The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda and RPG fans have been waiting almost five years for Skyrim (depending on how long Oblivion took you to finish), and it is definitely worth it.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim revisits the world of Tamriel, 200 years after the events of Oblivion, but this time you are in the icy north of the continent. The country sits on a knife edge, threatening conflict between the Nords of Skyrim and the Imperial Army of the Empire. You play a Dovahkiin, a Dragonborn, destined to defend Skyrim from a far greater threat than civil war.

Once you are unleashed upon such a vast world, there is so much to do and explore that it is hard to cover in this review.

Firstly the world design is awe-inspiring, every aspect of Skyrim looks as though it has been individually crafted, avoiding the ‘deja vu’ feeling that appears all too often in other RPGs. The elements contributing to this can be breath-taking (technically and visually), ranging from very unique-feeling dungeons, a beautiful replication of the northern lights, and the simple plethora of bugs that you can actually catch.

The quality of the world really gives the game an excellent sense of place and existence; you are not just an event trigger, the world has its own agenda. You’ll find yourself simply stumbling on battles between the various monsters of the world.

As I write this article I am only twenty five hours in to the game, but by no means am I deep into the main quest, taking my time to fully explore the world and complete side quests. True to Bethesda form Skyrim can take hundreds of hours to complete.

Finally the developers have given us the ability to continue playing after you have completed the main quest without buying DLC. Skyrim literally has unlimited play; even if you exhaust all of the quests you would find in a walkthrough, there is always somebody in Skyrim that needs some bear pelts.

Whilst playing I have also noticed the influences of the Fallout games. There is a new power attack and execution style that looks right out of Fallout 3, but it adds a whole new level of satisfaction to your kills.

There are also opportunities to recruit followers who will fight beside you as well as carry your items and several adorable war dogs that can join you on your journey.

With these features it really feels like Bethesda did their best to avoid you feeling like the silent protagonist who has no roots in Skyrim. This feeling is strengthened by the ability to marry one of a selection of NPCs, which is not an entirely pointless bond; your spouse will cook you meals and will set up a store, of which you will take a share of the profits.

Compared to Oblivion, Skyrim is in a league of its own with a new engine, menu changes and a class system overhaul. Many of the in game systems have been vastly improved upon since Oblivion. The addition of a quick-access favourites menu which allows you to efficiently change your weapons, armour and magic is the best new feature in terms of convenience. The ability to use the new fast travel system (a hireable horse and cart) makes exploration of the world a lot easier enabling you to reach undiscovered cities with ease.

Crafting systems have been added to and modified since Oblivion. You can now cook, tan leather, forge items, enchant, make potions and mine for ore at designated places in the game. At a glance, these changes may seem insignificant, but they are invaluable; drawing attention to the blacksmith skill, as honing this will allow you to create superior armour in the game. These skills and abilities are integral to the levelling process, and allow you in theory, to complete the game without needing to purchase any weapons, armour or potions.

In the interests of writing a well rounded review I feel I should offer insight into some of the problems with Skyrim. It isn’t through lack of desire to do so that I have neglected them but rather their omission: I just can’t find any faults! Of course glitches are present, it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t be in such a huge world, though in my play through I haven’t experienced many and so far none have been game breaking: an incredible feat in itself for an open world RPG upon release.

Unlike Fallout New Vegas, wearing the wrong headgear in the wrong area isn’t going to corrupt your save. If you have ever played a game of this size before you will be surprised at the level of pre-update polish.

Overall, even if you aren’t a huge fan of RPGs, the story, game mechanics and incredible setting will compel you to spend your last £40 on picking up Skyrim. Once you enter this world of dragons, swords and magic, you’ll find it so immersive than you won’t want to leave.