Game Review: Skyrim

I remember nearly ten years ago walking around a Best Buy and being very enticed by this game on display, Skyrim. I really knew nothing about the Elder Scrolls, however the game cover had such an alluring illustration to it. It was a mythical world of snowy mountains, warriors, and dragons and clearly appeared to be an epic fantasy game. As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and the fantasy genre, I was very interested in this game. I remember assessing the box for some time, which I believe was a PC game, and really debated if I should make the purchase. I eventually decided to hold off on the $50 purchase, but ever since that moment, the game always had a bit of interest to me. 

Nearly ten years later, after finishing my Assassin's Creed and Zelda run, I decided to purchase this game. Of course I knew it was ten years old and the graphics would be quite aged, however I was still in it for the open-world setting and the fantasy story. I decided to buy it for the Xbox One instead of the Nintendo Switch, because it was twice as expensive for the Switch. The game was remastered which added a little more updated graphics, however still quite not up to par with the recent Assassin's Creed games I had played. I played the game for a solid three weeks, and would say overall I enjoyed the game, the story, and especially the soundtrack. I found it very challenging but also a good mythical escape which is what I always love about video games.

The Story

This was my first experience with the Elder Scroll franchise, so I knew nothing whatsoever about the backstory and setting. This game is actually the 5th release in the series, that was first introduced in 1994. As I've eluded to the game is a fantasy epic so deals with medieval settings, dragons, warriors, monsters, and magic. For me the setting felt like a return to the Norse mythology I had recently experienced with the game Valhalla. It also very much reminded me of the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones with the warring kingdoms and of course the dragons. I'd say what made Skyrim so different from Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or Valhalla was the major use of magic. 

The game is the epitome of an RPG game with so much freedom and options to chose from. At the start, you get to chose what species you want your hero to be examples being the Nords (Scandinavians), Bretons (British), Argonians (reptilian-humanoids), khajiits (feline-humanoids) or various elves. I chose the Breton character thinking it to be the most balanced and relatable of the choices. From the onset, the hero is about to be be-headed by the Imperial Army until a dragon attacks the fortification. The hero is able to escape and begin his quest to uncover this dragon mystery. He journey's to the settlements of Riverrun and Whiterun where he learns more of recent dragon attacks.

The hero eventually confronts a dragon, and after defeating it he absorbs the dragon's soul. To everyone's astonishment they realize that this hero is what is known as dragon-born, and has ancient magical powers. He is summoned to meet the elders of Skyrim, known as the Greybeards to train in the ancient art of dragon shouts. He also learns more about the civil war in Skyrim between the Imperials and the Stormcloak rebellion. He then joins up with a group of dragon hunters, known as the Blades to unlock more secrets about the king of dragons, known as Alduin. With further knowledge he later returns to the Greybeards, and their leader Paarthurnax, who happens to be a dragon. Paarthurnax teaches the hero the ancient shout of "dragonrend", which summons the dragon to the ground. 

The hero confronts Alduin, however Alduin escapes. In order to learn more about defeating this ancient dragon, the hero journeys to the depths of the underworld to locate the Elder Scrolls. He then captures another dragon named, Odahviing who agrees to transport him to a fort high up in the mountains. At this fort there is a portal to the afterlife, known as Sovngarde where Alduin is hiding and feeding on souls of the deceased. The hero enters the Hall of Valor (no doubt a reference to Valhalla) and enlists the help of other ancient heroes to help him face Alduin. Thru their help and his new found shouts he is able to defeat Alduin once and for all. 

However just like with most games these days, the story does not have to end here. While this is the main story arch, there is so much more to do in Skyrim. There are countless side quests, civil war tasks, and magical training to achieve. What's especially unique about this game, is that the player is essentially in control of the story and can chose what clan to support and where to live. The map is enormous, with many settlements, dungeons, fortifications, and sights to explore. The hero is constantly upgrading his skills, arsenal, wealth, and magical knowledge which make for an even more immersive game experience.

The Gameplay

From the onset I was quite worried that this would be an entirely 1st person perspective, however after some research I was able to switch to my much preferred 3rd-person view. It still took some extra time to get familiar with the aged graphics and limited mobility. For example the character in this game cannot climb whatsoever and although the map is fairly open there are some areas that are just not accessible. I later found that in order to climb I had to jump a lot, which made for some rather awkward gameplay. The character's hangtime is also abnormally inaccurate to natural physics. The melee fighting also took some time to get use to, where the sword swings have to be targeted (just as with a long range shooting scope). The fighting in this game is very difficult and requires various tactical elements. 

I've come to understand that there are various forms of in-game fighting style, mostly the sword-slasher vs the magic-yielder. I being of old-school warrior mentality preferred the sword slashing approach with a strong collection of weapons and armor. I did however frequently incorporate several magical skills such as the health restoration, the dragon fire breath, and a few instances of the wolf-spirit familiar. I only scratched the surface of the magic in this game however, and barely dabbled with the alchemy, enchantments, potions, and various spells that could be acquired and used on enemies. This is a darker element and very detailed aspect of the game, that crosses into witchcraft and black magic. 

There actually was a point in this game, where I was about ready to call it quits, maybe on the fourth or fifth day. It was on the quest Diplomatic Immunity where I was trapped in a dungeon and overwhelmed by difficult guards and wizards. I kept dying and the game kept bringing me back to the same spot between 4 enemies with no chance to react. This was a major flaw in the game and the only way I was able to remedy the glitch was to load a further back save-point. I was able to eventually get past the mission and realized that quick saves were very necessary in the game. I later incorporated this technique when facing difficult odds, always ensuring that I was in safety before making a  quick save. The game would then load at the exact point and situation just as you had left it.

Another aspect that was new and annoying to me was the economic trade and weight limit. I suppose it makes sense that the hero should have a limit to the inventory he can carry, but trading these items was just as annoying. Innkeepers would only sell or buy food and drinks, while the weaponry could only be sold to the blacksmiths. Furthermore each of these merchants had a limit to what they could spend, which ultimately made it difficult to acquire wealth from trade. This was a component I especially enjoyed about Zelda and AC, however was not quite the case in this game. So often I would have to just offload gear without being able to cash in on it. 

Wealth is probably best acquired in this game by mining and crafting. The game offers a very unique array of crafting options, such as blacksmithing, smelting, mining, woodcutting, farming, and even cooking. By collecting resources in the game the character is able to build weapons, armor, or even cook dishes that will restore health. I thought this was a very cool feature to the game and always a nice break from the intense fighting. It was enjoyable to engage at the settlements such as Whiterun, Windhelm, or Morthal where you could sleep at the inns or even buy your own house with enough money. Unfortunately I never quite got to this point, but who knows maybe I will later continue exploring the game.

Ultimately I kept my experience somewhat limited and decided early on that I just wanted to complete the main quest and unlock the full map. This was mostly due to two reasons, one being the aged graphics that had many instances of limitations and glitches. But more-so due to the dark/gothic element of this game, which I don't care too much for. I love the fantasy genre, but have a limit when it comes to anything pertaining to black magic or witchcraft. I also cannot stand cave/dungeon settings, and this game seemed to have a lot of quests set in these deep underground mazes. So ultimately I would applaud this game for it's vast freeform structure and could certainly see why it was so popular. However it would not make it into my top 25 list.