The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Reviews
Oblivion Remastered is a lovingly retouched makeover of an endlessly fun power fantasy that’s not afraid to show its retro goofiness. It charms not despite its technical flaws, but in large part because of them.
How has it been almost twenty years since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion first released? It feels like it was only yesterday my dark elf hero emerged...
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is still a good game, like the original was all those years ago. The excitement of wandering the open world of Cyrodil is still there, getting into shenanigans with goblins in caves, doing away with the undead coming through Oblivion Gates, and getting into thievery and tomfoolery across the great unknown. There are meaningful changes to how skills work and how to read the world, making it the cleanest and smoothest run through Bethesda's great RPG yet. However, it is bogged down by the change in art style, where fidelity disappointingly removes any colour or substance that was once found. A blemish on one of the greats. Much like an old car that's been plodding along a little too long, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered mostly still runs, and a new coat of paint helps some, but don't be surprised by the sensation of feeling like things are going to fall apart at any moment.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a love letter to one of the most charmingly chaotic RPGs ever made. It’s not perfect and it doesn’t try to be. Instead, it embraces its jank with open arms, wraps it in beautiful new visuals, reminding us why Cyrodiil still holds a special place in RPG history.
Oblivion makes a return to the spotlight after decades of Skyrim hogging it… Wait… Why am I on a cart? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is as much of a must-play title as the original, the easiest title to recommend to any gamer.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is everything a fan could want and an excellent primer on what makes the series so magical.
Oblivion Remastered successfully breathes new life into The Elders Scrolls IV, which is going to be great for the mature gamers that already knew about this title from the original release in 2006. Whether you beat the game back then or not, this remaster is, as of today, the best way to experience Oblivion. We still have Skyblivion to look out for, even if this remaster may have stolen some potential players from that project. However, no amount of make up and re-texturization can mask the classic Bethesda jank, which makes the game just as endearing and frustrating as the original.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is certainly a nostalgic experience worth revisiting, but for modern players, whether it's actually enjoyable largely depends on your tolerance for its clearly outdated design choices.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Oblivion Remastered is undoubtedly a beautiful visual update of the classic. At the same time, the game hasn't got rid of its old flaws. NPCs still act like they're caught in a time trap, frozen in the time of the original. Bugs and technical issues are still a part of this world, which certainly detracts from the overall impression of the update.
A remaster can only make a 20-year old game so modern without becoming a remake. Oblivion Remastered makes the old game beautiful, far less clunky, but it's still the old game at its core.
Where the flank is exposed to more problems is on the technical front . We relived Cyrodill on PC and evidently Unreal Engine 5 was more difficult to manage than expected.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There is no mistaking Oblivion for what it truly is: an early PS360 game from 2006 wearing an Unreal 5 skinsuit. If you already love Oblivion, then you will adore Oblivion Remastered since it is a new way to experience a legitimate classic of its era. There are a scant few extra surprises tucked away, but this is the same game you know and love… for better and for worse.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is good once you come to grips with the approach. The minor gameplay tweaks are welcome, but the presence of some longstanding bugs test your tolerance for having an authentic experience. The game has a mostly fantastic presentation, but what will hold your attention is the gameplay with a world that isn't as sprawling as Skyrim yet is just as packed with interesting things to do and some side-quests that can grab your attention better than the main questline. If you have a powerful PC and want to experience this with good gamepad support, you'll be happy with this remastering of a modern classic.
Oblivion Remastered modernizes the 2006 classic with Unreal Engine 5 (RTX/DLSS) graphics, updated interfaces, and tweaks to combat and progression, but keeps its essence intact, both in terms of dialogue, glitches, and other systems provided by the original title.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Everyone downloaded that 120 gigabytes just for the sake of the name The Elder Scrolls, but somehow saving Cyrodiil ended up being my responsibility. And I think I might've made things even worse. Oh well, we'll fix it with some mods, right?... Right?
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Bugginess and strange character design choices keep Oblivion Remastered from being excellent. Tipping the scales from “good” territory into “great” are the levelling and gameplay improvements. It resembles a remake. Even with new memory leak issues, Oblivion remains a timeless masterpiece, and this remaster ensures its legacy will live on. Oblivion was born nineteen years ago, but for all these years, it has ruled our dreams.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered isn’t a reinvention. It’s just a time capsule with a fresh coat of vibrant high-quality paint. Under the hood? It is pretty much the same beloved sandbox RPG of the early 2000s, with few of its issues fixed for this new update. Fans are advised to go straight for the purchase as long as they have a capable system. The rest are advised to wait for a price drop, some bug fixes, or preferably both.
When it released in 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was an excellent game. Nearly 20 years on, it's still good — but it's certainly showing its age. This remaster makes it look incredible given how old it is, but its antiquated gameplay and numerous bugs still exist.
The world of Oblivion alone is a perfect recreation of the Dungeons & Dragons descents into hell from my tabletop days, and I had such a rush of nostalgia playing that through again. It has made me feel old to reflect on the fact that it’s a 20-year-old game and I swear I remember playing it new like it was yesterday, and nostalgia always comes with some rose-tinted glasses, but yes, I haven’t minded having the opportunity and excuse to play this again at all.