Elden Ring’s Nightreign Struggles to Fill the Torrent-Sized Void

Elden Ring Nightreign… oh man, where to start? It’s thrown the usual FromSoftware formula right out the window, in a wild, almost chaotic way. So, imagine your typical game session, right? Except now it’s like you’re racing against time itself. Three days in-game, and you gotta knock out bosses as quick as you can before hitting the Nightlords. Yeah, it’s pretty intense. And there’s this death-ring-of-doom thing shrinking around you. Kinda like Fortnite or Apex Legends. Keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure.

And speaking of keeping up, they’ve added new ways to get around. Wall jumps! Seriously, you can bounce off walls like you’re in some ninja flick. No fall damage either. It’s fun, but, gotta say, I miss Torrent. Remember Torrent? That trusty steed who felt less like a tool and more like a companion? It’s like, you know how sometimes you just need a silent friend on a long journey? That’s what Torrent was. And now he’s gone, and there’s this weird, empty feeling.

I swear, rolling through FromSoftware’s worlds alone can be, well, kinda grim. There’s something comforting about knowing you could just hop on Torrent and zip away from danger. Big boss arenas were no sweat because Torrent would glide you through like a breeze. Those moments? Magic. But now, in Nightreign, you’re plunked down in these massive arenas, and all that mounted grace just… vanished. It’s like they want you scrambling on your feet again. Maybe it fits with the frantic pace they’re going for, but still, a bit of Torrent’s balance would’ve been nice.

Anyway — no, wait — back to the movement thing. The game does let you Surge Sprint, supposedly faster than before, but c’mon, who are we kidding? It’s no Torrent sprint. Nightreign’s all about speed, and they could’ve tweaked Torrent in there somewhere, don’t you think? Maybe I’m just rambling here, but it feels like a missed opportunity. Like, sure, wall jumps are rad if they work… which they don’t always. Makes you wish you had that steed again. Sigh.

So yeah, Nightreign dances with new tricks but loses out on some deeper, almost soulful stuff. Torrent wasn’t just a way to zip around or scale heights. Nah, he was like this quiet presence, always there amidst the chaos. Without him, the new mechanics might work, but they kinda miss the heart. You get it, right? In a world that’s dark and full of terrors — okay, sounded like Game of Thrones there, oops — having Torrent was like having a partner.

Maybe I’m just being nostalgic. Whatever, right? Elden Ring Nightreign is still a whirl of action. But next time you’re leaping off walls, maybe obscurely wishing you had a familiar buddy to ride with, you’ll know what I mean.