Elden Ring has made a large ripple in the gaming industry, getting near-perfect to totally perfect review scores from many publications and being one of the fastest-selling games of all time. The open world title had won awards such as Most Wanted and Most Anticipated Game, and it is clearly living up to the hype. Fans and critics are in love, and it's not hard to see why. Elden Ring gives the player a ton of freedom in exploration and provides rewarding challenges.
However, what makes the game so good is not just its open world, difficulty, and pretty graphics. A fact of Elden Ring is that getting around is quite fun. This is thanks to a horse named Torrent, which players get at the beginning of their adventure. Without Torrent, the game would be missing a huge part of what makes it great.
What Makes Torrent Special
When it comes to video game steeds, they are often more trouble than they are worth. In Skyrim, horses often die, attack enemies with no order, and the player has to keep track of them. In Shadow of the Colossus, the horse's controls are suggestive rather than direct control (which is admittedly, like riding a real horse). In Dragon Age: Inquisition, players miss out on character banter and cannot scan for items. In The Witcher 3, Roach often gets stuck and the controls are clunky.
Torrent has broken the mold on video game horses, as it has the rare ability to double jump and be summoned quickly. Torrent does not die often, and players can even heal the horse with items or resurrect it with a Flask of Crimson Tears. Controls are solid, having many players use horseback combat when it's available. Items can still be picked up and even messages can still be read. Torrent also is not likely to get stuck anywhere, especially with its double-jump capability.
Fans are noticing this too, with one Reddit user saying, "Torrent is the best horse in any video game period." They describe that the horse feels like an extension of the player and another user adds that Torrent can even carry players through poison swamps without getting poisoned. With how difficult Elden Ring is, the horse feels like a security blanket as well, as Torrent can outrun most bosses.
The few complaints of players are about getting dismounted from Torrent when they take critical damage and the fact that Torrent cannot let the player survive jumping off a steep cliff. Of course, if these problems were fixed, the game would be much easier, which does not sound like a move that would be made by a true Soulsborne title. Torrent already gives the players the ability to actually relax, which is a major treat for this famously difficult series.
Torrent In Connection With What Makes Elden Ring Great
Elden Ring has become a title that is more accessible to others. Those that found other Soulsborne games too difficult are now playing and loving Elden Ring. Torrent and the open world are the big additions that have made the game so special. When a player gets stuck, there is a ton more to do, and it is just a Torrent-ride away. If an enemy outside is too difficult, a horseback battle can help defeat it or players can just use Torrent to zoom past.
Without Torrent, players wouldn't just be incredibly slowed down, but they would also be missing a large component of freedom. Just trying to play the game without Torrent ensures that there is a lot of frustration and far more death. Gamers are hoping other game developers take notes, and that more steeds will be like Torrent in the future.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
