Oblivion Remastered: Buy, or Bye Bye? You Won’t Believe This!

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Upon discovering that the remastered version of “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” was indeed genuine, I instantly pressed the buy button as soon as it appeared on the PlayStation Store. The Elder Scrolls series has held a special place in my heart for years, and I’m confident that I’ll invest just as many hours into “Oblivion Remastered” as I have in “Skyrim”. However, evaluating a remaster of this magnitude is no small feat. What can one say about a game where you anticipate, welcome, and cherish those classic bugs that define the Elder Scrolls experience? Nevertheless, many are curious whether it’s worth their time, so I aim to provide an honest assessment.

In many aspects, Oblivion Remastered seems like a fresh coat of paint on an older game, offering advantages and drawbacks. On one hand, it retains the essence of a classic Elder Scrolls game without introducing significant new elements. On the other, this familiarity is enhanced by an iconic soundtrack that instantly triggers nostalgia upon hearing it. The original atmosphere remains captivating, making the game feel grand right from the start as soon as you turn it on. As the opening unfolds, you’ll be struck by the improved graphics, which showcase Cyrodill in breathtaking detail using Unreal Engine 5.

In the new version, character creation receives an upgrade, but just as before in the original Oblivion, players can still create monstrous characters if they wish. It’s pleasant to have a bit more creative freedom than what Skyrim provided, using the improved graphics to allow players to customize their own unique hero of Cyrodiil in any way they prefer.

Customizing your character’s appearance and playstyle, as well as the option to influence astrology during your conversation with the Emperor, add an appealing layer to the game. From this point onward, your adventure in Cyrodiil truly takes off, and it promises to be quite a ride!

Bethesda and Virtuos were serious when they mentioned combining Skyrim and Oblivion features for the leveling system. This method requires some adjustment as individual skills increase like they do in Skyrim, but you’ll need to sleep to fully level up and select which attributes to enhance. Sleeping to level up might be a bit inconvenient, but I appreciate this choice because it adds to the game’s immersion. It makes you consider getting a bed at the local inn or risk sleeping in a random camp’s bedroll.

To put it simply, the level-up system in this game might require some practice. It has a classic RPG feel and can be a tad confusing, especially when figuring out what each attribute means or which ones are most important for your character class. However, having a class system adds depth to the game, making it feel more like an RPG, something that Oblivion Remastered seems to have inherited from its predecessor Skyrim, but it can be tricky to maneuver sometimes.

As a devoted fan, I must confess that while navigating through the game, there are moments when I feel the influence of its older mechanics in the user interface, making it somewhat challenging at times. The menus and shortcut options still seem a bit cumbersome to me, even after countless hours of play. During intense combat sequences on PS5, I often struggle to swiftly switch between weapons and spells, which slightly hampers my gameplay experience. It appears that the balance between preserving the original essence with minor updates has somewhat diminished the overall playability.

Regarding the matter at hand, Oblivion Remastered is simply a blast to play! The expansive world draws you in with its array of engaging enemies and captivating characters. Conversing with random individuals (one of my favorite Elder Scrolls pastimes) remains as lively as ever, and some of these characters exhibit amusing idiosyncrasies that breathe life into them, even when the remastered character models sometimes have an uncanny valley feel. The central narrative is captivating, and for someone new to Oblivion, the unfolding storyline is nothing short of exhilarating… despite my constant temptation to veer off course due to those intriguing DLC side quests that are already accessible in the remaster from day one.

Engaging in battles can be tough, since my preferred strategy using stealth and archery isn’t as dominant as I’d like. Despite its frustrating nature, I appreciate that Oblivion Remastered pushes me to master melee combat or face numerous deaths. The fights are genuinely challenging, and the enemies adapt as you progress, preventing boredom. However, I wish enemies weren’t overly focused on killing my horse first, and early-game companion characters weren’t quite so powerful. My horse expenses have become quite substantial at this point, and Brother Martin and company often killed enemies before I could switch from bow to melee. Nevertheless, the updated combat animations are thrilling, and it keeps me hooked, even if it occasionally infuriates me.

What’s the overall impression of the game “Oblivion Remastered”? Generally speaking, I appreciate that the developers decided to keep many of the original flaws and oddities, such as the test characters voiced by Todd Howard himself, along with dialogue errors. For the most part, these minor glitches serve as a delightful nod to the humor often found in Elder Scrolls games.

As a gamer, I’m deeply immersed in this game, but there are some larger glitches in the code that are more irritating than engaging. For instance, the Kvatch quest bug leaves me baffled, and it’s frustrating when quest markers don’t update as they should. I would have appreciated it if these issues had been ironed out alongside the stunning graphical upgrades. Let’s keep the bugs that add to the fun, but do away with the ones that hinder my progress in the main storyline.

Overall, the remastered version of “Oblivion” exceeds my expectations and meets all my desired aspects. It beautifully encapsulates the essence that original fans cherish about the game while boasting updated graphics similar to newer releases. Striking a balance between remake and remaster, it primarily preserves the core spirit of “Oblivion,” including its original bugs, which I believe was the right move. Although some user interface components and larger quest glitches reveal the game’s age, “Oblivion Remastered” is a title I am confident will keep me engaged for weeks, months, and even years to come.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The enhanced edition of “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” has been released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. For this article, I played the game on the PlayStation 5.

“The improved version of ‘The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’ is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and computers. In writing this review, I used a PlayStation 5 to play the game.

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2025-05-02 23:12