Introduction

Here’s a fun question for you all. Without looking it up, how many remasters have come out in the last decade? Don’t feel bad if you can’t get this without relying on our good friend Google, even if I forgot how many. Remastered games seem to be releasing like new candy brands and most either go above and beyond or are just cash grabs. Like most of the internet, one remastered game did surprise me when it was revealed, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Releasing originally nearly 20 years ago (yes 2006 which was when I was still in high school believe it or not) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion took the franchise in an entirely new direction with more vicious combat, a larger world to explore, and RPG elements that allowed you to play how you wanted to.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion wasn’t without its faults but even the goofiest elements were memories many of us RPG fans remember fondly. That’s why when The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was announced and then released quicker than you can steal from a guard, the internet’s nostalgia hit an all-time high. Here’s the burning question of the day is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered a return to Cyrodill that we needed or should it have stayed in its cell and just been a fond memory to us all? Time to find out in my review of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered for the PS5!

Gameplay

In the last few weeks I’ve talked to many gamers out there who played Skyrim to unhealthy levels (I did as well to be honest) but never touched The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In case you fall into that category let me give you a quick understanding of what to expect when you enter The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Players start as a prisoner who quickly is semi-released by the king (played by the amazing Sir Patrick Stewart) and soon discovers they aren’t meant to rot in a cell but as a means of saving the entire land. You’ll quickly make your character, choose their race, choose their various abilities, and then be thrust into survival. In 2006 this worked wonders for an RPG and even now in 2025 it still is ideal. You are given a main quest The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered doesn’t hold your hand on how to approach that said quest. How you go about adventuring in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is all on you and that is reflected in how you can play too.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered gives you a plethora of ways to play. If you love to shoot enemies from afar, be an archer. Like magic, be a mage and if you want to crush enemies like a warrior…be a warrior. The sky’s the limit when entering the world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and I love that. You can literally steal to your heart’s content and just be a menace not trying to save the world…it’s your prerogative ultimately.

I won’t sit here and say I beat The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, it’s a large game but I did play the original quite a bit and thus can say The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is more or less the same game…the good and bad. You can still swing for the fences in first-person combat or use third person but it feels meatier than before. In the original Oblivion, hitting enemies felt hollow in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered swords/weapons will get bloodied showing impact and you’ll feel your swings hit…most of the time. I still felt like there were times swings would go through opponents but it never was that annoying. Magic is still the one offensive skill that has oomph to it and rarely leaves you not mystified. Unleashing a grand fire spell or summoning the dead like you’re from Solo Leveling is still exciting and shows how much Bethesda wanted to give players the ultimate RPG experience even in 2006.

My personal gripe with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and the goofy elements that still exist in this version. NPCs will still react oddly to various actions (I hit the king with a sword swing five times and the guards just kept laughing) but that’s the charm of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Unlike many higher-end remasters, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered–clearly–wants fans of the original to remember their past days.

One big change, that I’m extremely grateful for, is the UI has been updated in numerous ways. Gone are the bleak menus and static designs. Now, there’s an easier-to-understand menu and interface that brings The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered into the modern era. It still can be a bit lackluster compared to Skyrim or other RPGs but it works and kind of has a nostalgic design, especially for fans of D&D. All throughout The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered I’m finding updated gameplay parts and it makes me happy that Bethesda took their time to pour that much effort into this title.

Graphics

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has without a doubt gone into the current gaming era with visuals but let’s be real, this isn’t Elden Ring levels of polish. Yes, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered looks fantastic with enemies, NPCs, and various locations looking sharper and more detailed than the 2006 OG but I found plenty of those same themes being quite mediocre while playing. Some NPCs still look downright ugly and various building interiors just lack high-end visual flair. When you step out of the dark dungeons and into the light of Cyrodill, I won’t deny I was taken aback that this is a remastered game nearly two decades old but I’ve played more modern RPGs, one I’ll be reviewing soon, that just look incredible versus The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Again, yes a huge improvement no doubt but don’t go in expecting graphics that will be the new benchmarks for PC or PS5.

Sound

With an epic score, solid voice acting, comical voice acting, and strong sound effects, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a sound experience, to say the least. Bethesda kept the original voice acting while adding some here and there which leads to all the epic storytelling moments with the odd NPCs having their dual voices and/or one person sounding just like another. Really, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered didn’t super impress me sound-wise but it works and I still think it’s an integral part of the experience good and bad.

Story

The story of Oblivion was always inferior to Skyrim if I’m being honest but it has enough epic-ness to push you forward. Maybe I am not a die-hard Elder Scrolls fan (I played almost every title but never fell in love with most of the games) but the story of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered just doesn’t make me feel for anything happening. The King’s death, the varying struggles of NPCs, and the tragic fate of those challenged by the Oblivion gates themselves just didn’t capture me much. Still, there’s plenty of lore in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered that fans will want to absorb and the stories within really do flesh out the franchise in very important ways.

Overall Impression

Let me start by saying, that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the better game of the franchise but The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is not to be underestimated. I am playing Oblivion even now and having fun just exploring and trying to see everything I can. The nostalgia I keep getting is there constantly and it reminds me why I liked the original so much. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered isn’t perfect but it’s what a good RPG needs to be, fun and freeing. I feel like I’m on an adventure and I don’t feel forced to do anything I don’t want to do while playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, not many games can say the same.

Conclusion

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is no lie one of the better-remastered titles I’ve played as of late and is a trip down memory lane worth once more investing hundreds of hours into. It may not be comparable to a high-end RPG released in 2025 but that doesn’t mean it’s not incredible. How you play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is entirely up to you but try not to forget the King told you the fate of all the lands may rest in your hands. I may like annoying the guards and getting lost in dungeons but I do think saving the entire world is a bit important.

ーAaron