"New Oblivion: Remake Look, Remaster Feel"

When Bethesda unveiled Oblivion Remastered earlier this week, I was astounded. The 2006 journey to Tamriel, once known for its quirky, potato-faced characters and blurry, low-resolution landscapes, has been transformed into the most visually stunning Elder Scrolls game to date. Despite my initial skepticism, fueled by previous underwhelming remasters like Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Dark Souls Remastered, the sight of the Imperial City rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 with ray tracing was breathtaking. Moreover, the game has been enriched with enhancements to combat, RPG systems, and numerous other details. This led me to question whether Bethesda and developer Virtuos had misnamed it. Shouldn't it be called Oblivion Remake?

I wasn't the only one with this thought. Many fans and even Bruce Nesmith, the senior game designer of the original Oblivion, suggested that "remaster" might not do justice to the extent of the changes. Yet, after several hours of gameplay, it became evident that Oblivion Remastered may look like a remake but it retains the essence of a remaster.

The reasons Oblivion appears as a remake are clear: Virtuos has meticulously redesigned every single asset from scratch. From trees to swords and crumbling castles, everything you see on screen is brand new. This overhaul meets modern graphical standards with exquisite textures, stunning lighting, and a new physics system that realistically affects the game world with every arrow and weapon strike. Even though the characters are familiar from 2006, every NPC model is newly created. This impressive transformation aims not just to evoke nostalgia but to meet 2025's graphical expectations. Had I seen it without prior rumors, I might have mistaken it for The Elder Scrolls 6.

Yet, it's not just the visuals that have been upgraded. Combat mechanics have been significantly improved, making swordplay feel more engaging and less like battling with balloons. The third-person camera now includes a functional reticule, and all menus, from the quest journal to lockpicking and persuasion minigames, have been refreshed. The original, cumbersome leveling system has been replaced with a more coherent blend of Oblivion and Skyrim's approaches, and players can now sprint. With such extensive visual and gameplay enhancements, one might argue it's firmly in remake territory.

However, the debate over whether Oblivion Remastered is a remake or a remaster hinges on semantics. The industry lacks clear definitions, with terms often used interchangeably. For instance, Rockstar's "Definitive Edition" of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy retains its blocky PlayStation 2-era look with only upscaled textures and modern lighting, while the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, also labeled a remaster, features entirely new graphical assets that give it a modern feel. Meanwhile, remakes like Bluepoint's Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls rebuild games from the ground up but remain faithful to the original experiences. Resident Evil 2 redesigns gameplay while maintaining the original structure, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth radically alter the design, script, and story.

Historically, a game rebuilt from scratch in a modern engine was considered a remake, while a remaster involved more limited upgrades within the original technology. But these definitions are becoming outdated. Today, a remaster might be seen as a graphical overhaul that preserves the original game's design with minor gameplay enhancements, while a remake fundamentally redesigns the game. Under this definition, Demon's Souls and Metal Gear Solid: Delta might be considered remasters, and the term "remake" would be reserved for games that offer new interpretations of old concepts.

New lighting, fur, and metallic effects are just the tip of the iceberg of Oblivion Remastered's changes. Image credit: Bethesda / Virtuos

Applying these definitions, Oblivion Remastered is aptly named. While it boasts new assets and Unreal Engine 5's ray tracing, it retains the core mechanics and structure of the original 2006 game. As Bethesda stated, "We looked at every part and carefully upgraded it. But most of all, we never wanted to change the core. It’s still a game from a previous era and should feel like one."

The hallmarks of that era are evident in the game's loading screens, the perplexing persuasion minigame, the simplistic city designs, the stilted NPC interactions, the still somewhat clunky combat, and the preserved bugs and glitches that add to the game's quirky charm.

Recent games like Obsidian's Avowed showcase modern advancements in combat and exploration, making Oblivion Remastered's features feel dated by comparison. However, Oblivion retains its magical allure, with its expansive fields and engaging quests that stand out even against Skyrim's more repetitive dungeon crawls. Its old-school approach to player freedom feels refreshing in today's more guided gaming landscape. Yet, the game's dialogue, interconnected systems, and level design are clearly from an earlier era. A true remake would update these elements, but Oblivion Remastered focuses on reliving the past.

In the world of film, remakes are entirely new productions, while remasters enhance existing films to meet modern standards. Oblivion is akin to a 4K restoration of a classic movie; it pushes visual quality to the limit but remains a product of its time. As Alex Murphy, executive producer at Virtuos, explained during the reveal, "We think of the Oblivion game engine as the brain and Unreal 5 as the body. The brain drives all the world logic and gameplay and the body brings to life the experience that players have loved for almost 20 years."

Oblivion Remastered is precisely what it claims to be, and its achievements should not be underestimated. It sets a new standard for remasters, one that other AAA titles should aspire to. Unlike the Mass Effect Legendary Edition or Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, which felt like mere re-releases or cash grabs, Oblivion Remastered is a labor of love that looks like a remake but plays like a remaster, honoring the original while bringing it into the modern era.