The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review in Progress

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Unexpectedly, like an undercover member of the Mythic Dawn appearing to betray the emperor, a remastered version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has appeared out of the blue, and I’m more than eager to dive back into it. Being one of my favorite RPGs, I’ve already invested an entire day exploring its vast world: I’ve sealed a dozen Oblivion gates as Kvatch’s hero, struck deals with numerous Daedric gods, battled for the title of Imperial City arena champion, and am well into completing several faction questlines – and so far, I’m quite impressed by this version’s significant updates.

Recently, I revisited the original Oblivion, allowing me to clearly recall its flaws. The improved user interface, updated voice lines, and most notably, the visual overhaul have transformed this nearly 20-year-old game into a much more enjoyable experience. However, I’ve also noticed some familiar issues such as odd horse mounting animations, broken questlines, and frequent frame rate drops. But as someone who isn’t easily swayed by nostalgia alone, I’m still thoroughly enjoying my return to this charmingly strange open-world adventure.

Without a doubt, the most notable enhancement in Oblivion Remastered is undoubtedly its graphical upgrade. Comparing it to its 2006 counterpart is nothing short of astonishing, even though it may not meet today’s standards for visual appeal. The map, in particular, is incredibly sharp and boasts a draw distance that my younger self could only fantasize about. Remarkably, the lighting, shadows, and character lip syncing have been significantly improved, almost to the point of being surprising. However, other aspects seem to have missed the memo; for instance, many NPC faces appear grotesque and cartoonish, with a good chance of being cross-eyed. Yet, despite these flaws, the overall improvement is striking. It’s as if I recall this same appearance from 2006, even though it was clearly inferior, which demonstrates that the original’s essence and style have been preserved effectively.

The addition of sprinting has made for a remarkably less tedious time.

Back in the day, traversing Tamriel without a sprint button was as common as dragons in the sky – unheard of! Fast forward to Oblivion Remastered and now, we’ve been granted the divine gift of sprinting by Akatosh himself. The exhilaration of sprinting, even if it does deplete my stamina (a minor annoyance I’m willing to endure in RPGs), is worth every step. Cities and dungeons feel less daunting now, as they can be explored at double the speed. This upgrade has sparked a new interest in enhancing my stamina through skills and magical abilities, making each stride more meaningful. While it’s added a bit of extra management, zipping through familiar territories makes the journey significantly less tiresome.

In addition to significant updates in the user interface, abilities, character development, and a fresh feature called Character Origins (which appears to impact initial attributes), the UI has been upgraded to reflect current design trends. This modernization includes enhancements that may go unnoticed at first. For instance, the compass is now positioned at the top of your screen, offering more detailed information; health, magical power, and stamina meters are distributed evenly across the screen instead of being confined to a corner; and menus have been repositioned for smoother navigation between spells and character statistics. While some aspects still retain an old-fashioned feel (such as the quest log popping up in the middle of the screen when reaching milestones, potentially disrupting your activities), these minor inconveniences haven’t caused me significant trouble so far. I look forward to exploring the revised leveling system and skills further to determine if these modifications prove beneficial or detrimental.

It’s a bummer that two decades wasn’t long enough to fix the jank.

Despite Virtuous Games leading the remaster, it’s clear that The Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion is still very much a Bethesda game, complete with its fair share of bugs. I’ve encountered some peculiar incidents, such as an Oblivion gate mysteriously vanishing before my eyes, or an NPC walking off and refusing to talk, even though my quest objective indicated I needed to (though I was able to progress the questline despite the log not updating, which would have made me more upset if it weren’t for that). Additionally, there have been performance issues while playing on Xbox Series X, like losing frames momentarily whenever the autosave triggers or during intense battles with numerous ruffian-like enemies in Kvatch. Most of these issues are typical Bethesda quirks that haven’t significantly impacted my enjoyment, but it is disappointing to see that twenty years hasn’t been enough time to smooth out this somewhat rough fantasy realm.

Here’s what I came up with: For the time being, I don’t have much else to share, but I’m aiming to complete a comprehensive review soon. First, I plan to finish the primary storyline, explore the Shivering Isles, and perhaps cause a little chaos in Cyrodil for old times’ sake. After that, who knows? Maybe I’ll pick up a case of vampirism. See you later!

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2025-04-24 02:42