The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Archived Review
Originally published February 2012Few games can be compared to the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim besides other Elder Scrolls games. It becomes less of a game and more of an experience after the first 20 hours. Ever since its release, countless memes have overtaken the internet and numerous significant others have become ignored thanks to the consuming quality of its gameplay. With the craze dying down a little and with multiple patches under the game's belt to make it mostly functional, it seems like an appropriate time to take a critical look at Skyrim. What is it about this game that draws so many in and keeps them there on a level similar to World of Warcraft without needing to make it multiplayer?
Story
The Elder Scrolls games have been praised for their writing, if not for their captivating storylines. Even if the story feels predictable, it's important to note the level of talent involved in the writing itself. The main storyline in the previous game was regarded as uninspiring despite the epic events it was supposed to encompass. It was intended to be a grand tale of fighting a powerful demigod hell bent on conquering the land of Tamriel and ruling it with a chaotic fist. Instead, most people found it boring in comparison to all the side-quests and even to the lore discovered through dialogue and books in the game.
The same is relatively true in the fifth installment; the secondary stories steal the show. The main story is just as grand in scale as in IV with prophecies of the end of the world and players taking on the role of the only one able to stop it. You are Dovahkiin, the "Dragonborn." Regardless of what race and specialty you set for yourself in the beginning of the game, you are thrust into the world with very little knowledge of what you are or what you're supposed to do. But soon enough, it is revealed that you are the only mortal capable of slaying a dragon and consuming its soul. Upon discovering this fact for yourself, the world truly opens up. Much like the Oblivion Gates of the previous Elders Scrolls game, there are an infinite number of dragons flying around the world for you to slay and consume for the sake of a challenge.
Of course, what's great about a game like Skyrim is that you don't have to play the main story at all if you don't want to. Once you get out into the world, whether you're interested in slaying dragons at all or not, you can choose to just travel the world and explore dungeons, which truly is the bulk of the experience. The developers knew this would be the case for countless players and set it up so that players could just travel the world to almost any dungeon without consequence to various storylines that they haven't uncovered yet. And it's hard to resist considering how much detail there is to each cave and dungeon.
It is truly astounding how much effort must have gone into crafting the look and feel of this world, along with the lore that is so important to the immersion. There are so many books in the game to read that inform players about the history of the world, or famous heroes and villains, or even the events of the previous Elder Scrolls games that all took place centuries ago. The dialogue of each character is written with the intention of fully immersing the player in the world. The fact that so many NPCs are constantly using their terms and legends to make their points—without losing focus with unfamiliar terminology like in many JRPGs—helps involve the player in learning more about the land and getting more out of conversations with NPCs who may or may not have anything important to say.
This all seems relatively passive on the surface in terms of importance to the game and its story. But it really is imperative to include this level of detail to the experience in order to immerse the players completely and make every dungeon feel like a new adventure. If it wasn't for the clever writing, the thrilling quests, and all the loot, players would likely be much less motivated to continue playing for the satisfaction of the combat alone. The mystery and sense of adventure is what keeps the game going.
That isn't to say the writing is perfect. Overall, Skyrim's storyline is better than its predecessor. The main quest, though not thrilling all the way through, is relatively interesting and worth pursuing. The secondary quests are still intriguing and entertaining ways to motivate players to explore the world, especially the Daedric quests. But when it's at its best, it doesn't quite measure up to the best Oblivion had to offer. When it's at its worst, it is still better than Oblivion's worst. Oblivion's stories could be described as peaks and valleys, while Skyrim's is a simple plain of "really good." Regardless whether you wanted an overall improvement or specific changes to the writing, it's unlikely you'll be too disappointed with the story.
Gameplay
Describing the mechanics of the gameplay in the review would end up becoming too technical and boring considering there are so many things to cover. But there are still several aspects about the gameplay that Skyrim does are worth mentioning. From the combat, to the crafting, to the user interface, this game gets a lot of things right, with a few hiccups here and there.
Upon creating a character based on the race of your choice that are common to Tamriel, you play through a tutorial dungeon. Throughout the dungeon and even upon completion, players are slowly introduced to the different actions and abilities available. Even after 12 hours of gameplay, there were still tutorial messages popping up about some new technique available. There are just so many different skills to try.
It shouldn't take that long for you to figure out what type of character you want to be though. While it is possible for players to become masters of every skill, the game manages to reward those who specialize without punishing those who don't. As opposed to most other RPGs where every skill and statistic is ruled by experience points gained through completing quests and defeating monsters, the Elder Scrolls games follow a very different style of experience. The character becomes more skilled at the particular technique the more he or she uses it.
This certainly seems like an interesting idea if not a problematic one. In Oblivion, increasing a character's level involved training a skill, then using points that were somehow tied to that skill to improve the character's attributes. It was overly complicated and prevented players from wanting to level up at all considering all the enemies in the game did the same upon players reaching a new level. Give up trying to be a level 30 barbarian if you didn't improve your skills tied to "Endurance" because there is no way your health will be able to keep up.
Thankfully, developers simplified the system and borrowed the "perks" from Fallout to make a much more rewarding experience. In Skyrim, upon reaching a new level, players need only invest some points in either Stamina, Magic, or Health. They also get to spend, at their leisure, a point on a perk of their choice tied to a leveling tree for each skill. Say for instance, you want to be an archer. By continuing to use the bow and arrow to take down enemies, not only will your stats improve, but you'll be able to invest in specific abilities that make archery even easier like zooming in or slowing down time to take a very precise shot. And even if you play as a mage that has a pension for archery, you can still claim the perk given you've trained in the bow long enough.
The amount of freedom in the game is stupendous. This is helped by the fact that the developers also did their best to balance the system out. There are plenty of creatures out there that want to kill you and may be stronger than you can handle at first, but eventually you will be able to overcome them. And while magic is still a force to be reckoned with, it is a far more balanced system that doesn't undermine the other classes. Be a legendary hero or a cunning thief. Be a dungeon crawler or a book collector. Whether the task is epic or menial, there is bound to be some enjoyment for players.
While tasks like that seem rather menial on paper, when placed in a game like Skyrim, they are actually more fun that one might expect. By allowing players to craft their own equipment, it gives incentives to crawl through mines and dungeons to find the necessary materials to make the perfect set of armor and weaponry that suit their needs. There is always something to do, which is part of what makes the game so consuming.
One final addition to the system that is something of the "ace up the sleeve" is the dragon shout. Words are scattered throughout the world, etched on stone walls as glyphs in an ancient language. These words hold an immense amount of power that require the souls of dragons to use. In gameplay terms, they allow thieves and warriors to use spells that could easily stop hordes of trolls in their tracks. It can quickly turn into another in-game goal to find all of the shouts and master their power.
There are many other pieces of the mechanics that affect the gameplay significantly but a review really isn't the place for it and, if you're interested, you should experience it for yourself.
Presentation
What a great looking game. The moments where your character is standing atop the snowy peaks, enveloped in an icy blizzard, the game still looks amazing. If anything, those areas are the bleakest of the environments. There are dense forests with rushing rivers that actually have current and will pull you across the land. There are lengthy valleys with grasses that sway in the wind. Skyrim is a world meant to resemble places Vikings might call home and it certainly seems to achieve that.
The architecture of the different cities, while very fantasy-oriented, show an apparent Viking influence. The buildings are made of stone with thick cuts of wood for the doors and floors. Globs of mud and straw line the roofs. There are, of course, the Elven and Dwarven style buildings and dungeons scattered throughout the land to keep it in the realm of fantasy. But the amount of effort in designing the various crests, the look of the clothing, and the way the ruins all look show a keen interest in Viking culture and lore.
The creature designs are impressive too. Beyond the simple living skeletons haunting dark hallways, there are monstrous trolls, liches, spriggans, zombies, and, of course, dragons. Some of the monsters are truly frightening up close. The designs haven't strayed much from what's been seen before, but the engine that Skyrim runs really puts a mystical quality on all the creatures. Even the wolves, as easy as they are to slay, show an intense ferocity. The attention to detail makes it hard to keep your heart from pounding when a dragon shows up.
Part of that excitement comes from the music. The score for Skyrim is phenomenal. When it is trying to pump you up, it really gets amped. The drama of the deep drums and chanting help build the momentum in the music. The roar of the horns and strings rising with the chorus really get the blood pumping. It can all be very dramatic and exciting. But there are the moments where your character is just trotting down a mountain and the music is still just as stunning in a much more subtle way. Tiny chimes and bells help keep you from becoming fully immersed and forgetting that there is music playing at all. If you need an example of ambient music done right, this is it.
There are some issues with the presentation, however. As many became aware, shortly after release, Skyrim had some major issues with textures not loading properly and frame rates dropping to abysmal levels. Many issues were to be remedied in patches and while it fixed the problems for some, there were still plenty of players (especially PS3 owners) who experienced a game at less than half the speed it should have been running. There is a certain level of faultiness people expect when it comes to games of this scale. No one was really surprised to find that Skyrim had some issues after it had been released. But there is little excuse for the PS3's abhorrent frame rate. Nonetheless, for those who were fortunate to have a copy without said issues, the game was still a sight to behold, especially on the most powerful of PC rigs.
Conclusion
When so many gaming websites ranked Skyrim as the best game of 2011, it seemed both justifiable and unfair because it was a game like no other. It is a stupendous game with so many things to do and discover. Creating a character for a great fantasy adventure never felt so rewarding! Yet it feels unfair to the games that strived for perfection in their own genre and actually come closer to achieving it than Skyrim does. But that is a small thing to get hung up about considering how great Skyrim still is. Apologies for the review remaining relatively vague; the game is far too big to specifically focus on much and it is really best when experienced first-hand. If you're already interested in Skyrim and haven't gotten it yet, what are you waiting for?