If we've learned anything from FromSoftware over the years, it's that it really is dangerous to go alone. With Elden Ring: Nightreign, however, you literally can't. While previous FromSoftware titles have included multiplayer aspects, they've never been mandatory before. Now, though, you must face this brutal world with friends. In each session you team up with two other players to tackle a map filled with randomised elements making it, if you like your buzzwords, a soulslike roguelike. You and your team explore for two in-game days, and on the third day you must face a punishing boss together. It's intense, punishing, exhilarating stuff. But it's also joyous, comedic, frustrating - everything a shared game should be. As you begin each map you need to level up FAST. There's always a deathstorm, and it's always coming in hot. Survive until the night and you'll repeat the process tomorrow. Survive AGAIN and on the next day you'll face the boss. The storm is a leaf out of the Fortnite playbook - it drives players together, keeping you in the same place. There are eight Nightfarers to play as, each roughly tracking a class from the original Elden Ring. Play well, and their distinct abilities begin to sync up in interesting ways. Where many FromSoftware games feel like marathons, Nightreign is more like a sprint. It's like doing a speedrun of the original Elden Ring, a condensed half hour burst of everything that made it great.