Monday, July 21, 2025

Video Game Review: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered by Bethesda Game Studios and Virtuos

By the Nine Divines, the rumors were real!


Back in April, the rumor making its way around the games industry was that there was to be a remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and further, that it would be shadow dropped (released at the time of, or soon after the announcement). A few weeks went by in this fashion, and all the internet faithful who fondly remembered their adventures in Cyrodil twenty years past began to doubt the authenticity of all the claims. And then it happened. A dream comes true, a rumor becomes real. Microsoft, Bethesda, and Virtuos announced a complete remake (that for some stupid reason, they decided to call a remaster) and that it would launch that very day. Praise the Nine! If there was one game I could have had remade from the ground up, this was it. So, as someone who played the original Oblivion for over a thousand hours, how does the remake stack up?

To reiterate, this is not a remastered version of the game from 2006, this is a full-on, soup-to-nuts remake of the old Oblivion and its Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions. The game is faithful in every way that I can remember, with some slight adjustments being made to better enhance gameplay/gameplay experience. They removed some exploits (like easy sneak leveling) while leaving some classic ones that are always fun to exploit in subsequent play-throughs (Boots of Springheel Jak can still be plastered onto your feet while you wear another set of boots, thank Akatosh--though I didn't use the exploit this time around). These details prove that Virtuos and Bethesda took care in ensuring that the spirit of the game remained while addressing things that could break other aspects of the experience, especially for new players. For instance, using that previously mentioned sneak exploit early in the game would affect how strong enemies become, making the player character unequipped to handle them. For those of you who may have found more errors than I, I must apologize. It has been almost twenty years since I last played. But for what it’s worth, to me, everything that made the game memorable is still here.


The Elder Scrolls
isn't quite as household a name as the subtitle for the fifth game; Skyrim. Those who know the name Skyrim will know what Oblivion is about. For those who don’t, the Elder Scrolls series casts the player into a sprawling open world with vast choices in character build, stories to uncover, guilds to join, dungeons to explore, and glitches to exploit. You begin Oblivion in a prison cell, looking through the bars while a dark elf across the way uses the race you’ve chosen to taunt you with racist remarks. Ah, how art imitates life. If you choose the same race (dunmer/dark elf), he’ll threaten to sleep with your wife (if male), or he'll threaten to sleep with you (should you choose a female character). Don't worry, you can deal with him later. The choice of race has its repercussions in the early game, with some people disliking you from the outset. Raising your personality and speech craft will allow you to smooth-talk anyone into being your friend though. It can be tough going at first, but it helps create an immersive atmosphere.

Speaking of, Oblivion is an easy game to get lost in. It’s one of those games where you could wander, find a random dungeon, complete it, find another one close by, complete that, too. Realize that you had a mission, but instead, you’ve spent the last two hours doing nothing whatsoever to do with whatever you had planned in the first place, and yet, you still feel satisfied. You’re an adventurer inhabiting a magical foreign world, and Oblivion’s idiosyncrasies are a wonderful catalyst to help the player immerse themselves further. Listening to the soundtrack as I skimmed the chiming nirnroot from the edge of a body of water was a soothing experience that brought me back nearly twenty years. Happy to say, the game still has that effect on me.

One of the best aspects of this remake is the high-quality upgrade of all the models. Everything looks gorgeous, the world, the characters, the armor, and the weaponry. Sure, there are things that popup here and there, and performance is at times suboptimal (and this from someone playing on a PS5 Pro, so be warned standard console and non beefed-up PC users), but the game doesn't just copy old character models over, they are remade, some looking completely different from the original, but all in a way to enhance the experience. While the original had a certain charm, it could sometimes be alarming to see just how hideous some of those old models were. From the sky to the oceans, to the flora and fauna, the remake is remarkable and precisely what I wanted out of the long-rumored game.


The gameplay is first person, though it can be played in third, and has been improved upon thank goodness. You have access to a variety of play styles and can eventually branch out and make your character a jack of all trades if you so desire (like I did, I like to feel like a god toward the end of my RPGs). Whether you choose to be a blade/blunt in one hand with a shield in the other, a two-handed blade or blunt weapon, a pugilist master, or an archer, the options are pretty similar throughout. The same button is used to fire an arrow as it is to swing a blade. Blocking incoming attacks with your shield, shield bashing an enemy, then getting a few quick swings in with your blade is satisfying. The gameplay isn't revolutionary, it is a nearly twenty-year-old game after all. But I must admit it is satisfying, after having played Skyrim all these years, to have the ability to always have a magic spell on hand without having to save a hand slot for it. A character that levels up in magic has all sorts of abilities at their disposal. Some to enhance, some to deceive, some to destroy, some are a mix. How you play your character, and the spells you can eventually create (in combination with the armor that you magically enhance) are entirely up to you and the play style you prefer.

My favorite things about Oblivion? The guild quests and overall quest variety. I was pumped to run through them all again, and they’re just as I remembered. Thieves Guild, Mages Guild, and oh, that Dark Brotherhood quest line. So satisfying. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, but one of my favorite quests—in any game—is in that Dark Brotherhood quest line (Whodunnit?). Outside of the guilds, some other quirky quests make the world that much more endearing. Ever rescue someone trapped in their own painting before?

Compounded with some of the glitches/bugs/features, some not-so-memorable quests can easily become something to remember. For example, I had helped defend a castle at one point in the game, a random side quest. One of the knights comes out to assist me, and he thanks me for my help. Cool. You’re welcome, guy. I go into the castle, take a nap, come back out, and there’s that knight again, standing by a corpse that he helped me kill. He gasps first, then, in a genuinely devastated voice says something like, “He’s dead. There’s a murderer around.” If that isn’t comedy gold, I don't know what is.

My primary issue with any quest-related writing has to do with the main story. It’s always been serviceable, but not quite on par with the guilds. The final battle is a bit underwhelming, but the ending cutscene is appropriately climactic. Though I would think the main story would be a bigger part of the experience, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is so vast that it doesn't get weighed down too much by the inferiority in comparison to its main guild quests. Still, it could be better. I could take or leave the Oblivion gates. Fun challenge at times, but they all feel a bit similar.


I’m going to use this big paragraph to compare Oblivion to Skyrim a bit more, so bear with me. For those of you who’ve played Skyrim (and let’s be real, who hasn't by this point?), you’ll find a familiarity with Oblivion. This is its predecessor, so that's to be expected. What you may not expect, however, is just how much was taken away from the fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls (and, from what I understand, some was lost between Morrowind and Oblivion as well, but that's a conversation for another time). The athletics and acrobatics skills are completely removed, two skills that have profound effects on your vertical movement as well as your traversal speed. Playing your Oblivion character, then moving over to Skyrim feels a bit like you dipped your character’s feet in molasses. Other things were also removed, but nothing quite so inhibitive. Skyrim streamlines more, has better gameplay and animations in some regards (but this remaster fixes a bunch of old Oblivion issues). The world here is much more varied, which is to be expected when compared with the cold Northern Skyrim, but still something worth noting. The music, of course, a subjective thing, is much more my speed and memorable, transportive. I listen to it while I write. The quest writing is much better. I can't tell you how disappointed I was playing through Skyrim the first time. I enjoyed Skyrim’s Thieves Guild line, but that was it. In Oblivion, I wanted to be part of these guilds, work my way up, find out what was happening and why. When it comes to dungeon crawling, the dungeons in Skyrim are better crafted. Though there are plenty in Oblivion that are exciting to explore, many dungeons lack that unique hand-crafted feel that you find in Skyrim. Both games are great, however, and I would happily play through either.

Also, sorry to inform you, but there are no dragons in Oblivion.


In other sad news, the game does have performance issues. I think it was a great idea to keep some of the exploits for players who liked to mess around with their builds and create god-like characters. It’s a single-player game and isn't harming anyone else’s experience. To keep game crashes and severe frame rate drops? Not a great idea. My friend put the game down early, resolved to wait for a patch. I believe patches are currently being worked on to address some of these issues, but as of my playthrough, the game has some issues. When too many models are on the screen, you get some slowdown. The game occasionally crashes (thankfully the autosave is forgiving). The most horrendous issue I had occurred at the very end of the Shivering Isles quest line. I had to look up a crazy workaround to be able to complete it (and mind you I was near the end of my playthrough, only needing to finish the main quest afterward). I thought I had lost my hundred-plus-hour save. Thanks to the kings and queens of Reddit who helped me figure that one out. These frustrations, though irritating in the moment they occurred, are but a drop in the hundred hours I sunk into the game. I hope it won't let it deter someone completely from buying the game. If anything, wait for a patch.

A few small things got on my nerves, things that I must have forgotten over the last two decades. For instance, enchanted weapon charging. Some weapons need to be constantly charged if you want their magical effects. After a few enemies, you have to go into the menu again just to recharge. The same goes for repairing weapons and armor. Why is there no repair all button once you’ve become a repair master? I also preferred the old-style UI for items, which had more character. That said, these are minor gripes that, as I mentioned, don't etch themselves into my memory when I look back. Still worth noting.

From the moment the emperor enters your prison cell and sets you free on a journey to do whatever the heck you want, when that fresh Cyrodil air hits your face and that atmospheric music stirs in the air, promising adventure, you know this is a place you could stay for a while. I’m so glad that this game got remade. It was truly a memorable day for me when they made that announcement. Despite some issues that pop up, I have to say that I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fantasy setting in an immersive, moving world. For those who've played other games in the series, I do believe it is possible that whichever Elder Scrolls game you play first has a strong chance to always be your frontrunner of the series, but objectively, I think Oblivion has the best balance of accessibility and role-playing elements in the series thus far. You’d be remiss to skip out on it just because it’s a remake of an old game. It feels like it could have been made today, it’s still that good. After so many hours of playing the original, I still found new quests to do, characters to meet, and people to exploit. Oblivion Remastered is bursting with content, and, returning player or new, Cyrodil’s more beautiful than it’s ever been.


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The Math

Objective Assessment: 9/10

Bonus: +2 for guild quests. +1 for visual overhaul. +1 for atmosphere and immersion.

Penalties: -3 for crashes and performance issues. -1 for genie glitches and bugs. -.5 for inventory/recharging annoyances.

Nerd Coefficient: 8.5/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.