Delving deep into a dungeon while fighting off hordes of enemies only to find nothing of worth at the end of it has to be one of the worst feelings in gaming. Unfortunately,The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionis guilty of this. To make it worse, you also have to backtrack all the way to the entrance.
While the game got a visual and performance upgrade thanks to Oblivion Remastered, the devs wanted to ensure that the game is exactly how fans remember it, so if the dungeons annoyed you in the original, you’ll be annoyed in the remaster as well. However, while Bethesda only remastered it, theSkyblivionteam is working on improving every aspect of the game, including its dungeons.
Skyblivion Is Remaking Oblivion’s Dungeons As Well
Since Skyblivion is a remake, the devs are looking to remake the game from the ground up. This means that there won’t just be visual improvements, but even new features and level design that will enhance gameplay. One of the key areas that the devs are looking to improve upon is Oblivion’s dungeons, which are sometimes underwhelming and more of a chore than fun exploration.
In a conversation withPC Gamer, lead dev Rebelzize explained how Skyblivion will be looking to improve its dungeons from the original. “I think for a lot of people that play Oblivion now, it will be frustrating at times,” said Rebelzize, “there’s just old game design that doesn’t really translate anymore, and some of that is still present in the remaster from Bethesda themselves, because they’ve not remade it, which is a key difference [from Skyblivion], which is good for us.”
Unlike Oblivion Remastered, Skyblivion changes things up if there’s room for improvement. “We still have something to offer in that we have more or less redesigned every aspect of the game,” they continued. “We still have something to offer in that we have more or less redesigned every aspect of the game.”
Rebvelzize noted that “most of the time there’s nothing at the end. There’s no boss or loot or anything to make that delve rewarding. Then once you’ve done that very unrewarding delve, you have to backtrack all the way.”
“That’s something I’ve been trying to really hammer on with everyone in the teams, that we make the dungeons fun. And if a dungeon serves no other purpose than to just distract someone from what they’re doing, then it can’t just be a bear den—you know, with a really big black bear—at the end.”
