The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of my most cherished gaming memories. As leaks pointed in the direction of a remaster, I was nervous. Sure, I still have the original on my PC, as well as my Game of the Year Edition for Xbox 360. But seeing a continuous flow of lazy remasters, ports with minimal updates, and remasters of remasters happening, I had my doubts. But, as I escaped the sewers for the first time in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered after witnessing the death of Uriel Septim once again, I knew that this was home. This was the game that I remembered, just packaged in a much more beautiful way. It was comforting, and while I still have hundreds of hours of exploration before me, I know where I stand on this glorious and nostalgic quest.
Waking up within the walls of the Imperial Prison all of these years later was just as impactful as I remembered it being when I was younger. Alone, confused, scared beyond words. Not knowing why I was behind these bars, but learning that my path rests with the Stars above. By the Nine, I was ready for the journey once again, but I did not know who I was going to find myself in the shoes of.
So, naturally, rather than creating manmade horrors beyond my comprehension, I tried to make Tommy Wiseau. Yes, the actor from The Room. And yet, while trodding a familiar path, the memories within my mind guiding me to my next location, the immediate comfort of warm nostalgia blanketed me. Knowing that this may be the first time someone experiences the pure joy of Oblivion, I was strangely jealous. This exit from the Prison Cell is something I’ve done more than I’d like to admit. Yet, with a new coat of paint, that same feeling of wonder and exploration still embodied every moment I’ve spent in Cyrodiil. Even though the world of Oblivion may look sharper, it’s still the same game I’ve loved since its release at its core.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was the entry point for many Elder Scrolls fans. It’s also one of the most continuously released games of all time at this point, with versions available on nearly every device imaginable. I waited for years to see if Bethesda would ever do something similar with Oblivion, as it was my particular entry into the Elder Scrolls franchise, but I would have never imagined they would do something quite like this. Even at the time it came out, Oblivion had its struggles with the Gamebryo Engine, the proprietary engine that powers nearly all of their games. The Creation Engine came out in 1997, and its age has slowly started to show further and further.
But, for fans of Oblivion, the jankiness, quirkiness, and the overall feeling that the game could fall apart at any moment were a massive part of our love for the game. And The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered feels just the same. After closing my first Oblivion Gate, the game hard-crashed my PlayStation 5. I’ve experienced massive framerate drops when battling large swaths of enemies. The familiar pause of the Auto-Save icon brings the game to a slight halt. These are all things that I remember from when I played the game for the first time, so it feels like home to me. But I can understand, especially after 20 years, that these may not be the most ideal conditions for everyone.
It’s the worldbuilding, the lore, the side quests, and everything in between that makes Oblivion a special game. In most ways, at least in my eyes, Skyrim was a humble step down from Oblivion. But Bethesda knows what Oblivion players wanted. They wanted the same experience they had when the game was first released. The same charm, the same look, the same vibe. The same core game players knew, loved, and cherished in 2006 is here today, just wrapped together in a new Unreal Engine 5 coat of paint.
Screenshot: Shaun Cichacki
In terms of a Remaster, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the closest we could ask for in terms of generalized perfection. Cyrodiil has never looked this good. Familiar landmarks are still easy to spot. And the general look and feel of the game has been unchanged. While I do hope that Bethesda and Virtuos Studios are hearing the cries of fans to return the original lighting system to the game, it’s much more colorful than I initially gave it credit for. The original Oblivion was full of vibrant color and overly excessive bloom lighting, creating an iconic look. And for the most part, this remaster sticks the landing. Except, sometimes, when it comes to the NPC characters.
The original NPCs of Oblivion were rather goofy-looking, but also somewhat grounded in reality. The new NPC animations and faces, on the other hand, are somewhere between a vinyl toy and the uncanny valley. Are they a massive step up, visually, from the original? Without a doubt, the improved lip sync is immediately noticeable. But something about them feels a little off. Especially noticeable with characters like “The Adoring Fan”, who looks like a completely different person. Outside of my small gripes with NPC models and lighting? Oblivion Remastered is gorgeous.
But most importantly, it still has its soul. The meat and bones of what made Oblivion such a special game to fans are all still here. The flubbed voice lines, the bugs and glitches that we’ve all exploited in the original game. They’re all here, as they should be. The fancy lighting, exceptional texture work, and retooled enemies all look great, admittedly. But the fact that the general gameplay and world feel are almost identical? Pure bliss, to say the least.
Improvements also arrive in the combat and traversal systems, and these are both much improved. They both still feel like the typical Elder Scrolls experience. And a controversial change, at least to some players, is how the new leveling system works. When I heard that it was initially going to be a mix between Skyrim and Oblivion, I was concerned. But after playing now, I’ve learned that it’s a genuinely good improvement, and one that I can appreciate. I expected to dislike it, but Level Scaling is still a thing here, so I’m able to accept the change.
One genuinely confusing thing, however, is the removal of first-person horse riding. I’m hoping that its removal was due to the nature of the shadow drop, as it can be rather annoying to have the name of the horse pop up every time you accidentally hover over it. Plus, the animations are very stiff and awkward, but not in that charming way, either.
Treading a fine line between remake and remaster, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the best case scenario that we could have possibly asked for. As one of the first games I ever played on my Xbox 360, this is so lovingly done that it feels almost like a dream come true. The most important parts of the game have been untouched. The goofs, gaffes, and silliest parts are celebrated, rather than scrubbed away. It’s not sanitized and tainted, turned into a former shell of itself. It’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in every possible way that it could be. And for that, I’m eternally thankful.
While I’ve rolled the credits on the main storyline, I have no reason to doubt that the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine have been similarly treated with care and respect. Oblivion is a huge game, with hundreds of hours of quests and exploration to be had. And I’ll gladly set foot in this version of Cyrodiil every day of my life. If you had told my 13-year-old self that a Remastered version of Oblivion would exist, I would never have believed you. At this point, even, I find it hard to believe that this exists. And that it’s as faithful to the original game as possible, while polishing up some of the rougher gameplay elements.
It’s hard not to argue in favor of this being the new Gold Standard for Remasters. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Metroid Prime Remastered, and only a few other games can hold this title. Paying respect to the original game, while improving the more aged parts of it. Like a fine wine, the tale of Oblivion is retold for a new audience. All while retaining everything that made it feel just as special as it did in 2006.
Even though it may be on a newer generation of consoles, I still feel that same sense of wonder and joy exploring the nooks and crannies of Oblivion: Remastered that I did when I was younger. The same joy of wandering in the woods, trying to level up my character while ignoring a side quest. It’s a special feeling, and one that many players are getting to experience firsthand for themselves. While some of the performance issues were distracting, the rest of the package is so strong that they didn’t bother me as much as I thought they would. With updates, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will become even better than it is now.
The cycle starts anew. While I may not have the time I did when I was younger, I plan on conquering every square inch of the land of Cyrodiil. This time, however, it’ll be bigger, more beautiful, and more exciting than ever before.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on base model PS5.
