With the lid lifted off Oblivion Remastered, fans of Morrowind’s successor and new players alike should soon be able to dive into one of Bethesda’s most beloved games. Almost 20 years old now, plenty of current Elder Scrolls fans have not played the game, likely because they were introduced to the franchise through Skyrim, and this is an excellent chance for them to see what makes it so beloved.
But there’s one game in the series that is arguably in need of a remaster or remake far more than Oblivion. The game that established The Elder Scrolls as a titanic franchise, the one that codified what is canon today, and has been left behind on some very old console hardware. A full-blown remake would breathe so much new life into the ash-choked wastes of its setting, and that setting is none other than The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind.
Skyblivion Lead Weighs in on Official Oblivion Remaster
The project lead of the upcoming Skyblivion mod addresses the increasingly likely possibility of an official Oblivion remaster coming out soon.
Oblivion Remastered Should Have Passed the Baton to Morrowind
The project has been hinted at for a long time now, but when screenshots of Oblivion Remastered emerged early, the internet was introduced to the first proof of the remaster. Showing Cyrodiil in beautiful detail, the community was overwhelmingly excited to jump into this refreshed look at The Elder Scrolls 4.
As much as this is a landmark moment that could make Oblivion more accessible to newer players, it almost feels like a missed opportunity that it wasn’t a Morrowind remake. Morrowind is an iconic RPG released all the way back in 2002, laying the groundwork not just for the rest of The Elder Scrolls, but also a legacy that spawned so many new games taking inspiration from it.
Morrowind Would Be Incredible if Made for Modern Hardware
Morrowind established the unforgettable Dunmer aesthetic, delving into deeply alien concepts that enriched its fantasy landscape with a taste of something truly weird. Chitinous bugs of all sizes and the eccentric fashion of Dark Elf society made it feel like no other game, but the rendering capabilities of the time could only capture a fraction of the detail in Michael Kirkbride’s concept sketches. If Skyrim mods like Armors of the Velothi are anything to go by, a modern rendering of Morrowind would be breathtaking, and sit very well in a cultural landscape that encourages weirder projects like the Dune films.
The hardware of the time, particularly the PS2 and Xbox, heavily limited the scope of such an ambitious game. One of the legacy features that the game is stuck with today is its load zones, breaking up the open world, which a remake would have to change. While the game was restricted to just the island of Vvardenfell, a particularly ambitious remake could possibly branch the map out, such as the Morrowind Rebirth mod covering the entire province.
It wasn’t just the iconic art that cemented Morrowind as a genre-defining title. Fans of the game today can look past the graphical and technical limitations to appreciate the depth of its story. Morrowind was responsible for the deep, complicated lore of The Elder Scrolls today, retconning a lot of the stuff that felt out of place from past entries. The iconic characters, rich history of Morrowind, and mad musings of the 36 Lessons of Vivec could all do with being introduced to more modern audiences.
Morrowind’s Role-Playing Depth Would Be Perfect in Today’s Gaming Landscape
Morrowind is still held up to this day for its role-playing opportunities. There are few limits to what a player can do, and in stark contrast to Skyrim, the game is more than willing to let players live with the consequences of their actions. If a player wants to murder an important quest giver, then they can. The more intricate world of Morrowind would fit in very well today, as many RPGs seem to be incorporating deeper role-playing systems, such as Atomfall, which emphasizes choice and consequence, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Morrowind’s mechanics would certainly be in need of an update. The game definitely shows its age in a number of areas, but combat in particular would need a massive overhaul. However, rather than just replacing it with a version of combat like Skyrim’s, there would be an opportunity to develop two versions of the system. One version could bring pure action-combat to the game, whereas the other could lean into the original’s TTRPG-inspired randomness, fleshing it out with more variables while keeping the original spirit alive.
The tale of the Nerevarine, Dagoth Ur, and the Tribunal will have to wait for now, but it could be so good if it ever became real. Perhaps one day, Morrowind will get the remake it deserves, but until then, Oblivion Remastered will immerse fans in a marginally more recent Elder Scrolls game.
- Released
- May 1, 2002
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Engine
- Gamebryo
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
