The Elder Scrolls fans are celebrating "the unintentional comedy of Oblivion"
Jan. 20, 2024Absolutely surreal sights ahead
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The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is seeing a minor internet resurgence with fans celebrating the landmark game’s signature jank and hilarious NPCs.
Twitter user NotRollingTim kicked off the trip down memory lane with a chaotic clip, embedded below, showing one character’s unexpectedly enthusiastic call to arms and another’s murder. Oblivion’s knack for fever dream-type scenarios, powered by wonky physics and aloof characters, is perfectly encapsulated in the snippet.
But that post was just the tip of the iceberg, as longtime Bethesda players came out in droves to reminisce on the game. One of my personal favorites shows two villagers engaged in arivetingconversation, and by riveting, I mean they converse in circles with all the awareness of a concussed sloth and even bid each other farewell twice. Enjoy below.
Speaking of NPCs that aren’t quitepresent, another clip below has a quite rowdy battle break out in town. When the player character approaches one fallen villager, the camera does the classic Bethesda zoom, before she zips upright and remarks that people here are “very friendly.” I wonder what other horrors she’s seen.
Of course, the above clip is emblematic of Oblivion’s most loveable quirk - the one where NPCs unexpectedly zoom upright and begin conversation immediately. I’ll leave some of those examples below because they’re all must-watches.
Leaks from last year suggest thatBethesda plans to remaster or potentially remake Oblivionalongside Fallout 3. But having been reminded of the former’s unintentional comedy, my question becomes: is it really needed? I imagine that a modern update would only smooth over the quirky edges and iron out the bugs that led to Oblivion becoming such a surreal romp.
The Elder Scrolls 6 will apparently continue Skyrim’s magic system, according to one former Bethesda lead.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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