The elder scrolls IV : Oblivion remastered

It is a common sight in the gaming world: a developer announces a remaster, and the community immediately splits. Some are overjoyed, while others are inexplicably angry — as if a game they don’t have to play somehow affects their lives (spoiler: it doesn’t).

But when The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was announced, I don’t think there were many fans of the original who weren’t smiling. While the community was patiently waiting for the massive fan-mod Skyblivion, hearing that an official remaster was actually coming was a shock. Even better was seeing the mutual respect between the Skyblivion modders and Bethesda.

The Legend of 2006

The original Oblivion launched in 2006 and was an absolute juggernaut, selling around 9.5 million copies. For a single-player RPG in that era, those were massive numbers. In reality, the player count was likely even higher, considering how much more common piracy was back then.

Oblivion brought big changes compared to its predecessor, Morrowind. Some purists hated the new “quest pointers,” but it kept the core systems of leveling and combat that fans loved. Where the game truly shone, however, was in its rich lore and beautiful world. Cyrodiil offered incredible diversity — from the snowy Jerall Mountains to green meadows and my personal favorite: the moody, atmospheric swamps.

First Impressions: Chills and Screenshots

I picked the game up for PS5 because I wanted to rest my back, get off the PC, and enjoy some holiday time on the couch. Right from the start, my jaw dropped. The music started, the animated Oblivion symbol appeared, and I felt shivers down my spine.

It had been a long time since my last playthrough, but the intro came rushing back. I was immediately blown away by the graphics. I found myself constantly hitting the “Share” button to take screenshots because everything looked so much better than I expected.

The Performance Struggle

Naturally, as soon as I exited the sewers, I completely forgot about Martin and the main quest. I went straight to the Imperial City to find someone to murder so I could be recruited by the Dark Brotherhood.

On the way, I noticed a snag: the performance. I checked the settings and saw “Performance Mode” was already on, yet the frame rate felt unstable outside the city walls. I switched to Quality Mode, which locks the game to 30 FPS. While I’m usually not a fan of 30 FPS, the stability made the game feel better than a jumping frame rate.

Interestingly, after an hour, I tried Performance Mode again and it suddenly felt smooth. I’m not sure if it was a background update or just a quirk of the console, but it’s worth toggling if your game feels sluggish.

Modern Touches in a Classic World

They didn’t just paint over the old game; they added smart modernizations:

Sprint Ability: A life-saver for early levels before your Athletics skill is high.

Combat Animations: Melee hits actually feel like they have weight now. I’d love to see this brought to Skyrim.

Leveling System: It’s less strict and demanding now, giving you more freedom to play how you want without losing that “Oblivion feel.”

The “Bethesda” Experience (Bugs and All)

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Bethesda game without bugs. This was my biggest frustration. I played through the entire Thieves Guild questline only to have the final quest bug out — I couldn’t re-enter the door leading to the Elder Scroll. Because I realized it too late, all my autosaves were already bugged. I had to start a brand-new character.

My advice: If you play on console, make manual saves constantly. It will save your life.

Conclusion

Whether you grew up with this game or you’re a Skyrim fan looking to see where it all began, this remaster is worth it. Despite the occasional performance hiccup and the classic Bethesda “jank,” the amazing visuals and legendary storytelling make it a masterpiece.

This is exactly what a remaster should be: loyal to the original, but built for the modern age.