Do you remember that moment in time when you first started The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? That breathless moment filled with magic when gates swung open in front of the Imperial City, the music rose to fever pitch, and suddenly you just knew that 200 hours of your life would soon be subject to the whims of this game.
Flip-flop to this very day; firing up Oblivion hits different: like an old friend who cracks the same jokes but feels ever so warm with age.
This Elder Scrolls tweet puts the nail in the coffin. Just a side-by-side: the first time you booted up Oblivion and now. Words needn’t intrude, really. The picture says it all: wide-eyed wonder then, nostalgic warmth now.
But hey, that’s not all: Oblivion has this unique way of making things look more ancient than they really are. The ritual of playing an old game, now made magical by this game made in 2006, has been relived: graphics. True, they can be called old, but charm exists in those potato-faced NPCs. Voice acting? Iconic, even if every guard sounds as if they all read the same script. The world? Even while Skyrim always breathes down its neck, it still remains one of the most immersive worlds ever.
The wild part is how Oblivion defined the genre in the first place: it wasn’t merely a main quest but a quest to lose oneself in the world by walking into a cave and emerging with membership in the Thieves Guild. Or contracting vampirism at an inconvenient time and then spending hours trying to basel out. Or just…picking flowers. For hours. And loving every moment of it.
Today, it feels like putting on a favorite old pair of jeans. You know exactly what you are getting, and that only adds to your pleasure. You might mod it to hell and back, or you might keep it clean for that nostalgia hit. Regardless, it remains one game that refuses to take a backseat to newer, shinier RPGs trying to draw attention away from it.
Oh yes, Oblivion is most certainly alive and kicking. And if you haven’t booted Oblivion in a while, consider this tweet your sign to get on it. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you when you give up yet another weekend for Shivering Isles.
