Developer Interview of Elden Ring Nightreign Provides Insights on the Game’s unique Combat, Design and More

In a recent interview with Playstation Blog, Junya Ishizaki, game director of the upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign talked about the game’s unique approach to combat, level designs, it’s revival system and a lot more. Developer interviews like these are always a treat for everyone who’s looking forward to the game, so if you’re one of the many players eagerly waiting for the release of Elden Ring Nightreign, you wouldn’t want to miss this.

When asked about the game’s combat system, Ishizaki said that one of the primary focuses of the devs for Elden Ring Nightreign was to find a sweet spot between what feels true to the Elden Ring experience on a core level while still adding numerous changes on top that feel both fresh and new.

“In terms of challenges, honestly, everything was a challenge (laughs). Especially when it came to making major changes to the game mechanics, we had to make sure the game was still viable and truly enjoyable. We could have changed the mechanics without putting much thought into it, but there was a risk that the game would become something completely different, even though it was part of the Elden Ring universe. Finding the perfect balance between something that felt fresh and new, while still feeling true to Elden Ring, was challenging.”

He also added that they want to “encourage players to be more strategic” when it comes to the combat.

Regarding the unique Revival system that’s present in Elden Ring Nightreign which allows the players to rescue incapacitated teammates by simply ‘attacking’ them, Ishizaki said:

“Since we were using many existing assets from Elden Ring, we wanted to find ways to leverage them in interesting ways. As we were tossing around ideas, we realized that ‘attacking’ is the most consistent element of Nightreign’s gameplay. We tested to see if it would work for resuscitation, and we discovered a wide variety of tactics depending on range, frequency, and probability, so we formally implemented it. We also found it quite amusing (laughs).”

The dev also assured that the boss fights in the game will need the players to be a lot more tactical and even change their approach when needed as the bosses will also undergo changes over time.

“Yes, we’re also pursuing that approach, so the same strategy won’t always work when fighting the bosses. Your initial strategy may be effective for a while, but the bosses will gradually evolve and your tactics will no longer be viable, forcing you to rethink your approach.

Also, in the final version of the game, you’ll be able to determine the weakness of each boss before heading out. So, if poison is effective against an upcoming boss, you may proactively search for and loot items that inflict poison more often in that run. Taking advantage of their susceptibility will give you an edge in the fights. We intentionally designed the game so that you’ll need to adapt and evolve your strategies along with the changes that happen in the game.”

He also shared insights on further aspects of the game such as the changes made post-Network tests, it’s difficulty settings and more. So head over to the full interview which is definitely worth reading for anyone who’s a fan of Elden Ring or even the Souls games.

Elden Ring Nightreign is slated to release on May 30, 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and the PC platform.