The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered didn't only improve a classic, it took it to the next level with details that set it apart. Bethesda and Virtuos kept what made Oblivion a classic and made it feel new again.
One of the biggest pillars of the remaster is its complete transition to Unreal Engine 5. Unlike many remasters that still run on their original frameworks, Oblivion Remastered uses its original engine as a skeleton but layers modern rendering, lighting, and environmental effects on top through Unreal.
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+ 3The world feels richer with the weather changing across the horizon, lakes and rivers reflecting the sky, and forests—though a bit sparser—moving with parallax textures and subtle shifts. Perhaps the most impressive technical upgrade is the lighting, which breathes life into everything from dungeons to castles with its shifting shadows and atmospheric glow.
Even though some fans have noted a warmer, more realistic tone that softens the old saturated hues, Cyrodiil's world is more vibrant than ever, particularly when walking through iconic spots like the White-Gold Tower or the Elven ruins, now bathed in moonlight instead of looking flat and drab. Bethesda also rebuilt the player characters, NPCs, and enemies to preserve their famously weird personalities while making them less awkward to look at.
Races like the Khajiit and Argonians are more believable without losing their quirky looks. The facial animations are smoother yet intentionally avoid making everyone look too "normal," keeping the endearing strangeness that defined Oblivion's social scenes. Movement and gameplay systems saw equally careful upgrades.
With sprinting now introduced, players can easily traverse long distances in Cyrodiil, no longer needing to rely on buffs or potions like before. Sprinting can drain stamina, which adds a tradeoff between exploration and combat, but it integrates smoothly into the overall travel flow.
The physics have been adjusted too: walking uphill feels different from running on flat terrain, swimming no longer feels like dragging concrete blocks, and falling or crashing into things has much more force behind it. The combat has been modernized, yet it still holds onto its classic roots. Melee strikes now cause real feedback when you hit an enemy — shields rattle, armor clinks and blocks have proper impact.
click to enlarge+ 3Bow mechanics are now more tactile, with new multi-hit combos for daggers and enemies responding differently based on the area of impact. Even the most minor details, like blood splatters and sparks flying when swords clash, enhance the battle experience without making the game feel like a frantic action fest.
The new weapon sounds and ambient noises do a great job of making each encounter feel honest and in-your-face. The remaster smartly enhances stealth gameplay by swapping the old binary stealth icon for a more dynamic system, where the eye icon changes based on your visibility, much like the system used in Skyrim.
This tweak makes sneaking much more natural and gratifying, building tension as players approach detection instead of springing an immediate surprise. It's a subtle addition, but it really makes stealth builds more enjoyable and effective.
The way you level up has also been revamped. It is no longer limited to just major skills; now, every skill you use contributes to your overall progression. When leveling up, players are granted 12 Virtue Points, which can be assigned to various attributes such as Strength, Endurance, or Willpower.
This removes the punishing "wrong build" problem from the original, where players could accidentally cripple their characters by choosing poorly. Instead of being locked in, progression flows naturally and is all in your hands, like Skyrim, but it still has that Oblivion stat system flavor. The UI redesign sticks to the original concept but removes the extra baggage.
Menus are cleaner, faster, and easier to use with better inventory sorting, clearer map filters, and a smarter heads-up display. The compass sits at the top of the screen now, with clearer location markers and improved enemy indicators in battle.
click to enlarge+ 3Even containers now preview whether they're empty, saving players from annoying click-after-click guesswork. The persuasion minigame is still as awkwardly hilarious as ever, but color-coding now makes it clearer what NPCs love or loathe without needing trial and error for every conversation.
Character creation also saw some of the most charming changes. Instead of just choosing between male and female stats, you now pick "Origins" tied to where your character grew up — Vvardenfell or the Argonian marshes, for example — each giving a small bonus to fitting attributes.
It's a lore-rich tweak that subtly enhances role-playing without overcomplicating character-building. Even the voices of Cyrodiil's people have been expanded. While all the iconic voice lines (yes, including the guards' "Stop! You violated the law!") are still there, Virtuos added brand-new voice sets across races.
Khajiit, Orcs, and Argonians sound way more unique now, and the extra background chatter cuts down on the repetition that used to get joked about in the original. Not every change was universally loved. Some players miss the colorful, almost dreamlike palette of the original.
Others feel that Cyrodiil's forests are thinner now or that some dungeons look a bit more generic due to the realistic lighting. As much as sprinting improves gameplay, some classic fans would have rather seen it remain optional for the sake of the pacing.
Even so, these gripes don't overshadow the fact that Oblivion Remastered feels overwhelmingly like a love letter, not a revision. You can still loot to your heart's content, become a god in the Shivering Isles, or wander the world while Jeremy Soule's score transports you to the very magic that made Oblivion a classic almost two decades ago.
Oblivion Remastered nailed it by realizing that sometimes, greatness is just about keeping things as they are. The way mushrooms "bloop," the guards yell about your crimes, and the shimmering lakes under the fresh lighting—it all proves they went all in on the finest details.
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