasters, and remakes), in release order, alongside the Metascore for their most-reviewed platform.

Title
Metascore

Demon’s Souls
89

Dark Souls
89

Dark Souls 2
91

Bloodborne
92

Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin
87

Dark Souls 3
89

Dark Souls Remastered
84

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
90

Demon’s Souls (2020)
92

Elden Ring
96

Elden Ring Nightreign
77

Nightreign‘s relatively low score is especially shocking coming after Elden Ring‘s incredibly high 96, and its equally excellent Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which itself boasts a 94 on Metacritic. In fact, Elden Ring and Dark Souls are often considered among the best games of all time, and the same could easily be argued about Bloodborne or Sekiro. Nightreign is a clear outlier in these metrics, and a surprising new low for FromSoftware.

A 77 For Nightreign Is Nothing To Worry About

Nightreign Was Always Going To Be Divisive

Three Elden Ring Nightreign characters wearing outfits inspired by Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

While Nightreign‘s 77 may be initially surprising, it’s ultimately not entirely unexpected. Elden Ring Nightreign is weird compared to its namesake, and its heavy focus on multiplayer was bound to alienate many of the fans who have come to adore the deep RPG experiences FromSoftware has become famous for. I played an early version of the game back in January, and in my Elden Ring Nightreign preview I wrote:

“Generally, it would track that Elden Ring fans want more primarily single-player RPGs, which Nightreign is not – a roguelite is almost the antithesis of what has made FromSoftware’s games steadily rise to stardom. It’s not quite a live-service offering, but it’s also not an appeal to Elden Ring’s core audience, not even the dedicated PvP community.”

It’s an odd duck among the celebrated line of Soulsborne games, and you could even argue it doesn’t fit in among the crowd. Our full Nightreign review has a lot of great things to say about FromSoftware’s latest, though, and many players are sure to find something to like about it once it releases on May 30. Elden Ring Nightreign‘s Metacritic rating may be a new low for FromSoftware’s Soulsborne offerings, but it’s still likely to find a fervent audience.