Summary
- Oblivion Remastered showcases diverse world design with new details in Cyrodiil using Unreal Engine 5.
- The emphasis on environmental storytelling in Oblivion Remastered could influence the world design in TES 6.
- The remaster highlights the timeless appeal of world design that tells stories through landscapes and ruins.
Elder Scrolls fans might have been awaiting another reveal of the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6, but instead, they were surprised by a shadow drop of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered — a faithful but extensive overhaul of the original game that launched almost 20 years ago. Essentially, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is the same game through and through, although it's not without a fair share of improvements beyond the visuals. With enhancements like the ability to sprint now, an overhauled leveling system, extra voice actors, and more, Oblivion Remastered feels like a trip into the past that simultaneously resembles the present.
By and large, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered not only gives players a more relevant way to travel back to one of the most iconic Elder Scrolls games ever made, but it also shows what was once valued, not just by Bethesda, but by RPG developers at large. In essence, Oblivion Remastered's world design may be reminiscent of what once was, but there's a reason it was such a hit in 2006 and still is today. Because of that, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered could quietly set the tone for The Elder Scrolls 6's world design following Skyrim.
Oblivion Remastered's Personality System Proves the Original's Was Always Ahead of Its Time
Oblivion Remastered’s revamped Persuasion and Personality systems show how the original was already innovating RPG mechanics years ahead of others.
Oblivion Remastered Could Be a Blueprint for TES6
Oblivion Remastered Reinforces Cyrodiil's Variety
One of the most significant changes between The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and the next entry in the series, Skyrim, is in its world variety. According to Elder Scrolls lore, Cyrodiil is known for being an incredibly diverse land, with dense jungles, tropical river valleys, mountains, swamps, and a variety of climates across its provinces. For the most part, Oblivion reflected this in its world design, although it was still held back due to development constraints. Even so, it was still a bit more varied than Skyrim's world, which leaned towards a more uniform, Nordic-inspired aesthetic with a colder, more subdued color palette.
By and large, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered not only gives players a more relevant way to travel back to one of the most iconic Elder Scrolls games ever made, but it also shows what was once valued, not just by Bethesda, but by RPG developers at large.
Oblivion Remastered effectively shines a bright light on this variety with Unreal Engine 5, which allowed Bethesda to add more detail to the world and bring it to life in a way the original game was not capable of achieving. Given the nature of Oblivion Remastered's Cyrodiil and its classic emphasis on these diverse biomes, it could be a sign of what is to come for The Elder Scrolls 6. At the moment, Hammerfell is the rumored setting for The Elder Scrolls 6, which is known for being one of the most varied provinces in Tamriel. If those rumors turn out to be true, Oblivion Remastered might be a great example of The Elder Scrolls 6's environmental design.
Oblivion Remastered's Environmental Storytelling Brings Its World to Life
Another element that was dumbed down in Skyrim was Oblivion's stronger emphasis on environmental storytelling. Oblivion's Cyrodiil is rich with details that tell stories through the environment itself. For instance, players might stumble upon a secluded cabin with signs of a struggle, hinting at a past event without any accompanying quest or dialogue. Skyrim, on the other hand, prioritizes its Radiant Quest system, which generates quests based on the player's actions, rather than environmental storytelling. Given Oblivion's popularity and the success of Oblivion Remastered, The Elder Scrolls 6 could move back to the days when environmental storytelling mattered more than quests.
Skyrim's Radiant Quest system sometimes leads to repetitive scenarios that lack the handcrafted feel found in Oblivion.
If nothing else, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered proves that some ideas are timeless for a reason. It highlights a kind of world design that doesn't just serve as a backdrop for quests, but tells its own story through its landscapes, its ruins, and the smallest details scattered throughout. If The Elder Scrolls 6 wants to recapture what made earlier Elder Scrolls games so memorable, Oblivion Remastered might offer the best route forward.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
