WhenThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionremaster first leaked in 2023, I wasn’t sold. Not because I thought it was unnecessary or that developer Virtuos wasn’t up for the job, but because I was worried it would rip away the charm and wonder (read: jank) of the original game, sanding down the awkward edges to make it more palatable (read: soulless) for newcomers.
Then I got my hands on it, and immediately watched as two NPCs struck up a conversation about the Fighter’s Guild, said their goodbyes, and without so much as turning to walk away, yelled “Greetings!” in each other’s faces seconds later. Ah, how I’ve missed you, Cyrodiil.
Oblivion is still as buggy as it was two decades ago; it just looks nicer and plays a bit better. But the stiff NPCs, “quirky” dialogue, and random radiant conversations are what made the game so endearing back in 2006, and I’m glad that new players can have that same experience all these years later — that’s what a remastershouldbe, recapturing the spark of the original, not replacing it with a hollow facsimile that vaguely resembles it.
Virtuous Has Captured Exactly What It Felt Like To Be A Fan In 2006
The Elder Scrolls 4 was a watershed moment that so many fans will have missed out on simply because of how old it is. I wasfivewhen it came out, and there will be kids today who grew up on nothing but Skyrim.
Oblivion is just as important as the dragon-slaying fantasy epic that Bethesda refuses to let go of, as it marked a huge turning point for the series. With palatable mechanics and less dense storytelling, it was far more approachable thanMorrowindever could be, inviting a much broader audience of fans to speculate over a mountain of lore as they became as enamoured with the series as those who had been poring through it since the ‘90s. But the silly antics were so outlandish that they were as much a talking point as everything else.
Following on from Morrowind, it was also a pioneer for console RPGs, launching as a tentpole timed Xbox 360 exclusive.
Scour old forums, and you’ll find countless fans bewildered at Tandilwe asking if she can re-read her line, parrotingthe city guards’ iconic “YOU VIOLATED THE LAW” catchphrase, or just shoving the Adoring Fan off the highest point in the map over and over and over again. All of that, andeven the recording blunder, is in the remaster, capturing a moment in time that should have been impossible to recreate.
Without a new game in 14 years, Oblivion Remastered may as well be a new entry as far as younger fans are concerned. This is the second mainline Elder Scrolls in a generation, revitalising a hugely popular series that has lain dormant for far too long (even ifESO did carry the torchin its own way). The remaster was always going to be a hit. That’s why it was shadowdropped. But because it’s new to so many, it’s effortlessly drumming up all the same conversations we had in 2006, bottling the fleeting zeitgeist of a bygone era.
Virtuous Has Reminded Us Why We Love The Elder Scrolls
For the older fans, Oblivion Remastered launched at the perfect moment, just asexcitement for The Elder Scrolls 6 was beginning to dwindle. Amidst the diluted, vapid worlds ofFallout 4andStarfield, which have stretched the Bethesda charm to its limits and made the once-endearing jank feel grating, and with theteaserturning six years old as the unending wait marches on, Virtuous reminded us why we love these games in the first place.
There’s so much depth and variety to The Elder Scrolls, as it somehow juggles cosmic, metaphysical philosophy with half-naked skooma addicts (who write Argonian smut in their spare time, no less). Its world is so rich with intrigue and personal drama that it’s easy to get swept up in everything from the intricate politics of the Daedra to the poor strangers who plead with us to find their lost family heirlooms.
The unintentional gags are as important to that tapestry, whether it’s the giants who fling us into outer space, upside-down horses, NPCs ragdolling out of frame, or Imperial Guards having a chit-chat while drowning in lava. They are all key to The Elder Scrolls’ motley of tones. And instead of throwing that all aside, the remaster passed them onto a new generation, letting them relive and enjoy the classic as it was. It isn’t ashamed of Oblivion and its reputation, it wholeheartedly celebrates everything about it, warts and all.
