Summary
Stepping foot into Cyrodiil all these years later, wandering the cobbled roads to the tune of Harvest Dawn, has been blissfully nostalgic. But it’s hard to deny thatsome of the original’s charm has been lost, whether it’s the more vibrant colours or the personable UI that felt like flipping through pages in a homespun journal.
Thankfully, if you’re on PC, there are a bunch of mods that bring theOblivionremaster closer to its 2006 counterpart.
The Classic Main Menu Remade In 5k
What better place to start than with the main menu, where every Oblivion playthrough begins? In the remaster, it has been swapped for a minimalist design, with the new animated cover art being far less subtle than the high fantasy backdrop of the original, which comprised a paper map and leatherbound border. Cerebii, a prolific Bethesda modder, has remadethe classic main menufrom the ground-up for the remaster in stunning 5k.
Bringing Back The Original HUD
And while we’re on the topic of UI, we haveWinterElfeas' “Simple Classic HUD” mod, which makes the remaster’s health bar, compass, and dialogue feel closer to the 2006 release, as opposed to the moreSkyrim-inspired layout. It’s a small tweak, but one that goes a long way in making Oblivion feel more like Oblivion.
It Wouldn’t Be Oblivion Without The Painterly Loading Screens
Another mod that makes the remasterfeelmore authentic isslowpard’s “OG Loadscreen Replacer”, which brings back the framed paintings depicting various iconic locales from across Cyrodiil, such asthe burning ruins of Kvatch.
Granted, the new loading screens have a charm of their own, retaining the original style with handdrawn artwork on parchment, strewn across a table. I’m inclined to stick with them, as the restored loadscreens from slowpard use the old Oblivion models, so it’s a little jarring. But if you’re looking to make the remaster look closer to the original, this is a must-have.
Handwritten Letters Go A Long Way For Immersion
slowpard also released a mod that replaces the in-game font used for journals and letters withone that looks more handwritten, befitting the original style. It’s a huge step forward in making the game feel closer to its high fantasy inspirations, but it’s far less legible than the bolder typeface in the remaster. Personally, I prefer the new approach, but if you’re an original purist, it’s another mod worth grabbing.
Fixing The Washed Out Colour Palette Of The Remaster
Overhauling the UI is crucial to making the remaster feel more faithful, but arguably the most important aspect is the environment, which has been dulled in the remaster somewhat. There are a few attempts to remedy this, but none beatLogriff’s “Ayleid Reshade”, which washes away the brown filter to make the blue skypop,with more vibrant green grass bringing the vast forests and fields of Cyrodiil to life.
Speaking Of Colour: What About The Dark Brotherhood?
You might not think that the Dark Brotherhood are one for colour, given the whole shrouded in secrecy, murder-y cult thing they’ve got going on, but the original Oblivion armour was far more vibrant, with the leather dyed a subtle purple and red.Prohagon has worked to bring back this colour palette for the remaster, while retaining the revamped style of the new set.
There’s also a mod thatrestores the classic Blackwood Company armour.
The New Voices Are Nice, But If You Want Oblivion As It Was, There Are Options
Not only does the Oblivion remaster revamp the visuals and certain mechanics, but it also introduces new voice lines befitting each race. However, if you’d rather experience Oblivion as it was with its original cast and nobody else, there are, of course, mods that remove the new dialogue.Noobatron22 brought back the original Aldos Othran, choosing to keep the “variety” Virtuos brought to the game, but if you’d ratherallthe voice lines be replaced with their original versions, thenAnduric312 has you covered.
As the game only just came out, the modding scene is still in its infancy, but already fans have managed to make Oblivion Remastered feel more like the 2006 classic we all fell in love with nearly two decades ago. So, if you’d rather enjoy a more authentic trip down memory lane, try these mods out.
