Skyrim
Producer: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: November 11, 2011
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Rating: Mature
Genre: Role-Playing Game
Heart of a Dragon
Written by Jesse Seilhan
When Bethesda decides to work on a new project, the gaming industry and die-hard fans wait with bated breath to see what dreamscape is being given a royal treatment. When the newest Elder Scolls game, Skyrim, was announced late last year, not only did expectations rise, so did fond memories of plunking down hundreds of hours into prior titles Morrowind and Oblivion, as well as the Fallout series. There are a few givens involved with their titles, all of which are shown off to a remarkable level in Skyrim. First is exploration, and with over 300 dungeons, towns, and areas to explore, players will find a universe of possibilities behind each door. Second is variety, in both character classes and skills to method of playing the game, allowing those who like to tread lightly in dark shadows the same benefits a mace-wielding orc would have. The element of relative fairness is key to this game’s impact, and its ability to achieve a balance between the myriad of possible play styles might be the most important strength.
Skyrim has dragons, hundreds of them, and fighting a dragon is not unlike fighting a Big Daddy in Bioshock in that the player must use every tool in their medieval toolbox. The winged demons swoop upon unsuspecting players (and foes) like a hawk nabbing a midnight snack, often times using fire as a warning shot. Seeing the townspeople’s reaction to a dragon attack is better than some Hollywood yarns, often making the player feel more involved than ever before. It’s that variety of experience that truly makes this game a modern marvel, allowing and encouraging players to experiment with a mix of magic spells, weapon mastery, and command over nature or the undead. Graphically, the game features stunning vistas and highly detailed models for almost all of the people, weapons, and armor. The sound is also impeccable as each shield bash and fire spell creates the correct clang or sizzle. It’s not blasphemy to call this game a Biblical experience: beyond the scope of the narrative, which harkens back to both religious texts and epics of yore, the breadth and width of this game is beyond expansive. In that same vein, trying to sum up a potentially 300-hour experience in a single review is impossible; it must be experienced to be understood.
The immersive nature of being the star in your own high-fantasy saga is the hook. Once you’ve slain your fair share of dragons and racked up various bounties by various gang leaders for various crimes, you start to feel like an important part in this ever-expanding universe. Your every action has a butterfly effect on the rest of the game, with decisions made in hour three somehow weaving and unweaving its way around another plot line thirty hours later. Thanks to the game’s “Radiant Story” system, players will literally never finish the game as the game randomly issues the player missions ad infinitum at various parts in the game. Your quest log does a great job explaining which missions fulfill main story, side-story, or guild missions from your miscellaneous fetch quests or random one-off encounters. Basically, your story is over when you say it is and no sooner. The main objective carries its own weight, but the tales etched into your tomb when you finally slay your last dragon will tell the true story of your legendary hero or villain. Skyrimtruly is a landmark title and if you consider videogames to be pieces of art, consider this the Rembrandt of the generation.