By Azura!! The leaks, rumours and speculation have finally been confirmed: the long awaited Oblivion remaster is officially released! Nearly twenty years after the initial release, it’s time to re-visit the land of Cyrodiil and all it has to offer. Bethesda shadow-dropped the remaster during the announcement stream, releasing directly onto Steam, PS5 and Xbox, including Game Pass, joking that this was “the worst kept secret in video games.”
There were a number of exciting things showcased during the stream, but one of the most notable is just how beautiful the game looks. The graphics have had a full overhaul, with developer Virtuos stating “every single asset in the game was recreated from scratch.” Everything that used to be messy meshes and textures are now clean edged and detailed. The lighting is dynamic and light sources cast realistic shadows. Colours are vivid and vibrant.
There have been lots of UI improvements and general clean-up. The levelling system has changed as inspired by Skyrim, and we now have the ability to sprint. Combat has also been overhauled, with enemies reacting more realistically to weapon attacks, with new animations. Sound has been added in areas where it was previously lacking, which was a common issue with combat in the original game. We wanted to hear the swords clang!
There have also been updates to the voice acting, with new voices being added for different races. Don’t be alarmed though, because all the silly and humorous dialogue people have come to love over the years is still in there. Bethesda has also confirmed the remaster will include all of the original DLC, including the beloved Shivering Isles and of course, the fan favourite horse armour.
The after-stream featured a sit-down chat with Wes Johnson, (best known for his voice acting work as Sheogorath, as well as likely hundreds of NPC voices for Bethesda games over the years) and Jessica Finster (Senior Community Director at Bethesda) for a deeper dive into the world of the remaster as well as showcasing some graphically stunning gameplay.
Tens of thousands of people all tuned in from around the world to witness the release of the Oblivion remaster, nearly twenty years since its original release. If it wasn’t clear before, it’s very clear now just how much Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls as a series has meant to people over the years. Now we just need to wait for news for ES6, and we’ll all be happy.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available now on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S, including Xbox Game Pass.
About the Author
Hayley Louise
she/they
Hayley spends most of her time gaming, but when she's not doing that you can find her doing all kinds of nerd-adjacent things like playing board games, building Lego, reading books and talking nerdy to everyone who will listen.
