Summary

  • Oblivion Remastered looks absolutely stunning, akin to a remake rather than a remaster.
  • The devs wanted to maintain the original feel of Oblivion, but recreated with modern tech.
  • It's called a remaster because it captures the original essence of the game, down to the jank and bloopers.

Is it still called shadowdropping if we knew about the project and even when it was going to be dropped? Yes, you could still call the release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered a shadowdrop, because it was available almost as soon as it was officially revealed. However, can you still call it a remaster when the visuals have been redone from the ground-up, instead of simply improving textures? Bethesda certainly thinks so.

Related

Oblivion Will Be My Game Of The Year Whether It Comes Out This Year Or Not

It deserves more than a poorly-adapted port.

Posts 2 By  Zoë J. Osik

Oblivion Remastered is evidently more than just a slightly better looking version of the original game. The graphical fidelity is on par with current-gen games, and doesn't look dated at all. While you'd think that it should be called a remake, Bethesda has a very specific reason to call it a remaster, and it sort of makes sense.

Why Oblivion Remastered Is Not A Remake

It seems the devs wanted to capture the feeling of when we first played the game. In fact, they even left in some of the hilariously janky features and bloopers from the original. This was all because they wanted Oblivion Remastered to feel exactly how we remember it, but recreated with modern tech.

"When we started this project in 2021, we aimed to breathe new life into a chapter of The Elder Scrolls that set the path for so many of our games after it," said the studio in a statement just before launch (via GamesRadar). "We never wanted to remake it - but remaster it - where the original game was there as you remember playing it, but seen through today's technology."

Related

Oblivion Remastered Could Be The Next Fallout: New Vegas

Like New Vegas, The Elder Scrolls is (kind of) getting outsourced.

Posts 1 By  Sam Hallahan

At this point, it's just nomenclature, but it seems Resident Evil 2 Remake set the bar really high for what's considered a remake, and Oblivion Remastered comes pretty close – visually, at least. The devs' commendable work on recreating Cyrodiil is definitely a hit with fans, and the numbers speak for themselves.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Like Follow Followed Action RPG Open-World Adventure Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 87% Released April 22, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Virtuos, Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda 6 Images Close
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Engine Unreal Engine 5 Genre(s) Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse