The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered review (PS5) – Don’t stop Oblivion

There’s nothing quite like stepping into an Elder Scrolls game for the first time. It’s a fifty-fifty on whether it’ll  deliver on the weird, wacky, and seriously in-depth action RPG mechanics Bethesda is known for or… not that. Fortunately, in the case of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, that wasn’t a concern. Bethesda’s already collected its GOTY trophy for Oblivion back in ’06, paving the way for a remaster that has nothing to prove.

That’s because Oblivion Remastered didn’t make the mistake of “fixing” everything “wrong” with the original. Any Scrolls veteran will tell you all those bugs (okay, maybe not the game-breaking ones) are simply a part of the experience, and Bethesda seems to agree. While the core team busies itself with The Elder Scrolls VI, it’s handed the reins over to Virtuos to resurrect Oblivion just as you remember it, but with a definite flair to the proceedings.

Hey, you. You’re finally awake.

It’s frankly astounding what Virtuos has pulled off here. “To produce a quality remake, we aim at recreating the ‘feeling of the memory’, not the actual memory. Our design approach at Virtuos is: Keep, Improve, Create,” said Virtuos’ Nicolas Roginski of Oblivion Remastered. It’s certainly worked. Oblivion Remastered isn’t a 1:1 copy of the original with a fresh coat of paint, but it’s damn close. We like that.

Throw in the shadowdrop marketing, the Elder Scrolls name recognition, and a ‘reduced’ R1,050 price tag, and you’ve got a recipe for overwhelming success. Virtuos has redesigned Oblivion’s various textures inside of Unreal Engine 5 to give it that gorgeous lighting and next-gen look, effectively making this a ‘remake’ rather than a remaster. That hasn’t changed Bethesda’s marketing, but it’s worth noting if you’re still on the fence.

Holding onto all the jank found in the original was a bold decision that appears to have paid off. As Roginski said, it’s about “the feeling of the memory, not the actual memory.” But by allowing a mix of old and new Oblivion players to experience the game almost as it was twenty years ago, it’s easier to appreciate.

You’re the chosen one. Again.

As an Elder Scrolls newbie who missed out on Oblivion the first time around, playing Remastered feels wholly new. Not once did we believe it when fans told us that 2011’s Skyrim was a downgrade from what came before, but we’re beginning to believe it. Oblivion outperforms its younger sibling in so many ways, it’s a wonder that it was Skyrim that went on to become the face of Bethesda for as long as it has.

We expect to share those sentiments with an entirely new generation of gamers, some of whom will have missed out on the glorious RPG experience that was Skyrim (or Skyrim Anniversary and Skyrim Special Edition – not to be confused with Skyrim Legendary Edition). It’s an old game, but it’s technically new to many.

Oblivion kicks off in the vast province of Cyrodiil, currently overrun by what the townsfolk call ‘Oblivion gates’ – portals to the fiery world of the damned. The townsfolk are still reeling from the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, patiently awaiting a hero to save them from the eternal damnation pouring from the gates. You can probably guess where you come in, right?

What follows is a sprawling questline we’ll admit took some convincing to get to. That isn’t an indictment on the writing – on the contrary, Oblivion’s world and narrative titillates the senses far more than Skyrim ever could – but because of Bethesda’s sublime work designing other interesting side quests that still hold up today.

If we’re holding it to today’s standards, however, there are nearly just as many mind-numbing side missions that boil down to little more than a generic fetch quest and can’t hold a candle to some of the more story-driven quests you’ll embark upon. It’s both a blessing and a curse in the case of Oblivion Remastered. Nearly everything that made Oblivion, well, Oblivion, is still there to gnash your teeth at.

Drop and give me 60fps

The biggest sin under Oblivion Remastered‘s belt is performance. You’d think the modern consoles its available on (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC) could handle a stable 60fps framerate, but you’d be wrong. It’s not exactly a choppy mess, and handles the busier areas like cities and farms surprisingly well on our base PS5, hitting that target 60fps with no stutters.

Head out into the wilderness, though, and it’s a completely different story. We’re not alone in pointing out these issues, which seem to be universal across platforms. Unless you’re rocking a pretty beefy PC, expect some big dips. Playing on ‘Quality’ offers up a more consistent experience at 30fps, but missing out on the improved lighting and textures just isn’t worth it in our opinion.

Another common Bethesda shortfall is the bugs, both little and game-breaking, which were kept to a surprising minimum during our roughly 40 hours of gameplay thus far. In that same period, we only experienced a singular crash when attempting to quicksave, which appears to be a problem that has plagued the original for years, and will hopefully be fixed in a future update.

Oblivion, take two

While Virtuos toiled to make this the Oblivion you think you remember playing from 2006, it has brought about some minor gameplay changes that are essential to keep hold of today’s fast-paced gamer. It hasn’t sought to leave its mark on the Oblivion story as a whole, but rather clean up the little things, making for a smoother experience. That means flubbed voice lines, weird dialogue options, and misspelt store names.

Easily the biggest benefactor of the Remastered name is the combat. It’s still got that clunky charm, but with an added weight to every swing and bow nock that goes a long way in selling the ‘realism’ the original was going for. Longtime veterans might hate us for saying it, but one of Virtuos’ best additions is the third-person camera and even more impressively, making players want to use it, default Unreal Engine 5 running animation aside.

Other smaller changes all add up to make this the definitive Oblivion experience, one we’d argue should’ve always been there. We’re talking improved sneak detection, filtering locations on the map, and the ability to move while over-encumbered. It may not seem like much, but the many small changes quickly add up.

It’s not all for the better, unfortunately. Our biggest irk is the introduction of five difficulty presets, replacing the difficulty slider found in the original. This wouldn’t be such an issue if the presets weren’t so wildly different from one another. Newbies will find themselves struggling not only on the hardest difficulty, but the ‘Expert’ mode too, while those who choose the standard ‘Adept’ difficulty will breeze through the story.

Oblivion Remastered verdict

At R1,050, Oblivion Remastered is an easy purchase for anyone who has even vaguely fond memories of the action RPG, while newcomers have what is essentially a brand-new Elder Scrolls title to sink their teeth (and 60 hours plus) into. Bethesda’s best moments still shine through the Remastered coating, while Virtuos’s exceptional work makes this the definitive Oblivion experience. Until Oblivion Remastered Legendary Edition rolls around.