The recent reveal of FromSoftware’s new gameElden Ring Nightreignappears to showcase yet more gameplay features and mechanics seemingly inspired by the likes ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom. Given how much of an impact Nintendo’sBreath of the Wildmade on open-world gameplay, it was arguably inevitable that FromSoftware’s shift to an open-world Soulslike would be compared to the earlierZeldagame. By extension, evenElden Ring Nightreigncan’t seem to escape these comparisons much like the originalElden Ring, as it also appears inspired by bothZeldaSwitch games.
Many interesting details were revealed duringElden Ring Nightreign’s announcement trailer, such as the spin-off game breaking yet again from FromSoftware’s traditional approach to its Soulslike formula with new roguelite elements. With bothElden Ringand its DLC,Shadow of the Erdtree, providing lessons about where the game might expand or refine its gameplay, it appears thatElden Ring Nightreignwill be introducing a new mechanic similar to the summonable mount, Torrent. But in doing so,Elden Ring Nightreignappears only to be doubling down on itsZeldainfluences from games likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom.
Elden Ring: Nightreign Takes Notes From The Legend of Zelda: BOTW’s and TOTK’s Paraglider
One of the core mechanics carried over fromBreath of the WildtoTears of the Kingdomwas Link’s Paraglider, afeature thatElden Ring Nightreignappears to have adoptedfrom bothZeldagames and their open worlds. Briefly appearing in its trailer, one of the game’s characters can be seen hanging from a flying bird, indicating that the game will include a new gliding “mount” likeElden Ring’s Torrent. While it hasn’t been confirmed if this bird will also be summonable, based on howBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomallow players to equip their Paragliders, this may be the case.
Why Elden Ring: Nightreign Needs Its Own Paraglider
As part of FromSoftware’s transition into an open world,Elden Ring’s introduction of Torrent was a key designchoice to allow players to effectively navigate the map and engage enemies while keeping within the Soulslike format. However, Torrent still has drawbacks withinElden Ring, such as Torrent’s health being independent of the player, persisting fall damage, and a limited double jump. Because of this, players are left constantly wary of potential fall damage while traversingElden Ring’s open world, especially when riding Torrent, as commented on by posts across social media like the one below.
As a result, while Torrent was a welcome addition toElden Ring, it fell short of perfect for FromSoftware’s open-world approach, which is where its continuedZeldainfluences may have helpedElden Ring Nightreign. Potentially learning fromElden Ringand its players' issues with open-world navigation and fall damage, FromSoftware appears to have introduced another mount inElden Ring Nightreignthat functions similarly to Link’s Paraglider. Just as the Paraglider allowed players to safely traverse Hyrule inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom,Elden Ring Nightreignplayers can navigate the mapof the Lands Between using its new bird mount.
Elden Ring: Nightreign Should Take More Influence From Zelda: BOTW and TOTK
Though introducing a gliding mechanic will benefitElden Ring Nightreignjust as Torrent had forElden Ring, FromSoftware shouldn’t stop there with itsZeldainspiration. In the same trailer forElden Ring Nightreign, players were also seen to be able to scale walls similar to FromSoftware’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a mechanic also included in bothZeldaSwitch games. WithBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomshowcasing the basics needed for open-world games andFromSoftware appearing to take more influence fromZelda, the list below outlines other mechanicsElden Ring Nightreignshould or may have already adopted based on its trailer.
