Oblivion Remastered: First Impressions

As a massive fan of Morrowind and its expansions, I picked up the collectors edition of Oblivion when it released back in 2006 without hesitation. But I was, I must admit, initially somewhat disappointed by the game. I recall disliking the main quest and thinking the map was less interesting to explore than the weird and wonderful Vvardenfell.

Nevertheless, I still played Oblivion for a good few hundred hours split between my disc copy, and a digital GOTY edition I later picked up on Steam. Because whilst there were aspects of Oblivion I felt were disappointing compared to Morrowind, I did come to love Oblivion in other ways.

I may not have enjoyed the main quest a great deal, but I do recall enjoying my time exploring the faction and side quests. And although the general points of interest upon the map – old mines, abandoned forts, dank caves and ancient ruins – didn’t offer much in the way of reward or variety (but plenty of backtracking), the game possessed a unique charm that slowly won me over.

Oblivion is just . . . strange, in its own special way. It’s a game full of jank, of technical bugs, of wonky physics – but nothing game breaking. Just regular, unintentional hilarity. From buckets suddenly springing to life and breakdancing across a tavern floor, to NPCs ice skating down a road whilst swinging an invisible hoe . . . you never get know what you’re going to discover as you explore the wacky world of Oblivion.

And don’t forget the often bizarre NPC interactions. Or the very odd characters you meet who possess some of the most funny, inappropriately delivered or just bad – but in a good way – VA you’ll ever hear.

Oblivion may be a flawed game but it certainly possesses its own special charm. But honestly, it’s not a game I recall as fondly as Morrowind or as perfectly as Skyrim. I never invested the same amount of time into Oblivion as I did those other games. But that’s why I was excited to pick up this remaster. Oblivion is a game I’ve been thinking of returning to and this remaster has given me the perfect opportunity to do so.

The most striking thing about this remaster is obviously the visuals. They’re not perfect – there’s some odd issues with reflections in particular that need to be addressed – but overall, Oblivion now looks fantastic. The character models, despite a significant improvement in quality, still possess a familiar and goofy appearance.

This is one of those remasters where they’ve done such a great job with the visuals that it almost tricks you into thinking Oblivion always looked this good. It’s essentially what I always pictured Oblivion as looking like in my head – even though it never did. A few glitches here and there aside, I really can’t fault the visual overhaul.

 

Yes, you’re still playing Oblivion – warts and all – but you almost feel like you’re playing a new Elder Scrolls game entirely. This remaster is an upgrade that’s breathed new life into Oblivion in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible – a treat for fans of the original, and new fans alike.

There have been a few ‘modern’ tweaks to how Oblivion plays with a new levelling system, various improvements to combat and the ability to sprint but overall, this is still the Oblivion we all know and love because underneath all of the pretty visuals the original game still chugs away – all of the original jank, bugs and strange behaviour.

Within my first few hours of playing this remaster I found myself attacked by what I at first believed to be an invisible enemy . . . until I noticed the head of the NPC bobbing up and down from beneath the floor. Nothing a well timed arrow didn’t fix – and I knew this was still the Oblivion I loved.

Enemy AI is still terrible – particularly if you utilise stealth. But it is funny killing every enemy in a room one by one with a bow aside from one poor bastard who just stands there staring at his dead friends before boldly declaring ‘WHO’S THERE?’.

Will new players come to love and appreciate Oblivion for what it offers? I think they will as there is something very refreshing about it despite all the bugs and janky behaviour. It’s a game that offers the player so much freedom and doesn’t continually hold your hand. It trusts that you’ll figure things out on your own.

I never liked Oblivion as much as Morrowind or Skyrim and even though there’s so much of the game I’ve forgotten or don’t recall clearly, I’m not expecting this remaster to change my mind. But it’s certainly been fun playing it again. I don’t know when or even if I’ll write a full review because it feels a tad redundant given that this is – despite the visual overhaul – still the same game it was 20 years ago.

I still don’t really care for the main quest – I find the Oblivion Gate stuff pretty dull. The Fighters Guild quests are fine – if they didn’t continually send you bouncing back and forth across the entire map to pick up new contracts. The Thieves Guild is still fun – provided you acquire the Skeleton Key to avoid the tedious and excessive lock picking.

I’ve still got the Mages Guild and Dark Brotherhood to go (pretty sure the DB was my favourite back in the day), in addition to the expansion and DLC content and quite a lot of side quests. Maybe once I’ve cleared it all I’ll see if I’ve got anything more to say – maybe I will end up liking it even more than I did, or maybe I’ll like it less. I’m curious to find out.