Well, it’s finally out there. Bethesda and Virtuos have finally revealed The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, surprising absolutely nobody, and as you’d expect, it comes complete with a full visual overhaul and more improvements.
Bethesda’s Todd Howard says the goal with Oblivion Remastered is to keep the core of the game the same while updating its visuals and performance for the modern era. Howard says he still wants Oblivion to feel like a game “of its time”, and Virtuos says the original game is “still the heart and soul” of Remastered.
Oblivion Remastered is built in Unreal Engine 5, but the original Oblivion‘s engine is still a key part of the game experience. With that said, the game’s UI and UX have been improved, and “features and systems across the board” have been updated.
(IMAGE)
New character models and environments have been created for the remaster, and a new real-time lighting system “accurately simulates how light interacts with the environment”. Additionally, new lip-sync technology makes the characters look a lot more real (although that’s not tough when it comes to Oblivion, admittedly).
Oblivion Remastered will also sport a brand new levelling system that’s apparently inspired by both the original Oblivion and the system found in Skyrim, and combat has been improved too, with new effects and models giving it a greater sense of physicality.
New lines of dialogue have been recorded for the project as well, but you’ll still recognize many of your favorite lines from the original, including the iconic “Stop! You violated the law!” of which the guards are so very fond.
Much of Oblivion, including minigames, core storylines, and more, has been left intact, so if this is your first time in Cyrodiil, you’ll get something fairly close to what it would have felt like to play the original back in 2006.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is out today on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is also available as part of Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass (but not Standard).
