TheNerdWord The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review

Oblivion Remaster Review: A Time Machine in HD As of writing this, I’ve spent about 20 hours in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Before diving in, I want to make it clear that this is a work-in-progress review—I’ll be updating it as I continue playing. But even at this early stage, I feel confident in sharing my thoughts. Let me say this right away: Oblivion Remastered is an unmitigated triumph. I’ve been completely blown away by how much of the original game’s soul has been preserved in this updated version. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from a remaster of Oblivion, but what we got has far exceeded anything I could’ve hoped for. A Beautiful Return to Cyrodiil Walking through the streets and forests of Cyrodiil left me awestruck. The world, recreated in Unreal Engine 5, is breathtaking. It may not be as bright and oversaturated as the original, but I truly believe this is the most beautiful Cyrodiil has ever looked. Rolling hills, misty mountains, dense forests—the landscape seems to stretch endlessly in every direction. And then there are the people. Upon entering a town and stepping into a shop, you’re greeted by the faces of Cyrodiil—though “beautiful” might not be the right word. Oblivion’s original NPC faces have always lived somewhere in the uncanny valley, with strange proportions and memorable expressions. Somehow, the remaster captures that exact same charm. The faces look better, yes, but they still have that same oddball essence that made the original so unforgettable. After creating my character and seeing it in the pause menu, I realized they’d fit right in with the 2006 version. I didn’t even try to recreate that effect—it just happened naturally. That’s the magic of this remaster. It feels like classic Oblivion, but refined in all the right ways. Fixing What Was Broken Before I get critical, it’s important to say this: the original Oblivion is one of my all-time favorite games. It played a huge role in my childhood and was the first RPG I remember truly falling in love with. That said, it wasn’t perfect. One of its most infamous flaws was the leveling system. In the original, efficient leveling was almost required to avoid frustrating difficulty spikes. You had to micromanage your skill gains to optimize stat boosts—or resort to adjusting the difficulty slider. It was clunky and unforgiving. The remaster fixes this entirely. Now, every time you level up, you’re granted 12 attribute points to distribute however you like. No grinding. No spreadsheets. Just straightforward progression. This change alone dramatically improves the experience. Seamless Improvements Beyond leveling, the remaster adds a host of other thoughtful improvements. New voice lines have been added to reduce the repetition of actors, which was a notorious issue in the original. These new lines are blended in so seamlessly that they enhance immersion without losing the original’s charm. And of course, Jeremy Soule’s Oblivion soundtrack is just as haunting and beautiful as ever. The way they’ve integrated the new engine with the game’s original AI and systems is nothing short of remarkable. It plays just like the original in all the best ways, while the quality-of-life improvements elevate it even further. Final Thoughts (For Now) Just weeks before this release, I had installed a modded version of Oblivion on my PC, hoping to relive the magic. But this remaster has completely replaced that for me. Maybe one day I’ll return to my modded setup, but for now, this version far exceeds what I thought a “simple remaster” could be. I recently read a review that called Oblivion “a time machine, not a game”—and I couldn’t agree more. The moment I stepped out of the prison sewers and into the open world, I was transported straight back to 2006. And honestly? I never want to leave.