A timeless romp through Cyrodil refreshed with superior graphics and quality-of-life changes whilst maintaining the charm and quirkiness that made the original a classic.
Author’s Note: Oblivion is one of my favorite games of all time! I have strong, positive feelings about it and pleasant memories associated with it as well. My review and any thoughts and opinions about Oblivion Remastered are absolutely affected by how highly I think of the original.
“Close Shut the Jaws of Oblivion…”
The Elder Scrolls series may be most recognized for the wildly successful entry Skyrim, a game so loved that its open-world mechanics and gameplay elements continue to inspire countless games today, but the success of that title is partly owed to all the things that Oblivion did right. Now, in 2025, players are presented with the opportunity to revisit the world of Cyrodil, or dive in for the first time, through Virtuous’ Oblivion Remastered.
So, how is it?
A Lush World with Open-Ended Gameplay
That first moment, when you finally exit the Imperial City Sewers and the fantasy world of Cyrodil is laid out before you, is the very instant you realize what Oblivion is all about. This world is yours to go and explore, to find treasure deep in caves, to enter towns and settlements in search of quests, vendors, or an inn, and to scour every inch of the wilderness and civilization to find what secrets lie in store.
For those who have played the original, gameplay remains entirely unchanged, and that’s not a bad thing. The simplicity of combat, freedom of action, and natural exploration all reflect a gameplay loop that remains easy to get into and enjoy, in sessions as short or long as you like. The open world genre has exploded since the days of Oblivion’s 2006 release, and the coziness of Cyrodil, a world littered with quests and places to explore, but nothing too overwhelming, can be refreshing if you’ve come from a modern, bursting-at-the-seams RPG. Games have changed much in 20 years, and playing Oblivion Remastered feelings like diving into a time capsule of how things used to be, mostly for good, a little for bad.
Gameplay being identical to the original means issues are identical as well. Characters get stuck on scattered terrain or the odd object on a path. Quests sometimes won’t trigger or advance, requiring the player to independently determine to restart the game or force time to advance. Most of all, though the original was plagued with some crashes, I feel that they are more frequent here. Thankfully, Oblivion’s save system allows the player to constantly safeguard their data via the ability to save anywhere and frequent autosaves, but that doesn’t disqualify the fact that the game crashes far more often than it should. That said, the crashes were a mere inconvenience during my playthrough and did not affect my overall impressions of the game. Ideally, a future patch will iron out the technical issues.
A Mighty Visual Overhaul with some Technical Drawbacks
Somehow, the developers at Virtuous have managed to make a game that looks entirely different and yet captures the original’s atmosphere with impressive accuracy. Oblivion was limited by the technology at the time, and respectfully, Bethesda’s capabilities. With Unreal Engine 5, Oblivion Remastered delivers a beautiful, modern reimagining of a 20-year-old world, bringing the foliage, creatures, and architecture to life in a splendid way. The player character and NPCs, though improved, still carry a lot of the “personality” of the original game, where some look alright and others look like someone fooled around with face shape sliders far too much.
All in all, the game is a visual treat, though it can be quite demanding. Interior sections run smoothly and look stunning with realistically lit torches, cracks of sunshine in caves or through windows, and dazzling shadow work that brings gorgeous contrast to the world. However, the exterior sections, the large open world, experience dramatic fps differences that seem to be swayed only a little by changing visual and graphic settings. On PC, this can be somewhat alleviated by modifying frame generation settings and resolution scaling, but ultimately, questing out in the forests and fields of Oblivion’s world is technically demanding. I adjusted my settings to reach an acceptable performance level, but the experience will vary by player, and even by play session.
Fantastic Music and Sound with Infamous Voice Performances
Like the gameplay, Oblivion Remastered’s audio remains identical to the original. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the audio design for the world and environment are top-notch, and the soundtrack is a delight to the ears, between the tense themes of combat and the easygoing, whimsical melodies that play when at peace in the wilderness. The voice acting however is hit or miss, depending on your feelings about Oblivion’s easily recognizable dialogue.
The original is well known for lines that have been meme’d for nearly two decades, including actual mistakes in the delivery of a few of them. They’re all here, in their splendor, the vast majority untouched. You will recognize a handful of the performers managing the game’s swatch of numerous characters, but a Bethesda title like Oblivion (or Skyrim for that matter) isn’t where you will go for world-class, epic line deliveries, with respect.
It can feel a bit silly when you speak with one quest giver just to find that another character or two just beside them are all clearly voiced by the same person, but it’s something you will either get used to, or that could negatively affect your enjoyment of the game. For me, I’m used to it and I consider it part of the original’s nostalgia.
A Modern Take for a Modern Audience
Over the years, many things have become standardized throughout the gaming industry, and I can happily say that Oblivion Remastered benefits from this growth. A variety of accessibility options helps players finetune the experience for their own personal desires, and full controller support for the PC version was desperately needed and is so appreciated.
There are an abundance of quality of life changes scattered throughout the game, from improvements to movement, to tweaks in the way the player interacts with characters and the world, all designed to make the experience more smooth than the original. My personal favorite addition is the ability to sprint, which fits perfectly well into the existing game by using the already present fatigue mechanic.
Closing Thoughts…
As a diehard fan of Oblivion, this remaster checks every box on the list for me. It respects the original in every way, while improving in places where the 2006 game was lacking, most of all visually. There are some technical issues with performance and the occasional crash, at least on PC, but these issues didn’t detract from my ability to enjoy the game experience what the developers had intended. I highly recommend Oblivion Remastered to anyone who wants to relive the classic experience, or newcomers looking for a grand RPG to sink dozens of hours into.
PROS
- Near faultless open-world gameplay that rewards those who wish to explore and seek adventure.
- Outstanding graphical upgrade with a gorgeous world and fantastic creatures.
- Immersive sound design with a lovely soundtrack that complements roaming gameplay.
CONS
- Quest bugs and gameplay hiccups from the original plague the experience in a minor but sometimes frustrating way.
- The new graphics package comes with performance issues that can make exploring in the open world a struggle.
- The original’s infamous voice acting makes a return, for better and for worse. The characters have great personality, but hearing the same performers over and over again can get repetitive.
4/5
