Making Elden Ring Nightreign work may require controversial boss designs

FromSoftware may be the most respected developer today, but even the most respected studios can't escape criticism. In the case of FromSoftware, critics tend to focus on aspects such as difficulty and narrative presentation, which are of course equally appreciated by other parts of the gaming community. But Elden Ring Nightreign could serve as an opportunity to turn some of FromSoftware's most common criticisms on their head and use controversial design decisions to improve the game.

Elden Ring Nightreign stands out from the rest of the FromSoftware portfolio in that it is explicitly designed for cooperative multiplayer mode. Co-op mode has been a part of FromSoftware's soul-mate in the past, although this is generally more of an optional twist on each title's core gameplay: bosses and other co-op-enabled sections aren't primarily designed for multiple players. But Elden Ring Nightreign expands these co-op fundamentals across the board, which may require a different approach to combat design that risks being too simplistic. In other words, if everyone Night ReignThe bosses of are functionally similar to those in the Elden Ring In the base game, they may lack the tension needed for addictive multiplayer gameplay. Ironically, a look at FromSoftware's most despised boss design trends could be the solution to this problem.

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The Zelda series should take a close look at Elden Ring Nightreign

FromSoftware is making a bold move with Elden Ring Nightreign, and this move could serve as inspiration for the next steps of The Legend of Zelda.

How FromSoftware's controversial bosses could be the key to Nightreign's success

When thinking about a boss design that is best suited to multiple players, it makes sense to consider challenges that can be overcome through teamwork. Fortunately, FromSoftware's work presents several such challenges, which can be grouped into at least two broad categories.

Nightreign could channel FromSoftware's frustrating boss team-ups

From software bosses who fit this topic:

  • fool's idol – Demon souls

  • Capra Demon – Dark souls

  • Ornstein and Smough – Dark souls

  • Living failures – Bloodborne

  • Godskin Duo – Elden Ring

Boss teams, also known as gank battles, are perhaps the most infamous design trend for Souls-like bosses that require the player to face off against multiple different enemies. At their best, they can be exciting battles that require careful positioning, planning and enemy health management. At worst, they can simply be annoying and overwhelming, not giving the player enough time to calibrate and strategize. But if a player can even the odds with their own reinforcements, these challenging battles can become both more manageable and more interesting as players can work together to develop a battle plan.

Gimmick combat could be a lot better in Elden Ring Nightreign

From software bosses who fit this topic:

  • Dragon God – Demon souls

  • Bed of Chaos – Dark souls

  • Mikolash – Bloodborne

  • Screen monkeys – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Gimmick fights can be described as any boss encounter that relies on the player taking actions outside of the normal combat wheelhouse. For example, Demon souls“Dragon God requires players to dodge his attacks while making their way to various ballistae, which can then be fired to deal damage.” The problem with these boss fights is that they take away from the core mechanics of the You can't use the game and are therefore not particularly worthwhile. They can serve as a nice way to mix up the gameplay, but as boss fights they're often disappointing, sometimes annoying and, worst of all, sometimes boring. But these puzzling battles can be much more fun with other players as they could be focused on communication and multitasking, which makes them far more exciting.

The obvious problem with implementing these more controversial boss mechanics more heavily is this Night Reignis the single player mode. If these bosses are designed specifically for co-op, they will be just as annoying, if not more so, for solo players. But that would essentially be a reversal of what most of FromSoftware's Soulslikes already are, where bosses are designed for solo players and are therefore (usually) way too easy with the help of another player. With Night Reign Since this is primarily a co-op game, this reversal makes a lot of sense.

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