The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review

When Bethesda Game Studios first released The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006, it revolutionized open-world RPGS. Building on the legacy of Morrowind, it introduced fully voiced NPCs, radiant AI, and a rich, immersive world in Cyrodiil. 

Fast-forward nearly two decades, and we're witnessing a revival no one reasonably expected—a full-blown remaster handled by Virtuos, a studio known for assisting in AAA game development. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, with Unreal Engine 5 visuals and extensive quality-of-life improvements, is not only a love letter to the original but also an introduction to one of the all-time great fantasy RPGs.

At the center of Oblivion is an epic high fantasy story of prophecy, politics, and cosmic consequences. You, the player, start as an anonymous prisoner whose destiny becomes entwined with that of Emperor Uriel Septim VII. His assassination initiates a chain of events that leads to the opening of gates to Oblivion—demon gates to a Daedric plane. 

As the world's sole hope, you need to locate Martin Septim, the Emperor's hidden heir, and stop a demonic invasion by Mehrunes Dagon. The tale, though it follows a classic theme, is presented through legendary voice acting and branching quest lines that explore themes of duty, sacrifice, and identity.

Side quests in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered add profound depth to the game with their standalone narratives, moral complexities, and plot twist surprises. The Dark Brotherhood quest series is a classic, offering an introduction to the dark, gothic world of murder and deceit. 

Even an assignment that might seem like stiff writing—aiding a village in finding its lost sheep—turns into a thrilling adventure full of surprises. Remaster keeps its depth intact while smoothing out some of the rough spots in dialogue and quest progression.

New players will discover that the story still holds up, if not better, in today's morally ambiguous storytelling environment. Martin Septim, played by Sean Bean, is one of the great characters—his transition from monk to messiah is emotionally affecting and spiritually captivating. Other beloved characters like Lucien Lachance and Sheogorath are still nicely developed, and their revised models bring new life to their roles.

The gameplay is faithful to the spirit of the original—a sandbox RPG open world where you create your way. From the start, after a memorable but short escape sequence through the underworlds of the Imperial City, you can explore Cyrodiil at your own pace. 

You may pursue the main quest, play through one of the various factions (i.e., the Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, or Mages Guild), or wander around the immense world, harvesting herbs, distilling potions, or exploring dungeons. Virtuos has also made some minor adjustments to inventory handling and user interface design, giving it a more modern feel without losing its original charm.

Newly updated map markers, cleaner menus, and more intelligent item-sorting systems take a vast amount of frustration away. The mounts are more fluid to use, and pathfinding problems—something that was previously disliked by players—have been virtually eliminated. The world is more responsive, with improved day and night cycles affecting NPC plans and local activity.

One frequently overlooked addition to the remaster is the improved crafting system. Although its scope has not significantly increased, it now features visual feedback and improved alchemy animations, rewarding experimentation more than ever. New tutorial pop-ups and difficulty scaling features are also included in the game, helping new players learn the complex mechanics without drowning them in them.

Combat in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has also been made to appear very refined. Where the original tended to feel wispy and ethereal, the remaster packs a considerable punch. Fighting an enemy now has clear feedback—blood along the sword, sparks from a shield bash, and realistic sound feedback. Sword swings have tighter, more accurate hit registration, and animation fidelity has improved significantly.

Lockpicking is back in its former form—a pin-and-tumbler mini-game that requires to be treated with delicacy and rhythm. It's a great decision to retain this mechanism intact rather than swapping it for Skyrim's spin-based one. The haptic feedback of each pin-click is still one of the most finger-on-the-page experiences in RPG history.

Enemy AI is also enhanced to a lesser degree, and their models, especially goblins and zombies, are gruesomely fleshed out, adding challenge and presence. Game puzzles are still primarily focused on exploring the scene and discovering the key. While not overly complex, they also fit well with the game's space.

The most interesting is the diversity of fighting styles. You can dual-cast magic, sword, and shield, or sneak around. The remaster also fixes overpowered skills and spells in the original to ensure a variety of play styles. Block mechanics are more fluid, and spellcasting has fresher visual effects, which feel much more satisfying.

Also, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has adaptive enemy behavior that is more responsive to the player's actions. For example, archers now sensibly reposition, and mages seek cover when they are wounded. These little things add depth to encounters and make combat fresh throughout the game.

Oblivion's leveling system is still skill-based. Level up by doing: swinging a sword, casting spells, sneaking, or making potions, and your respective skills get higher. As you accumulate enough significant skills at higher levels, you gain a character level, which allows you to increase attributes such as strength, agility, or intelligence.

This promotes role-playing. Want to be a sneaky archer? Practice sneaking and marksmanship. A destruction battlemage that wreaks havoc? Mix up destruction spells with armor practice. The capacity to organically develop your character is part of the reason why The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered feels so personal.

But the mechanism of level scaling—enemies getting tougher as you do—is still somewhat problematic in Oblivion Remastered. While it keeps the challenge, it can occasionally make leveling tiresome. Virtuos has revolutionized this for better or for worse. One redeeming feature is the increased enemy variety—leveled battles now use a greater pool of models and behaviors, so repeat battles are less of a chore.

To help players manage their progression, new features in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, such as skill tracking HUDS and relative stat breakdowns, have been added. They aid in building synergistic characters and learning more about stat growth, which can be a blessing for theory crafters.

This is where the Oblivion Remastered excels. The graphical leap of faith is stunning. The original game, once an eye-marvel, now looks two-dimensional and old-fashioned in comparison to the very detailed world of the remaster.

Character models are accurately textured with actual facial expressions, detailed skin, and layered attire. Wrinkles on the Emperor's face, the glint in his eyes, and baggy attire are realistic now. Environments come alive through dynamic lighting, shadow-casting torches, and atmospheric weathering. The solitary jail cell at the start is evidence of meticulous attention to detail, from piles of bones to reflective puddles on the floor.

Outside, Cyrodiil is beautiful. Forests are green with leaves, lakes glint in the sun, and the night sky is filled with stars and planets. The cityscapes, especially the Imperial City, are even grander than before. Statues are more sculpted, buildings are more three-dimensional, and interiors are filled to bursting with detail, right down to fruits, vegetables, and posters.

Zone-to-zone transitioning is smoother with less apparent loading lag. Streaming texture is faster, and thus, even more dense regions benefit from visual coherence. All of this helps to create immersion without compromising on performance. Ray tracing adds reflections and light bounces, giving a photorealistic feel, especially in water masses and on shiny stone surfaces. This graphical update doesn't provide realism—it gives Discovery new life.

Most of the original voice acting remains the same in Oblivion Remastered, retaining the quality of the 2006 version. Some of the voice actors re-recorded a few lines, making them clearer and eliminating technical issues with the old recordings. The dialogues remain nearly identical to the ones known prior, keeping the game intact.

The orchestral score doesn't change. Jeremy Soule's songs continue to be effective, from the aggressive title theme to softer songs in dark caves. Sound effects were also redesigned—sword clashing is less disorganized, spells have more apparent effects, and environmental sounds, such as wind and footsteps, better reflect the location.

There has also been an improvement in spatial audio. Wearing headphones allows you to locate the origin of the sounds, such as hearing a person talk nearby or an animal grumbling off in the distance. Locations all sound unique now. Caves now echo, whereas urban roads sound full of traffic on rainy days.

Cities such as Anvil and Chorrol now have more ambient noise. You will hear bells ringing in the distance, vendors crying out prices, or birds chirping in trees. These updates make the world feel alive and keep you engaged as you move around.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is not just a visual update. It's a reverent restoration of a classic with a tip of the cap to its legacy, but a gentle tweak for new players. A nod to Virtuos for approaching the delicate issue so discreetly—nothing feels forced or gratuitously added, and everything feels laboriously hand-tuned with the source in mind.

Whether you're wandering through ancient Ayleid ruins, eavesdropping on townsfolk debating mudcrabs, or simply looking up at the stars from a mountaintop, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered provides a strong incentive to revisit—to or find—this fabled world.

It is both a required preservation effort and an exciting retread that succeeds in bridging the generations. For veterans, it's a comforting familiarity of familiar quests presented in new glory. To newcomers, it's a treat to witness an RPG masterclass.