GRAPHICS

Psst. Hey you! Yes, you. We need to talk. We got the gates of Oblivion reopening before we got Elder Scrolls 6.

In a video posted on April 22, video game publisher Bethesda surprised gamers by announcing that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available for immediate download on Windows, Steam, PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The game is already surging in popularity, reaching over 130,000 concurrent players on Steam by 3 p.m. on launch day.

Studio head Todd Howard gave a nod to a planned sixth installment in the video saying, “Obviously, we’re working on the sixth chapter here, but what’s great about The Elder Scrolls is being able to look back at all of the chapters.”

What is (are) The Elder Scrolls?

“Mmmm that is an interesting question now, isn’t it?” The Elder Scrolls is a series of role-playing games developed by Bethesda with five major installments: Arena (1994), Daggerfall (1996), Morrowind (2002), Oblivion (2006) and Skyrim (2011). Bethesda also released Elder Scrolls Online as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in 2012. The series titles alludes to mythical and powerful ancient artifacts from the game universe.

Elder Scrolls games are known for vast lore, open-world exploration and character customization. The games take place on the fictional continent of Tamriel, which blends medieval culture with fantasy elements. Players create a character and have a main storyline to progress through, along with a huge variety of side quests that allow each player to have a unique experience.

What is Oblivion?

Originally released on Windows and Xbox 360, and later for Playstation 3, Oblivion takes place in the province of Cyrodiil which is home to Imperial City, Tamriel’s capital. The main storyline involves the player discovering Oblivion Gates opening up across the land, which are fiery magic portals that release hostile creatures called Daedra from the hellish plane of Oblivion upon Cyrodiil. The player develops skills, uncovers information and fights enemies to find out why the portals are opening and how to close them.

Oblivion, along with Morrowind and Skyrim, was recognized as Game of the Year by multiple outlets. Oblivion is estimated to have sold over nine million copies in the first nine years of its release.

How is the remastered version different from the 2006 release?

Bethesda worked with video game developer Virtuos to remaster Oblivion using Unreal Engine 5, a 3D computer graphics game engine. Here are some of the changes announced in the release video:

• The remaster includes all expansions to the original game.
• New atmospheric effects improved lighting and shadows.
• Players can now sprint in the game.
• Different races of characters now have appropriate audio for their voices.
• Lip-syncing is improved for non-human creatures and in dialogues.

• The remaster allows players to seamlessly switch between first- and third-person.
• The approach to leveling incorporates elements from both Oblivion and Skyrim.
• Combat now includes sound effects, visual effects, hit reactions and crosshairs.

And yes, you can still buy yourself some horse armor.

Contributing: Shawn J. Sullivan