Oblivion Remastered’s Difficulty: A Missed Opportunity?

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At long last, the eagerly awaited remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has come out, and many concur that it’s been well worth the wait. The stealth release of this remaster feels more like a remake in numerous aspects, as the original Oblivion‘s graphics have been totally overhauled from scratch using Unreal Engine 5. This results in a significantly improved visual experience, with some additional appealing features added on top.

Delightfully for longtime fans of the classic game “Oblivion”, the remastered version preserves a good deal of the quirks and imperfections that were characteristic of the original title.

The revamped version of Cyrodiil presented here is nothing short of breathtaking, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most visually stunning contemporary games. This makes it an exciting prospect for fans of the original Oblivion, offering a fresh take on the adventure and enhancing the story and exploration in significant ways. On the other hand, newcomers may find the outdated graphics less intimidating compared to those seen in the 2006 release. However, while Oblivion Remastered represents a notable improvement over the original game, it’s not without its flaws, especially in terms of gameplay, which could benefit from some adjustments. One major issue is the difficulty settings that often lack a good balance between fairness and challenge.

The Problem With Oblivion Remastered’s Difficulty

Oblivion Remastered Is Either Too Easy or Too Hard

In its standard mode, referred to as Adept within the game, the remastered version of “Oblivion” may come across as an overly simplistic and unchallenging experience for many players. The player’s character appears almost invincible with high health and defense, making enemies crumble after just a few strikes. This could be satisfying for those desiring a power-fantasy, but the lack of challenge weakens the game’s aim to deliver an immersive action-RPG experience, where refining a character build, earning XP, acquiring new gear, and enhancing various skills are crucial elements that lose significance when basic attacks can easily vanquish most enemies.

Typically, players can adapt the challenge level to their preference, raising it for a tougher experience. However, in the case of Oblivion Remastered, an abrupt and confusing spike in difficulty occurs when they opt for a higher setting. On Expert, which is the game’s term for “hard,” enemies transform into durable targets, making battles more tedious rather than thrilling showcases of skill. It’s worth noting that enemy damage is significantly increased as well, but to an extent that feels excessive: players might be able to withstand hits in Adept mode, but the same attacks from the same foes would result in a swift defeat on Expert. Essentially, it appears as though Oblivion Remastered leaps over “hard” and goes straight to “very hard,” without striking a Goldilocks-appropriate balance.

The challenging aspects of the game become more pronounced due to the contentious level scaling system in “Oblivion Remastered“, preventing players from adjusting the difficulty by choosing which parts of the game to explore or avoid.

Oblivion Remastered’s Difficulty Woes Highlight Bethesda’s Design Tendencies

As a gamer, I find myself grappling with a combat system in Oblivion Remastered that sometimes feels either too complex or too simplistic, lacking the sharpness and conviction I crave. truth be told, Bethesda’s RPGs have always been more about immersive exploration, engaging dialogues, and compelling narratives rather than intricate combat mechanics. Time and time again, other developers excel in this aspect when compared to Bethesda. However, many dedicated Bethesda fans argue that they wouldn’t want it any differently; for them, the somewhat rigid and less-than-perfect combat isn’t a deal breaker.

Despite the remastered version of “Oblivion,” it’s disheartening not to find enhancements in the area of Bethesda’s design related to balanced difficulty. Enhanced difficulty tuning could have significantly boosted the combat sandbox, especially for RPG players focusing on build-crafting and stat adjustment, making it more satisfying and fair. Fingers crossed that a future update or Bethesda’s next RPG will pay special attention to difficulty settings.

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2025-05-03 13:04