As a dedicated soulslike veteran, I've seen many games attempt to capture the magic of FromSoftware's masterpieces, often stumbling in the process. Their most recent experiment, Elden Ring: Nightreign, was a fascinating but divisive departure. Its laser focus on cooperative play, the rigid Nightfarer classes, and the relentless three-day cycle that forced us to sprint through the Lands Between felt like a bold, if flawed, experiment. While it may have disrupted FromSoftware's usual award-sweeping streak, it carved out a unique identity that resonated deeply with a specific audience—myself included. The craving for that particular blend of shared struggle and high-stakes exploration remained long after the final boss fell. Now, on the horizon, a new contender emerges from the sands of Steam: Serpent’s Gaze. It promises to be the spiritual successor I've been waiting for, learning from Nightreign's missteps while doubling down on its greatest triumphs.

A Co-op Sanctuary in a Sea of Solitude

The soulslike market in 2025 is more crowded than a boss room during an invasion, with titles from The Lords of the Fallen to Lies of P offering their own interpretations of the formula. Yet, for those of us whose greatest victories were shared with friends, the pickings remain slim. Yes, summon signs exist in the classics, but they feel like a temporary bandage on a desire for a truly built-for-co-op experience—a desire Nightreign understood. With FromSoftware's own PvPvE answer, Duskbloods, still in development and locked to the Nintendo Switch 2, many of us PC players have been left in the lurch. Enter Serpent's Gaze, a game that looks poised to not just fill that void but to build a proper home within it. Its core pillars speak directly to the heart of what made Nightreign special:

• FIGHT difficult enemies and bosses, either solo or in seamless 4-player co-op.

• UPGRADE your character through a choice of various blessings, adding a compelling roguelike layer to each expedition.

• SURVIVE the dynamic curse system, which introduces randomized variables on each run. One moment you're navigating a sandstorm, the next you're being stalked through a ruin by a boss that appeared out of sequence—it’s like trying to solve a puzzle while the pieces are actively trying to bite you.

• EXPLORE an Egyptian-inspired world teeming with warring factions and buried secrets, from sun-bleached deserts to foreboding cathedrals.

• LEARN the lore of why your character, a "scion," was resurrected by the enigmatic "withering tree god Magnolia."

A Familiar Soul in an Unfamiliar Land

Stepping into the world of Serpent's Gaze is an experience that feels both thrillingly new and comfortingly familiar. Its Egyptian aesthetic—a world of sandstone and serpentine motifs—is a world away from the European Gothic and twisted mythos of Elden Ring. Yet, the moment-to-moment gameplay is a love letter to FromSoftware's design language. Watching the combat clips on its Steam page, I felt a jolt of recognition. There it was: a player expertly dodge-rolling away from a giant, crawling severed hand. This wasn't just inspiration; it was a direct descendant of the Lands Between's own Fingercreeper enemies, a relic transplanted into the desert sun. Other foes continue this trend: a hulking knight that charges with a ground-shaking slam attack feels pulled straight from a legacy dungeon.

The homage runs deeper than enemy design. The health bars floating above enemies and dominating the screen for bosses are replicas of those iconic crimson stripes we know so well. The stark "You Died" message upon failure is a welcome (if punishing) old friend. Most importantly, Serpent's Gaze embraces Nightreign's core social and progression loop: cooperative raids into hostile territory, followed by a reset upon failure and a new set of upgrade choices for the next attempt. While the specifics of permanent progression (something akin to Nightreign's Relics) aren't fully detailed, the framework for that satisfying "one more run" cycle is firmly in place.

Learning from the Past: What's Notably Absent

Here is where Serpent's Gaze shows its wisdom. It has carefully studied Nightreign's blueprint and chosen to omit its most controversial feature: the oppressive time limit. The Steam page makes no mention of a constricting storm or a ticking clock. This is a monumental relief. The battle-royale-style encroaching doom was integral to Nightreign's identity but often felt like a chain, preventing the methodical, awe-filled exploration that defines the best soulslikes. In Serpent's Gaze, we are free to clear areas at our own pace, to soak in the atmosphere and uncover secrets without the panic of a closing circle. This decision feels like the developers at Feeble Minds listened to the community's feedback with the attentiveness of a scribe transcribing sacred texts.

Furthermore, the game appears to favor a more traditional "level" structure over a fully open world. This suggests interconnected zones reminiscent of Dark Souls, which could allow for more curated, dense level design—a contrast to Elden Ring's vast, sometimes overwhelming fields. While this is still speculation, it points to a focus on tight, replayable co-op experiences rather than endless exploration.

The Early Access Advantage: Building with the Community

Looking back, Nightreign could have been a different beast had it utilized Early Access. Its post-launch additions of Night Lords and Nightfarers, along with crucial balance patches and the late but welcome addition of dedicated two-player co-op, could have been integrated from the start. Instead, it launched, faced criticism for its lack of polish and restrictive systems, and spent months evolving. Serpent's Gaze is avoiding that pitfall entirely. Feeble Minds has committed to using Early Access to "use the community as a compass," a philosophy that fills me with confidence.

By opening channels for feedback via Steam forums and their Discord, they are inviting players like me to help shape the game. Whether it's balancing the four-player co-op difficulty (ensuring bosses are punishing but fair for a full group), tweaking AI, expanding weapon variety, or adding cosmetic options, our voices will be part of the development process. For a game striving to be "punishing," this collaborative approach is not just smart; it's essential.

A Substantial Foundation with a Promising Future

Don't let the "Early Access" label fool you into thinking Serpent's Gaze will be a bare-bones experience at launch in 2026. The initial offering is robust:

Feature	Initial Early Access Content
Enemy Factions	2 distinct factions to battle
Levels	8 hand-crafted, replayable levels
Character Upgrades	Over 100 different blessings and upgrades
Arsenal	"A bunch" of weapons and class options

Given the roguelike curses and upgrade system, these eight levels should offer significant variety with each run, as unpredictable as a sandstorm reshaping the dunes. Feeble Minds has already charted the course for post-launch support, promising a full third faction, which will bring new levels, enemies, and bosses. More weapons, upgrades, and classes are also on the roadmap. The initial launch promises "many hours of fun with friends," but the future looks even brighter.

For anyone who, like me, cherished the camaraderie of Nightreign but grew weary of its restrictive clock or desires a more traditional, level-based co-op soulslike that cherry-picks the best ideas, Serpent's Gaze is shaping up to be the answer. It’s a phoenix rising from Nightreign's ashes, built not just by developers, but with the guiding hand of the community it seeks to serve. It’s already secured a spot on my Steam wishlist, standing there like a silent sentinel awaiting the call to adventure once more.