The stark contrast between the pain of dying and the hurt of feeling dead inside

The notion of writing about the experience, at least.

I haven’t given up on the game, mind you, as I still enjoy the Elden Ring pedigree far too much to let such a unique experience fall to the wayside, but almost after a month of attempting to grapple with the title, and to little avail, I have to start being realistic about my own proclivities within the realm of writing about games in reference to the experience. As I finally pulled the trigger in downloading the recently released remaster of the Gex Trilogy earlier tonight, I think i realized there was little way I was going to make time for Nightreign, as adding another collection of games into my rotation was a death knell for any possible productivity for the lands between.

And it really might just be the idea of the silent, lonely oppression that I miss about the core gameplay of the original Elden Ring that fails to create the same kind of compulsion to play it ceaselessly. I know one can engage in Nighyreign as a solo experience, yes, but the very nature of the timed setup, vs what essentially feels like the speedrunning of a boss, and the hyper-compartmentalized notion of the entire affair just never seems to vibe with my schedule. That’s why I look forward in continuing to best the nightlords at my leisure within regards to future endeavors, but until I make far more serious headway, I just don’t see what relevant expertise or perspective I could bring to the table incoming justice in writing about Nightreign in any meaningful capacity.

I can’t remember the last time something akin to this occurred, which I suppose is a good thing upon self-reflection, but it remains an extreme frustration none the less. C’est la vie

My one saving grace in moving forward against the howling shadows that haunt the nightmarish terrain of the lands between is that they are not interrogated by the benumbing repression of common sense: my continued weaponization of reason will see me to victory, mark my words.

I wanted to write something more official about the whole thing, but I sadly woke up late today, so this is all I could manage with the time I have. Just happy I got any thoughts out at all, considering how lackluster some of the game sessions have been on top of everything else.

Till next time.

-Pashford