The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was a landmark launch for open world video games in 2006, and though it was quickly bettered by different titles each mechanically and technically, it by no means misplaced its personal magic.
Funnily sufficient, web memes grew to become a major think about conserving individuals’s love and nostalgia for Oblivion intact. It is no exaggeration to say that it may be a genuinely hilarious sport, crammed with baffling NPC behaviour and a sort of moment-to-moment insanity that you simply’d anticipate from an absurdist comedy.
It was so essential, then, that Oblivion Remastered did not lose the underlying weirdness that made the unique work so distinctive and memorable. And with that in thoughts, developer Virtuos — with Bethesda trying over its shoulder — has finished a exceptional job of remaking Oblivion with out stripping the title of its beloved id.
And make no mistake, that is undoubtedly extra remake than remaster, regardless of the naming conference. Graphically, the sport has been rebuilt in its entirety utilizing Unreal Engine 5, and the improve is spectacular. That is what you suppose Oblivion seemed like again once you first booted it up some 19 years in the past, bombarded with picturesque countryside vistas, bathed in superb god rays.
Oblivion Remastered is a smart center distance between being a complete, doubtlessly unrecognisable remake and a decrease effort, increased decision re-release. It makes essential and welcome changes to core gameplay methods, mechanics, and animations, in a bid to create some sort of definitive expertise — and for probably the most half, it succeeds.
There could also be little particulars that we miss from the unique sport, however the professionals far outweigh the cons — no less than on consoles, the place you do not have twenty years’ value of mods to fall again on.
Outdoors of the apparent visible evolution, fight might be the most important beneficiary of Remastered. Oblivion’s fight system, whereas impressively open-ended even again in 2006, has not aged nicely when it comes to really feel; assaults are erratic, and on-hit impacts barely exist.
Virtuos hasn’t reinvented the motion. As an alternative, it is launched contemporary animations, sound results, and UI components — like harm crosshairs — which add needed weight and suggestions to your extra violent escapades.
Between a spread of weapon sorts and tons of of magic spells, forging your individual model of play is a necessary a part of the sport’s enchantment — and these reworkings are sufficient to raise fight to a degree the place you’ll be able to higher admire Oblivion’s dedication to participant freedom.
Certainly, ‘freedom’ is a superb descriptor for Oblivion as a complete. In 2006, gamers had been blown away by the title’s scope. Not simply in an open world sense, however when it comes to it being a real sandbox. Despite the fact that its cities and cities are populated by simply tens of individuals, Cyrodiil maintains the phantasm of life — like it will live on in the event you weren’t there.
Bethesda’s RPGs have by no means been about delicate dialogue decisions and heavy role-playing — the main target has at all times been on that aforementioned idea of freedom inside a really deliberate open world. And in its relative simplicity, Oblivion truly manages to face out from its extra trendy friends.
There is a straightforwardness to the exploration and quest design that feels surprisingly refreshing right here in 2025. That is nonetheless a devilishly addictive journey do you have to look previous Oblivion’s floor degree oddities — one thing that is a lot simpler to perform in the event you’re already drunk on nostalgia.
Having stated that, there are points of Oblivion that can strive the endurance of any present day gamer, nostalgic or not. By and huge, the sport’s quests vary from simply wonderful to downright memorable, however there are additionally a handful of duties that will make even the lamest MMO fetch quests blush.
Likewise, killing time turns into a chore as you progress. Many a quest giver will instruct you to return at a sure time of day, having simply traversed half the map to gather their desired trinket. Such tedious quest construction is rife, and even with the boons of quick journey and a devoted ‘wait’ possibility, Oblivion can really feel prefer it’s actively losing your time.
The backtracking would not assist, both. Bethesda made a really acutely aware effort to enhance dungeon design in Skyrim, and taking part in Oblivion once more, it is abundantly clear why. Monotonous caves and ruins are the order of the day, a seemingly infinite variety of them dotting the panorama. Upon completion, a lot of them merely current you with a lifeless finish, and ask that you simply stroll all the best way again to the doorway.
All of these things is tough by at present’s requirements, and it is maybe a disgrace that Remastered hasn’t finished extra to alleviate the RPG’s most questionable parts.
Equally disappointing — and fewer forgivable — is Oblivion Remastered’s technical efficiency at launch. The unique launch was a stuttering mess again on the PS3, and right here we’re virtually 20 years later, with its revival operating into common body price stutters and hitches on PS5. It might be comical if it wasn’t so irritating.
To be clear, a lot of the sport runs at a fairly clean 60 frames-per-second once you’re indoors or inside a metropolis, however the open world is a special story. Some locales undergo close to fixed dips, whereas others current common stutters. It is playable, however far from excellent.
Once more, although, whereas we have gotten a bit unfavorable within the latter half of this overview, we should stress that Oblivion’s core strengths have stood the check of time. There is a cause why so many individuals look again on this title with wonderment; it is easy to know its place within the RPG panorama once you’re gazing throughout Cyrodiil’s open plains, that iconic soundtrack twinkling away in your ears.
Conclusion
Oblivion Remastered is a welcome reminder of simply how particular the 2006 RPG may be. Efficiency points and tedious design components apart, Virtuos and Bethesda deserve actual credit score for bringing Oblivion again in such a manner that does not detract from the unique imaginative and prescient, and the meme-worthy id that it is fostered through the years. That is, arguably, the definitive Oblivion expertise — or no less than it will likely be, as soon as the awkward wrinkles have been ironed out.