The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the first games to take my breath away. When I got my Xbox 360 shortly after its release, Oblivion was one of my first experiences on the console. And the sense of joy and wonder that I felt has been completely unmatched up to this point. And seeing that the oft-rumored Oblivion remaster is happening, I’m hoping I feel that same sense of wonder once again. But after seeing the leaked screenshots, I feel like something may have been lost in translation. Maybe it’s just a bad screenshot or something? But the comparison screens just aren’t doing it for me just yet.
Look, the Oblivion remake is undeniably gorgeous. But seeing these screenshots, it isn’t screaming “Oblivion” to me, but rather every other fantasy-themed RPG that has released over the past umpteen years. Seeing as the game will be running on Unreal Engine 5, I can only imagine how beautiful the world of Cyrodiil is going to be. But something about this is just looking “off” to me. Maybe it’s because we’ve advanced so far that excessive bloom isn’t the way to handle graphics anymore. Maybe it’s seeing a world that I’ve explored for countless hours get such a dramatic facelift. But I worry its soul isn’t there anymore, and I really hope that I’m wrong.
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I’m firmly in the camp of Oblivion being miles better than Skyrim on every front. The world of Cyrodiil is vast, colorful, and full of incredible life. The Annoying Fan is a better NPC than anything in Skyrim. And the first encounter I ever had with a Troll in the Blackwood forest made me jump higher than any horror game before it. This is a special game to me in several ways. And I just hope that Virtuos can deliver the experience I’m hoping they will. Dark Souls Remastered was a great way to experience the franchise.
I Just Hope This Turns More People Onto The Joy of ‘Oblivion’, Honestly
I can’t expect a company to cater to my exact specifications. That’s horrifyingly unrealistic, and if push comes to shove? I can still play my disk copy of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on my Xbox Series X with a plethora of upgrades. But I just hope, more than anything, that this remaster does the original game justice. I’m just worried that one of my favorite games of all time may lose part of its soul in the process of being remastered.
There’s a goofy charm to the original version of Oblivion, which likely ties to the Creation Engine. Even games like Starfield still suffer from some of the longest-standing Bethesda-isms. As long as I can still get ragdolled into… well, Oblivion after getting smacked by a troll, I guess I can overlook the new lighting engine. I could be overthinking and overexamining everything, and these screenshots could just be bad examples, more than anything. Or maybe I’m just scared that this remaster may not be what I want it to be. Regardless, I’m here on Day One, as I’ve been yearning to return to Cyrodiil in any capacity.
