The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Game Analysis & Review
By Patrick Newman
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Distributors: Bethesda Softworks (retail), Steam (online)
Director: Todd Howard
Composer: Jeremy Soule
Engine: Creation Engine
Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: November 11, 2011
Genre: Action role-playing, Open world
Mode: Single-player
Rating: Mature
Much like developer Bethesda’s other mammoth RPG Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim approaches greatness in its full scope rather than its individual details. There is an enormous amount of content to behold, and with game updates on the horizon that aim to expand the game’s fantasy world even further, fans of the series can look forward to an endlessly involving and organic sandbox to indulge in their wildest Tolkien-inspired fantasies. Unlike any game ever made, Skyrim truly instills a feeling of unpredictability that encourages players to explore as much, and as often as they can.
The player begins, as Elder Scrolls protagonists often do, as a prisoner without a past, but soon learns that they are the last in a long line of dragon-slayers, destined to save the world from Armageddon. Such forms the basis for the main quest, but to drive directly from A to Z, skipping raising your skill category or engaging in the game’s many side quests (showdowns with the lord of the underworld, is to miss much of what Skyrim has to offer.
A cleaner, more elegant game than its predecessor Oblivion, Elder Scrolls V is more austere in its design, presenting users upon the opening with a minimalistic title screen that seems to have carved its signature dragon from obsidian. Taking place, as previous Elder Scrolls installments have, in the continent of Tamriel, the game locates its hero in the northern realm of snowy, Nordic-influenced Skyrim.
The environment here is dominated by the cold – always gusting flurries of snow, its bodies of water littered with sheets of brittle ice, and nighttime vistas of blue and green ribbons that let players know they are far from home. The architecture of Skyrim is a combination of Nordic and Gaelic influence, which is just one of the many things separating Skyrim from Oblivion and previous Elder Scrolls titles. Many of the skills and attributes (such as Intelligence and Endurance) have been thrown out to create more of a streamlined interface.
The presence of dragons plays a major role in Skyrim, and when they attack it’s a monumental event – circling, swooping in and slamming into the ground for exhilarating encounters. The creatures are animated beautifully, with an astounding amount of detail rendered into each colossal beast. In addition to the constant threat of dragons, civil war has divided the land in two, giving the player a choice of which side to fight for in the battle for humanity. The narrative in Skyrim is rich and dense, and while still scraping to reach Tolkien or R.R. Martin-level resonance, Skyrim represents a leaps and bounds improvement over previous Elder Scrolls titles.
Though the combat system still has a ways to go to make the game fully engaging on a visceral level, and some minor glitches sometimes puncture the overall sense of immersion, Skyrim offers so much more by providing the dedicated gamer with an immense world with numerous and diverse tasks to perform, all of which flesh the story out to something epic and substantial. The dragon combat is always a joy to behold, the atmospheric art design is an instant grabber, and the battles contain endless variations. As one of the finest RPG’s to date, Skyrim is a must-play.
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