Oblivion Remaster: Why Is Everyone So Excited?

The gaming community has become familiar with seeing remastered titles lately, and while some of these remasters have left fans wondering if the game was really worth the extra time and attention, I would argue that remastering The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was a no-brainer. Now, a week after its surprise release, it looks like the fans couldn’t agree more.

First released in 2006, Oblivion was a landmark RPG that pushed the boundaries of open-world design, narrative freedom, and graphical capabilities at the time. It won Game of the Year in 2006 and had worldwide success, selling 3.5 million copies by November 2011. For many gamers, it was their first introduction to the lore-rich universe of The Elder Scrolls and the massive world of Cyrodiil, filled with vibrant cities, eerie dungeons, and exciting quests. It was highly praised for its ability to captivate the player with its rich stories and schedule-driven NPCs.  

For longtime fans, the idea of revisiting Oblivion with modern graphics and technology isn’t just exciting—it’s emotional. The game represents a formative experience in gaming history, one that players are eager to relive with the enhancements today's hardware can offer. Gamers present for Oblivion’s launch no longer belong to the youngest category of gamers, and this younger group of players didn’t grow up with the game in their library. For some, this remaster is a gamer’s first foray into The Elder Scrolls games. Sure, some may have played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or its many expansions since 2011, but judging from the excitement of younger gamers on social media, many had not yet played Skyrim either.

Now that gamers of every age demographic are picking up a copy, let’s dive deeper into the details of the remaster:

Exemplary Technological Capabilities

Modern remasters have shown what’s possible when beloved classics are updated with new tools. This Oblivion remaster offers not just a graphical overhaul but also improvements to the game's systems, such as more intelligent AI, less clunky combat, and streamlined menus. The lighting systems in the game have been dramatically improved thanks to ray tracing’s ability to create atmospheric realism, and Global Illumination ambient occlusion, and physically-based rendering (PBR) enhance the lighting with more advanced shadows, reflections, and environmental lighting that oscillates between day and night cycles.

The models and textures have also been updated to take full advantage of the new lighting and environment systems. The game now supports 4k resolution, characters have higher-poly models with improved facial animations, and water and foliage systems react to the environment with wind and weather changes.

NPC and character movement have also been improved with the update to Unreal Engine 5, with smoother animations and better ragdoll physics. On top of this more realistic movement, the AI running NPCs have been dramatically updated. Scheduled are more dynamic, pathfinding has been updated, and they can have more realistic conversations with players- something that is integral to the Oblivion gameplay experience. Thanks to current SSD advances, loading is now much faster than it has been before, and gives the player more fluidity when traversing the expansive map.
 

Endearing Bugs and High Fantasy

Given the success of games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, and Monster Hunter Wilds, it’s clear that the current gaming market is hungry for high-quality fantasy RPGs. The distinct flavor of The Elder Scrolls remains unique when compared to current games, and Oblivion offered a slightly more whimsical, colorful take on fantasy compared to the gritty realism of later games like Skyrim. This remaster remained faithful to the game, and still includes the same comedic elements as before, even if some of it was unintentional. There’s a line of dialogue that includes the voice actor asking to run the line again, NPCs remarking about how afraid they are of an enemy while said enemy stands directly behind them, and an endearing NPC voicing a calm “Farewell” as they are launched into a nest of spikes. The bugs that once exposed the trials of releasing such an ambitious game back in 2006 are now endearing callbacks to its original, and fans are eating it up.  

Not Without Its Faults

Of course, no game is perfect, and the Oblivion remaster still has challenges old and new. Ragdoll physics mercilessly throw NPCs around, and objects overreact to interactions in both a comical and hindering way. Guards attack friendly NPCs, over-eager AI interrupts conversations with unrelated behaviors, and Quests break when vital NPCs don’t reach their destinations. It’s all fun and games to see an NPC spinning violently as they’re caught under a door, but it’s less entertaining when you need to speak to them to advance your quest. The advanced weather system has been taxing on some systems, leading to dropped frame rates, and the overactive environment has even crashed the game for some. Players are experiencing bugs with their inventory and HUD elements going missing when transitioning between areas. Mod capabilities are fragile and unstable, disappointing many, as mods have been an important part of the game for many.

While not devoid of drawbacks and bugs, the potential for this Oblivion remaster stands at the crossroads of nostalgia, technological advancement, and a longing for classic fantasy adventures. Are you going to dive into (or back into) Oblivion? Let me know!