There are many gamers who praise open-world design. With some of the most recent and acclaimed action and RPG titles driving players down a one-way path to the end game, the idea of sandbox-style gameplay is becoming a much stronger bullet point for upcoming releases. Of the many open-world games to have been released for current-generation consoles, there is one that stands high above the rest.

Originally released in 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the biggest and most beautiful games to come out of Western developer Bethesda. Like the rest of the series, Oblivion is an open-world RPG with a first-person perspective that gives players a deep sense of freedom. The player is able to roam about the world aimlessly, talking to NPCs, joining guilds, being drafted into many side quests, as well as just taking in the virtual terrain – all without being obliged to participate in the main campaign missions. In a sense, freedom is the philosophy behind Oblivion, both through the seemingly-endless options given to characters as well as the literal goal of the story.

Starting up the game, players find themselves in a dank prison cell. Their character has clearly been devious, and the goal at hand is clearly escape. Almost suddenly, Emperor Uriel Septim VIII busts into the cell with a handful of elite armed guards. Uriel feels a divine connection with the player, and seeks his or her aid in his own escape through a secret tunnel connected to the prison. Before being killed by his pursuers, Uriel Septim VII details the attempts made on his life. It is not too much later revealed that a band of cultists are aiming to connect the land of Cyrodiil with the realm of Oblivion, and the only means to do so is to sever the ties forged by an ancient Emperor. The Amulet of Kings that Uriel bestows upon the player is supposed to stay in the Septim bloodline. Without a rightful heir adorning the Amulet, the ancient Dragonfires in Imperial City have been extinguished, and the barrier that separated Oblivion from the natural realm has almost totally deteriorated. Gates to Oblivion are popping up around the countryside, flooding the land with foul beasts. The province of Cyrodiil and the whole of Tamriel need a champion to close the gates and re-establish the barrier between realms.

Players are able to customize their personal in-game avatar using a large selection of characteristics. Multiple races are available to choose from, including the Nords of the North, three different races of Elves, the cat-like Khajiit, Orcs, and the reptilian Argonians. Once their race and physical traits have been chosen, the player can then choose a birthstone for a special ability, a class that determines upgrade paths and potential abilities, and then their stats.

Not only do players create their own character, but they can also forge that character’s reputation through the deeds they accomplish and the factions they choose to align themselves with. Multiple guilds are available, from the mostly bread-and-butter Fighters Guild to the dark and mysterious Assassin’s Guild. Players who have stolen goods are often chased, fined, and imprisoned by the Imperial Guard. Also, players who succumb to evil and/or illness can actually become physically altered, with their unnatural form scaring all but the most hardy of NPCs away.

The non-player characters in The Elder Scrolls IV deserve a special mention here. Through proprietary technology Bethesda has dubbed Radiant AI, NPCs of various towns are enabled to make their own decisions about their lives. Many characters the players come upon throughout the course of the game are literally living their own lives – going to church, working for a living, eating, going to bed by 9 PM, and starting all over again the next day. Many NPCs hunt and kill game to be able to eat, others simply steal food from markets or people’s homes. While the weight of the AI characters’ actions may not directly affect the person playing the game, their need to live and ability to react gives Oblivion a very grand scale.

Most of the missions involve the player slaying fiends of some type, and this is accomplished by wielding one of a variety of weapons. Everything from swords to war hammers are available for the player to use, and many are able to hold magical enchantments. Gamers with a taste for stealth can fire off arrows from a distance, or sneak up quietly for a critical damage bonus. Lastly, mage players can purchase and learn spells from different locations throughout the course of the game.

With such a stunning amount of things to do in Oblivion, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were players who actually wanted to live there. Fortunately, Bethesda saw this opportunity, and included a variety of homes fitting all budgets for the player to indulge themselves with. Homes can be outfitted with pictures, bookshelves, chests for storage, beds, display cases, miscellaneous furniture, and even a humble-yet-capable maid. Since most objects within the game can be lifted and interacted with, players can fill their bookshelves with collected lore, display their most epic of weapons and armor from their fallen brothers, even set their table with their favorite foods and most expensive dinnerware.

Video game fans looking for fantasy-realm freedom need not look further than The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I would highly recommend it, even to fans of more action-oriented titles. Oblivion is truly a milestone in interactive entertainment, and serves as one of the finest examples of Western-developed role playing games ever created.

Title: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games Developer: Bethesda Game Studios Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Release Date: March 20, 2006 (March 20, 2007 PS3)

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Tags: Bethesda, Oblivion, RPG, WRPG

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