Why other remasters should follow the example of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Coming out of nowhere, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered stormed its way into the Steam top sellers list, garnering millions of players across all platforms. Nearly 20 years since it first appeared on our screens, it was a real treat to see Oblivion once more, with refreshed visuals, gameplay, and more.

The problem with a shadow launch, though, and especially for one attached to the remaster of such a beloved RPG, is that the hype can serve as somewhat of a blinder to the the quality of the game underneath all the excitement. Nearly two weeks after the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, it seems that the hype was warranted.

While it is not a perfect game, Virtuos' re-release certainly feels like a near-perfect idea of what a remaster can be. Immediately, in the first trailers while Bethesda was assuring us this was just a remaster, thoughts of a remake came to minds. It seemed like such a vast change in visuals as well as gameplay that a lot of developers and publishers would have attached the remake title to it. The use of remaster rather than remake might have just been to assure fans that the core of Oblivion was still there, but I can't help but feel this also shows that the labels of remaster and remake have been toyed with too much in recent years. Also, that we've had far too many games doing too little that have released too recently calling themselves remasters.

Looking at you, The Last of Us. A lot of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered's success and goodwill comes from timing. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say, and while The Elder Scrolls hasn't been absent from our lives thanks to the endless Skyrim re-releases and ESO, but to say that fans aren't hungry for a new single-player release in the franchise would be disingenuous. Oblivion isn't new, far from it, but it being so old means that there are plenty of people to whom it is new, and even older fans likely haven't played in years, thanks to it being incredibly dated.

This time, this absence, really makes it feel less like a cash grab and more as a gift to fans. Now, as with most decisions in the gaming industry nowadays, money was likely at the heart of this remaster, but if you're clever, you can make people happy with a decision that makes people or a studio money. Waiting 20 years for a remaster is not something every studio can do. Not every studio has the IP and the time, but especially with more modern games, it is difficult to see exactly how graphics were redefined in the way they were for the Oblivion remaster. Compare the Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster from recent past, for example, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and you'll see the world of difference the latter provides. Is it nice that the world looks a little more defined in Horizon's first adventure? Sure, but it doesn't feel like a revolutionary overhaul in the way Oblivion did.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered shows just how effective a remaster can feel if it really brings something from the past into the modern era, and how much we have been taken for granted with by other remasters that really just add a bit more fidelity to a game we've all played a few years back. Keeping so much of the core of the original Oblivion helped out the remaster tremendously, too. Oblivion has a unique charm, and to lose that would have been detrimental to the game's release. Flubbed lines, zoom-ins for dialogue, and all that classic Bethesda goodness reminds us of the times we had nothing to worry about but beating the next quest, while the visuals offer a glimpse of what the future of Tamriel might look like.

Speaking of the future of Tamriel, if Bethesda is going to learn anything from the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, it should be that people *need* more The Elder Scrolls. The Elder Scrolls Online is nice and all, but nothing draws people together like talking about the stupid things they get up to in the single-player RPGs Bethesda puts out. Also, while Bethesda might spend decades working on its next RPGs, the re-release of Oblivion should inform the studio that not everything needs to be at a Starfield scale. People do expect intricate systems, but the fact that what is essentially a 2006 classic given a fresh coat of paint along with some other adjustments is doing so well should tell Bethesda all it needs to know. Don't throw out the book, don't try to make us reimagine what The Elder Scrolls could be. If anything, bring it back to its roots, as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is informing people just how much Skyrim lost in terms of mechanics.

So, what can we take away from this mess? Remasters should be more ambitious, firstly, and should allow for more time to make sure that fans feel wowed when they see their childhood classics brought to modern standards. We need more proper definitions of what is a remake versus a remaster, too. People shouldn't be left scratching their heads when the work on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered looks more substantial than any other major remaster in recent memory, but still doesn't earn the title of remake. Finally, Bethesda could honestly take a chill pill when it comes to ensuring that each new RPG is so massive and breath-taking that we can't think about another one for another decade. People love the older games because of their adventures, their charms, and the intricacy and detail they provided without necessarily offering a massive space for you to be in.