izigame.me

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

Final Score: 9/10

I am almost certain that Skyrim needs no introduction. Released over a decade ago now, this giant fantasy RPG nails atmosphere whilst allowing to play freely and in any way you like. Through dedicated fans and mod support it has managed to stay relevant for so long, but that is all possible only because the very game itself is great. I will have to get this review out of the way before i play the DLC's.

Let's start off with player freedom; The game has a very short and upfront opening. You wake up on a carriage along with a few other criminals and are shipped off to a nearby town to be executed. The game doesn't force a past onto your character, you were simply caught alongside them and the rest is up to you. Shortly after escaping from those trying to kill you, you are let loose on the open world to do as you see fit. There is no "main story" nor are there "main quests". There are the bigger quest lines like the civil war or of course the dragon slaying ones but the game doesn't force you to do them as a main quest. The credits never play in this game because it simply doesn't force you onto a path. You can choose to resolve the civil war but that's up to you. You can also freely choose to join one of the many guilds or settle down in any city. (I will get to the holds later on again.) Let's also quickly go over the character creation; You can pick from a set of races, which all hold a special trait and range all the way from elves (which i chose) to humans and orcs. You can then also freely design the character's looks.

Since this is an action RPG you are of course bound to enter combat at one point or another, and Skyrim stays open in this regard as well. Do you want to use magic? If so, what kind? Staves, Illusion, Alternation or Destruction? If so, do you wanna go with ice, fire,... you get the idea. It also features a pretty in depth crafting/smithing system that lets you enchant melee weapons and armor to your liking. Or you can try to craft potions at an alchemy station, or cook food. Combat itself is quite fun, and it prevents boring repetition by having a varied amount of enemies. The only thing i dislike about combat, is that you can basically, in any fight, just pause the game and chuck a bunch of health potions. For me at least, this makes the combat less intense.

Like i said in the beginning, this game nails atmosphere through both its map and the soundtrack. The map is basically divided into 9 major cities, a bunch of smaller towns and a lot of dungeons for you to explore. The gameplay loop is, simply put; Go into a town, talk to an npc, get a quest, travel across the detailed map, get distracted by something else you found, back on track to the quest, get distracted again, arrive at the dungeon, have a fun combat and looting sequence, return, get reward. It sounds simple but is enough to keep you entertained basically forever, because this game features radiant quests (random quests that can be repeated endlessly), which is the first time i actually like them. You can, for example, head into any inn and talk to the barkeep, ask them if they heard any rumors and they'll almost certainly put you onto a radiant quest. (likely fetch or kill). Upon completion you are rewarded gold. I like it because it further embodies this "live in the game" scenario where you can actually have somewhat of a job as a mercenary and earn money this way.

The map is also very interactive, as your deeds and actions influence it. After becoming arch mage at the academy, you are often challenged by magic novices to duels. Or after siding with either side of the civil war the opposite side becomes hostile to you. I always think back to the quest where you lead a peace conference between the two parties, and how your decisions in that conference influence the towns. This is such great attention to detail and shows again just how immersive this game is and was for its time. I have played newer games where i wouldn't even take a detail like this into consideration of existing.

The soundtrack is awesome, and it makes exploring and just existing in this world so great. It shifts the mood from the warm confines of your home, travelling across the lands or fighting off enemies perfectly. It embodies this very fantasy-like feeling off transience and the beauty of it. Alongside this detailed map, this crafts a beautiful ambience.

Now, last but not least the mods and the "Bethesda Jank". I believe mods enhance games most of the time and this one especially. It's old, sure but still filled to the brim with bugs. But with mods you can fix these and anything else you might not like. I always thought that it when it came to trading, most merchants had way too little gold for a proper trade. As an elf obsessed with grimroires and spells, i couldn't put them onto display in my home properly. And ignoring the fact that i was unable to get proper elven ears in the character creator; but i could fix all of this with mods. This does raise the question, how a game like this should be reviewed. Am i supposed to play and review this and a vanilla state? I don't think that beside console players anyone even plays this vanilla even more. And it's not like i loaded this with mods to suddenly change into an entirely different experience. Like the majority of players, i used a few mods to tweak the game to my liking and fix the obsolete problems. And that is how i am reviewing this game. From the perspective of people, whom which i presume are the majority, who play this game with a few mods to just make it a lot more convenient.

Skyrim will forever be one of my favorite games ever. It has been sad seeing Bethesda go so downhill recently but i will always be praising them for crafting this masterpiece. I will be playing and reviewing the DLC's shortly, however i felt i needed to know the baseline for the base-game first. If you ever wondered if this game is something for you, then go for it. Everyone can find something to enjoy in this massive game.