There's nothing quite like an Elder Scrolls game. There have been many imitators since the monumental success of 2011's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but none of them have achieved the same level of acclaim or success. That holds true when you go hands-on with the brand new The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and get hooked in a way that few other RPGs can manage.
The original game could be a bit hard to get your teeth around if you've adjusted to the streamlined flow of modern titles. It's a bit plain when compared to the visual splendor of current-gen games, and it is filled with minor inconveniences and convoluted methods of interacting with the world. With Oblivion Remastered, almost all of those issues have been torn away, and what's left is a solid Elder Scrolls experience that'll make Skyrim nostalgics all warm and fuzzy.
While The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is an older game -- and arguably more in need of a modern update -- it's also a much smaller game, and that's easy to see if you remove the thick layer of fog that covers the world. Oblivion, meanwhile, still feels massive while hiking up mountains or through forests on foot. It's not just a space to play in, it's a living, breathing world. That's reinforced with NPCs that have proper routines, and while some of the dynamic dialogue between them is convincing to the point of feeling scripted, at other times it's so random and unintentionally odd that it becomes a hilarious highlight.
That's the essence of an older Elder Scrolls game like Oblivion. You can get genuinely wrapped up in the story -- the world of Cyrodiil, the early death of the emperor, and your quest to put his estranged son on the throne combine for a high-fantasy thrill ride. The setting and story borrow heavily from Tolkien's legendary Lord of the Rings series -- as most high-fantasy tends to do -- but that touch of familiarity makes it easy for even Elder Scrolls beginners to jump in and feel relatively at home in the Imperial City.
The game itself is a fair bit easier, too. In addition to those classic "quirks" that allow you to level up stats without much effort, your health now regenerates when outside of battle, avoiding unnecessary heal magic spam and vastly simplifying how you engage with the game on a moment-to-moment basis. It's a minor change, but it's symbolic of the ethos that the developers have taken when approaching this remaster.
A monk that was "useless" in the original game now hands out an early quest that gives you access to a set of weapons and armor that you can get a fresh set of every time you visit the monk again -- which is an even better deal than it sounds, as armor and weapons are better if you acquire them at a higher level. While you might've struggled with Oblivion's original incarnation on Xbox 360 and PS3, Oblivion Remastered feels welcoming.
The game also includes the DLC expansions for the original game, Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles. Both DLCs are critically acclaimed, and only serve to enhance the value of Oblivion Remastered. That extra content is appreciated, too, as mods for the original game don't work here, and dedicated fan creators will need to spend time adapting existing mods and developing new ones. Oblivion is so big you probably won't run out of content before that happens anyway.
It's not all perfect, mind. There are some severe performance issues that you'll encounter when traversing across the open world at any kind of speed. Exploring caves, dungeons, towns, or when inside buildings, the game runs smoothly and without issue. Luckily, you won't often be under pressure when in the open world, and when it counts, the game runs well. It's annoying, but the performance issues don't ruin the experience of playing Oblivion again.
At times it's an epic adventure, at others it's an unintentional slapstick comedy. That's the real magic of an Elder Scrolls game, and Oblivion Remastered ticks all of the boxes. While it doesn't have the same breadth as Skyrim and can still be a bit clunky in places, it's a brilliant way to return to Bethesda's glory days.