The long-rumored, much-anticipatedThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredhas finally arrived, and many would agree that it’s been worth the wait. The shadow-dropped remaster is much more like a remake in many ways, as the originalOblivion’s visuals have been completely rebuiltfrom the ground-up in Unreal Engine 5, making for a radically enhanced aesthetic experience, with a few worthwhile bells and whistles to boot.
Much to the pleasure of old-schoolOblivionfans,Oblivion Remasteredretains much of the jankso readily associated with the original.
This new, spruced-up rendition of Cyrodiil is certainly stunning, able to go toe-to-toe with some of the most visually impressive modern releases. It’s a great way for fans of the originalOblivionto experience the adventure anew, elevating the story and exploration in meaningful ways, while newcomers are less likely to be scared off by the archaic graphics front-and-center in the 2006 version. But whileOblivion Remasteredis a strong enhancement of the original game, it’s far from perfect, with some unfortunate gameplay problems that could do with a bit of tweaking. One particularly significant issue is its difficulty settings, which often fail to offer a good balance of fairness and challenge.
The Problem With Oblivion Remastered’s Difficulty
Oblivion Remastered Is Either Too Easy or Too Hard
On its default difficulty, called Adept in-game,OblivionRemasteredcan often feel like a trivialand dull experience. The player-character’s health and defense seem impenetrable, and enemies will go down in just a few hits. For those seeking nothing more than a power fantasy, this is fine, but such low difficulty undermines the game’s broader attempts at action-RPG mechanics: finely tuning a build, grinding for XP and new equipment, and investing in various skills matters little when a few basic attacks will be enough to defeat the overwhelming majority of enemies.
Under normal circumstances, players could simply adjust the difficulty accordingly, bumping it up a level to enjoy a more strenuous challenge. But when players do this inOblivion Remastered, they are met with a leap in difficulty that is extreme and obtuse. On Expert, the game’s name for “hard,” enemies become damage sponges, turning battles into exercises in monotony rather than intense exhibitions of skill. Unsurprisingly, enemy damage is also increased, but to an excessive degree: the player might be able to tank hits in Adept, but those same hits, from the same enemy, will lead to an almost immediate defeat on Expert. In short, it can feel likeOblivion Remasteredskips over “hard” and goes straight to “very hard,” without a reasonable Goldy Locks balance.
The difficulty issues are exacerbated byOblivion Remastered’s controversial level scaling system, which stops players from modulating their difficulty by exploring or avoiding specific in-game areas.
Oblivion Remastered’s Difficulty Woes Highlight Bethesda’s Design Tendencies
With difficulty that is either over-or under-tuned, it often seems thatOblivion Remastered’s combat mechanicslack focus and conviction. Indeed, all of Bethesda’s RPGs are more about exploration, dialog, and story than moment-to-moment gameplay, and are regularly outdone by their competitors in the combat department. Many Bethesda fans claim they wouldn’t have it any other way: stiff and poorly designed combat isn’t an issue for them.
And yet, it can still be disappointing to see thatOblivion Remasteredhasn’t tried to improve this aspectof Bethesda’s design. Better difficulty tuning could have greatly improved the overall combat sandbox, at least insofar as it pertains to typical RPG build-crafting and stat-tweaking, making it more rewarding and reasonable for those seeking a balanced experience. Here’s hoping that a future update, or at least Bethesda’s next RPG, takes a closer look at difficulty settings.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
WHERE TO PLAY
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™ Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay. Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.Rediscover CyrodiilJourney through the rich world of Tamriel and battle across the planes of Oblivion where handcrafted details have been meticulously recreated to ensure each moment of exploration is awe-inspiring.Navigate Your Own StoryFrom the noble warrior to the sinister assassin, wizened sorcerer, or scrappy blacksmith, forge your path and play the way you want.Experience an Epic AdventureStep inside a universe bursting with captivating stories and encounter an unforgettable cast of characters. Master swordcraft and wield powerful magic as you fight to save Tamriel from the Daedric invasion.The Complete StoryExperience everything Oblivion has to offer with previously released story expansions Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, and additional downloadable content included in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.
