If you’ve ever wondered what the rest of Tamriel looked like during Mehrunes Dagon’s invasion, Bethesda nearly gave us the answer two decades ago. Back in the ’00s, it was experimenting with takingThe Elder Scrollsmobile, releasing a series of ‘Travels’ games that includeda bizarre isometric version of Oblivion. But not all of them made it to launch.
One such game, aPSPspin-off originally planned to launch in 2007, was quietly cancelled. In 2016, a playable build was finally unearthed and shared online, despite Zenimax’s efforts to take down all footage of the project. It became a little oddity for diehard series fans, but with the release of Virtuos' remaster, it’s back in the spotlight.
It Wasn’t Just Set In Cyrodiil
There is no fully playable build, just a beta version showing fragmented, work-in-progress snapshots from different parts of the game, but it does give us a good idea of what developer Climax Studio was planning. This spin-off, also titled ‘Oblivion’, was a linear RPG spanning ten levels that would’ve taken us throughout Tamriel on a mission for the Mage’s Guild to thwart Mehrunes Dagon’s invasion. We’d see a similar idea unfold inThe Elder Scrolls Onlinewhen the Fighter’s Guild takes on a contract to stop Molag Bal as he launches his Daedric anchors.
Like all Elder Scrolls games, the Oblivion spin-off opens with you as a prisoner, but it’s also set in a familiar-looking Imperial prison clearly based on The Elder Scrolls 4’s prologue. However, instead of Emperor Uriel Septim opening the door with his troupe of Blades, a cultist in red robes does the job, only to immediately be killed by a fireball. Stepping over his corpse, you fight through the corridors of the prison against scamps, goblins, and cultists, until eventually you run into a guard who explains that you may lower a bridge to escape.
Upon exiting the prison, you’re thrown straight into a plane of Oblivion, which is kind of like leaving the sewers in the main game, only to be met with Kvatch’s front gates. In the PSP game, however, you’re not exploring an open realm with several towers dotted about. Instead, you skulk through a hellish dungeon. But it ends the same, with you closing the gate and escaping, being heralded as the Hero of Rhalta.
18 of the original 21 skills were present.
Also included in the beta build is the hub area, Divine Square, which is reminiscent of Cloud Ruler Temple, albeit more lived-in. From here, you plot your course across Tamriel, visiting a few interesting spots, like Anticlere City. Overrun with Daedra, skeletons, and zombies, this settlement is the capital of the Iliac Bay in southern High Rock, and hasn’t been seen in an Elder Scrolls game since Daggerfall, meaning that this is the best look we’ve had at the city in 30 years.
It’s a fascinating insight into the wider world of Tamriel during one of its most pivotal events, but for whatever reason, the game was axed, and along with it, Bethesda’s experiment in mobile. But hey, now we have the Switch 2, what better time to bring back some of these forgotten gems, eh?
