By Sam Coles:
A decade these days tend to be expendable, especially when you are in adulthood as 10 years ago seem like yesterday. Skyrim is not a game I think when I think 10 years ago, but here we are in 2021 and we are a decade removed from the initial release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and there is still no sequel in sight. All we have is a logo for the next Elder Scrolls game and that was nearly three years ago, don’t mind me Bethesda human existence is fragile but you take your time but I digress. Anyway, I want to take a look back at the popular RPG and why people still talk fondly about it today.
The gaming industry was a different space back in the 2000’s and early 2010’s, as game reveals were still in that kind of transition of being a business meeting instead of the hype train we know today. Skyrim is one of the first examples in my lifetime were there was so much hype surrounded around a video game release; you have to remember it was five years after the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion so the wait was a long one. Especially or me which saw me go from a 13-year-old to an adult at the age of 18, which back then felt like an eternity.
When the announcement trailer for Skyrim first dropped in early 2011, I remember being instantly excited as the main theme Dragonborn kicks in with the booming choir sending chills down my spine. To find out that it was coming out the same year of it being announced had me more excited, people find that games take forever to come out these days, but back in those days a lot of games more often than not became vaporware or would be announced and stay radio silence for years, looking at you Max Payne 3. I remember the presentation that they did at E3 in 2011 showing off the game, where they talked about how you can explore anything you can see on the horizon. Now this all sounded like hyperbolic PR speak, but they weren’t wrong and when I experienced the game for the first time on the date of 11.11.11 I was enamored with the game.
My first experience with Skyrim was beautiful, after the usual the Bethesda shenanigans where they throw tutorial after tutorial at you in a patronising manner, they finally set you free. The first time I stepped out of those caves, my mind was in awe as I see the protentional adventures I could embark on because in most Elder Scrolls games you can do anything you want from the word go. I love the calm and serene forest as you trudge towards the little village of Riverwood, as you hear the gentle sound of the flowing river near the saw mill. It’s this main aspect that Skyrim gets right and its design still holds up, as it is the true definition of freedom within video games.
There are times in Skyrim where I would have no particular goal in mind and I would just walk around, with the HUD turned off and just explore. I highly recommend doing this because it is very immersive as there is no clutter on the screen. It’s ultimately this level of freedom with the exploration in Skyrim of what makes it so appealing, but this freedom also falls into the gameplay.
Now I know there are some traditionalists who are not a fan of the direction of the gameplay within Skyrim, this is mostly due to Bethesda scrapping classes all together and you are basically a jack of all trades. However, I think this is a good move as you are not a generic nobody, no you are a mythical chosen one known as the Dragonborn so it kind of makes sense that you are skilled in most aspects in the world. This also adds variety to the game, so if you get bored of being a melee-based combatant and want to shoot lightning out of your hands like Emperor Palpatine, you can do that. This no class base system just makes exploration and combat more flexible, and yes it does somewhat take the role out of the Role-Playing Game but it makes for a more fun experience.
Visually Skyrim is still wonderful to look at, although before the game came out, I had a bit of trepidation as I was expecting mostly snow, as the game is set in the northern region of Tamriel. However, the landscapes are more varied than one would think with rich vegetation within the forest, the ancient stone ruins and the expected tundra wastelands. Not only that the music and ambience accompanying the exploration is beautiful, the soothing tones of Jermy Soule are relaxing, but sometimes they can be haunting as you explore a dungeon. The soundtrack is fantastic and I often listen to it in my spare time, the calming tracks as you walk through a city as you hear a waterfall get louder as you edge closer to it makes me feel safe.
Now I know it has become comical with the number of times that Bethesda have re-released this game, but there is a reason for that and that is because the game is timeless. There is a reason why 10 years later people are still playing and talking about Skyrim, it’s because it is a really flexible game with its gameplay and endless supply of mods. It’s a game that I hope we remember for another 10 years, and it is a game that I hold very close to my heart.
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