Following Bethesda Game Studios‘ long-awaited release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, the creative minds behind projects like Skyblivion and Skywind have been hard at work on their own upcoming launches – ones that may even rival Bethesda’s RPG.
Speaking to PC Gamer in a new interview, The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project lead Rebelzize explains why Skyblivion might iron out some of Oblivion’s most well-known issues – as well as those still present in the remaster. “I think for a lot of people that play Oblivion now, it will be frustrating at times,” begins the Skyblivion lead, going on to describe how “there’s just old game design that doesn’t really translate anymore.”
Rebelzize continues, explaining that a few of those frustrations are in Oblivion Remastered as well – but not in Skyblivion, which is a positive for the fan-created project. “Some of that is still present in the remaster from Bethesda themselves, because they’ve not remade it, which is a key difference [from Skyblivion], which is good for us.” That’s why, even though the official remaster is still fresh on fans’ minds, there’s also room for Skyblivion.
“We still have something to offer in that we have more or less redesigned every aspect of the game,” says Rebelzize, giving the example of Skyrim allowing you to loop back to where you started once you’ve reached a boss chamber. Meanwhile, in both the original 2006 Oblivion and the newer release, “most of the time there’s nothing at the end,” be it in the form of a boss or loot to “make that delve rewarding.”
In Bethesda’s games, “once you’ve done that very unrewarding delve, you have to backtrack all the way” – but not in Skyblivion. Rebelzize has been “trying to really hammer on” the idea of ensuring that “we make the dungeons fun. And if a dungeon serves no other purpose than to just distract someone from what they’re doing, then it can’t just be a bear den – you know, with a really big black bear – at the end.”
There’s also more to do outside of dungeons in Skyblivion, too, because let’s face it – in many instances, Oblivion can feel like a walking simulator. Even though it can “look really good from a distance, because it has those really lush forests, but once you’re in a forest, there’s usually nothing between city A and city B,” as Rebelzize puts it. The fan-led team’s ability to add new details is “where the power of a proper remake comes from.”
It’s also “where I hope we will have some relevance and staying power within internet culture and the Elder Scrolls fandom,” Rebelzize concludes. His words certainly offer a lot to look forward to in Skyblivion, and it feels pretty safe to say The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project creators aren’t worried about their release clashing with Bethesda’s remaster, either. After all, Rebelzize previously said “both projects can exist” and “players are the true winners” here.
He also admitted the official remake “changes nothing” about Skyblivion, with plans for “bug fixes and the DLC” already in place, too.
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