“Stop right there, criminal scum!” Before it was a meme – in a time before memes – this famous quote yelled by Oblivion’s patrolling lawmen once filled me with dread. Probably because my Argonian rogue could often be found skulking Cyrodiil’s cities by night, my inventory chock full of stolen goods I’d later fence to a dodgy bloke in Bruma.
Now, almost 20 years later those same words conjure a grin of familiarity, being just as comically melodramatic as I remembered. There’s no denying the colossal influence The Elder Scrolls IV had on the action roleplaying genre these past two decades yet, at its core, it’s a beautifully weird fantasy pantomime.
With its successor, Skryim, being playable on almost every household device, when people hear “The Elder Scrolls” they often think of battling dragons on snow swept battlefields, but there’s so much more to Bethesda’s long-running series. Returning to those older games, though, can trigger headaches, technically and gameplay-wise, despite their rich stories, settings, and characters boasting a timeless allure.
Developed by Virtuos in collaboration with Bethesda, what Oblivion Remastered offers is a more accessible way of playing The Elder Scrolls IV. Not only does it bring the game to modern systems, it features a slew of smart improvements that round off some of those rough mid 2000s edges. Thankfully, this isn’t just a top-to-bottom Skyrimification; sure, certain elements have been retrofitted, but they do little to diminish Oblivion’s unique identity. For example, character progression differs from Bethesda’s newer RPGs, giving players attribute points to tailor their playstyle, the level-up screen only activating once you’ve found somewhere in-game to sleep.
It’s clear to see that Virtuos has been careful not to alter core aspects of the Oblivion experience while trying their hardest to reduce friction and busywork. Inventory management has been streamlined with quickslots allowing players to seamlessly access weapons, spells, and other items without digging into menus. Oblivion Remastered even has a sprint button which purists may balk at, but it sure comes in handy when backtracking through dungeons or getting from A to B in Cyrodiil’s vast open world.
As for presentation, Oblivion has received a full makeover using Unreal Engine 5 and the results are mostly magnificent. Character models are bursting with life thanks to improved facial animations, lighting, lip sync, and textures, with Cyrodiil’s myriad landmarks and vistas given the same treatment.
For better or worse, one area of the game that hasn’t changed much is the core combat. Quality of life improvements have made Oblivion more tolerable for mages and rogues, though melee duels often result in mindless button-bashing, waiting to see whose health bar depletes fastest. In an age where almost every video game has a parry action, Oblivion’s combat feels stiff with little scope to pull off skill-based feats. Then again, if this was something Virtuos had changed, it may have been a bridge too far, fundamentally altering that core moment-to-moment gameplay.
This kind of restraint creates a game that floats between being a remaster and a remake, though the end result is still the same. Oblivion Remastered is the perfect nostalgia hit for fans of The Elder Scrolls eagerly awaiting the series’ eventual sixth instalment. It’s a revival that respects those gamers who loved the original, while sprucing it up enough to entice a new generation of players.