Summary
FromSoftware, as we know it today, is a powerhouse of a developer. It continues to put out hit after brutal hit, and the expectation is that every game it creates is a banger.
WithElden Ring Nightreign, though, a spanner was thrown in the works, as the title received decidedlymixed reviews from critics.
With the dust beginning to settle, the title ended up with a score of78 on Metacritic(despite us atTheGamer giving it a 4.5/5), something which has left many long-time Souls fans balking. Fear not, however, for as low as it may seem, the game is actually one of FromSoft’s best-reviewed ever.
Elden Ring Nightreign Becomes One Of FromSoftware’s Best-Reviewed Games Ever
Before FromSoftware became known for the ‘Souls’ genre, it was a studio with quite a diverse portfolio. Sure, it released dozens ofArmored Coregames, which were met with mixed reactions, but many of its earlier titles were heavily Japanese-inspired action RPGs, some of which hit, and many of which didn’t. In the early 2000s, the company put out such classics as Shadow Assault - Tenchu, Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit, and King’s Field 4: The Ancient City.
That past is long forgotten, though. Since the arrival of Hidetaka Miyazaki in 2004 and the esteemed release of Demon’s Souls in 2009, the trajectory of FromSoftware as we know it has been altered.
With Nightreign’s now-underwhelming 78, we decided to look through every FromSoftware-developed game on Metacritic to find out where it ranks in the company’s storied history.
The Results
Elden Ring Nightreign has settled at a78 on Metacritic, putting it just outside the top ten in the company’s all-time rankings, tied with The Adventures of Cookie & Cream and Armored Core 2 for 11th. Otogi: Myth of Demon’s and Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors take up the ninth and tenth spots, respectively, then we get into FromSoftware’s modern domination.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicontook eighth with a score of 86, but the seven best-reviewed games in FromSoftware’s history have all been directed or heavily influenced by Miyazaki.
Demon’s Souls,Dark Souls, andDark Souls 3are joint fifth on 89,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis fourth on 90,Dark Souls 2is third on 91,Bloodborneis second on 92, andElden Ringis comfortably first, with a score of 96. It’s hard to argue that the man fundamentally changed FromSoftware’s history.
39
2012
38
2008
46
37
2002
48
36
2004
57
35
33
2000
59
2005
32
2001
60
31
30
62
28
64
27
2006
65
25
66
2013
22
2003
68
2009
21
2018
19
69
18
71
17
72
16
73
15
74
14
75
11
78
2025
10
79
9
80
8
2023
86
5
89
2011
4
2019
90
3
2014
91
2
2015
92
1
2022
96
Further Analysis
It’s worth noting that although the list has 39 games, FromSoft did develop Japanese exclusive titles and games that pre-dated Metacritic, meaning not every title developed is on the list.
There was a clear shift in quality over quantity at FromSoftware in the late 2000s. The company released far fewer titles, and the ones that it did release generally scored far higher. Historically, though, it has had some stinkers.
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, released for the Xbox 360’s Kinect in 2012, received alowly 38from 58 critic reviews. Games Master UK scored the game a 6/100, saying, “At some point, From Software must have been aware that their game was literally unplayable, but by then it was too late.”
Shadow Assault - Tenchu fared slightly better,scoring 46from just eight reviews, but it received equally scathing criticism, with one reviewer saying, it “feels as though the developers just wanted to put out an Xbox Live Arcade title for a quick buck.”
The final game worth laughing at is Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit, whichscored 48. IGN said, “The fact is that it’s just awful. Awful, awful, awful. It’s ugly, frustrating, and extremely repetitive,” and almost every other reviewer agreed.
So, while Elden Ring Nightreign’s review scores are a bit of a shock in the context of modern FromSoft, just be thankful we’ve got this version of the company, and not the early one.
