While making my way through the new remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion this past weekend as Argonian assassin, Jade-In-Shadow, we happened upon a kerfuffle at the vineyards outside Skingrad. Not wanting to become embroiled in the conflict, Jade stuck to the shadows and watched as some townsfolks battled intruding magic-users of some sort. The townsfolks were victorious though at least one of them didn’t make it, a vineyard worker named Shameer with whom Jade had spoken with no long before. That was unfortunate; he seemed rather pleasant. Jade was just about to carry on when she saw a sheep coming down the road, then another…and then another.  Soon enough, a small flock of sheep had congregated outside Skingrad’s gate. No one seemed to take notice or care, and there was no sign of a shepherd or anyone tending to them. Had that person gotten caught up in the conflict? Had they gotten lost? Were the sheep lost? Did they need to buy something or meet someone in Skingrad, perhaps? Or, were they programmed to appear at that moment? Whatever the reason, the sheep encounter proved highly amusing and highly random, and it reminded me why I enjoy so much of Bethesda’s output of the 2000s and 2010s.

It also reminded me that was what was missing in Starfield. As good a game as it was, it was missing such random, humorous, meant-to-be or not encounters. But I digress.

My history with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a short one. The Elder Scrolls as a series wasn’t anywhere on my radar until Skyrim. Through it I learned of the previous titles, and I snagged Oblivion on the cheap on Steam at some point in the long-lost past. For reasons, I never played it there, and when it became available through Game Pass, I figured that was the time to finally try it. The closest I got was starting and stopping it a couple times, again, for reasons. Maybe it was the dismal feel of the tutorial dungeon. Maybe it was the unpleasant interface. Or maybe I just wanted to play Skyrim again (which I did after one of the failed attempts). Enter in this year’s surprise remake of the original, and finally…here was my chance! I was really, truly, honestly going to play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion…um…Remastered! I put just shy of ten hours in with Jade-In-Shadow, and I’m loving the experience so far.

As the better part of the game-playing world knows, Oblivion’s story kicks off in a dungeon under the Imperial City in Cyrodiil, one of Tamriel’s provinces. You, a prisoner of your own design, end up making an escape alongside Emperor Uriel Septim, who’s being ferried out of the city after a threat upon his life. Well, the joke’s on everyone, because Uriel has already foreseen his death, which occurs during the escape, and the prisoner’s role in what comes after. Before Uriel’s demise, he entrusts to the prisoner the Amulet of Kings and gives instructions for delivering it. From there the prisoner continues on through caves and sewer passages, facing off with rats and goblins, to reach daylight. Once they are out in the open, Cyrodiil is their oyster, and exploration begins.

My preference when starting one of Bethesda’s choose-your-own-adventure games is to tackle the first main quest before any gallivanting, and always following any available road, since going off-road can be dangerous. So, off Jade went on the nearest trodden path to deliver to amulet. The destination was a town called Chorrol, but the road first led to the Imperial City. We did a little exploring there and got a lay of the land.  We also picked up a few side quests just by eavesdropping on random conversations. Before too long, I began following the quest marker again to head to Chorrol. Along the way, Jade got in plenty of target practice with her bow, and she had some fun with close-quarters combat, too. I’ve still not decided much about her build, but I think that the bow/dagger combination might work out well, for now.

As far the game’s initial story points go, they are compelling and very concrete. Cyrodiil’s emperor is dead, and a netherworld threatens in the wake of that tragedy. The player’s goal is straightforward enough. This isn’t in the scope of Skyrim’s vague take on “dragons are back, uh oh…”; it’s much smaller and more digestible. The comparison that rests in my mind is that of Fallout 3 and New Vegas versus Fallout 4. Yes, the last game looked pretty and had a big world to explore, but its muddy main story was nothing compared to smaller and clearer paths that were set forth for players in the earlier games. After seeing to the dead emperor’s wishes, surviving a jaunt through a plane of Oblivion, and rescuing the apparent heir to the throne, I can only imagine that the stakes will grow ever more pressing and dangerous, and I can’t wait to join the fray!

If the game’s story is an upside, its jank is a definite downside. As with my sheep story, there is a certain amount of “charm” in Bethesda glitches, but it’s not without limit. I’m decently impressed that during my weekend with the game on the Xbox Series S, it crashed only once. (Not bad, I guess?) The graphics really do look stunning at times, but pop-in is rampant, and sometimes it takes a few moments for environments to fully load. I’ve also seen an odd, echo-like glitch when some NPCs move quickly, as if they are running slow motion. It’s almost Matrix-like, but cartoony, and not entertaining. Also, many of the human models are…creepy. It’s clear that work went into making skin textures and such, but why do so many non-cat, -lizard, -elven folks look as if their skin is stretched across their faces? Wide, gaping mouths with eyes to match…it’s…it’s not a very good look.

So, what’s next for my Argonian in Cyrodiil? With the heir-apparent safe and sound (for now), I’m feeling a little like it’s time she join a faction. As it happens, Jade is quite intrigued by rumors she’s heard of the mysterious-sounding “Dark Brotherhood…”

All images, including lede, were captured by author during Xbox Series S gameplay of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (© Virtuos, Bethesda Game Studios.)