It’s Official: Oblivion Remastered Just Became The Best Remaster Ever

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Many remasters and reboots have given us cherished games in a fresh perspective, allowing us to relive these favorites on contemporary technology. For instance, Demon’s Souls on PS5, Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, along with the more recent Silent Hill 2. Each has strived to provide an updated experience of our beloved gaming past, yet none have quite followed the path taken by Oblivion Remastered.

Games frequently find themselves in a quandary, deciding whether to be labeled as a remake or a remaster. For instance, the examples given are remakes, whereas Oblivion Remastered is technically a remaster. However, it manages to straddle this divide and reimagines something just as we recall it, both in its entirety and preserving every original detail simultaneously.

Four Years Of Work On Something Mostly Unchanged

Regardless of whether Oblivion Remastered is considered a remaster or a remake, there will always be discussions about it. Here’s the breakdown: The core mechanics of the game remain unchanged, still utilizing Gamebryo engine as it has done since its initial release in 2006. However, the visual output of Gamebryo’s processing is handled by Unreal Engine 5 instead of being processed internally within the original engine. Essentially, this means that a game from 2006 is running on some of the most advanced, resource-intensive graphics software currently available.

This also explains why it doesn’t run especially well on consoles and PC right now.

This isn’t just about transferring the code to another location and suddenly having a 20-year-old game look like one from 2025, but rather. Although the main game remained largely unchanged to maintain its authenticity, Virtuos dedicated four years to this remaster, and a significant portion of that time was likely spent on creating new assets.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve been blown away by the fact that every detail in this game has been painstakingly recreated from scratch using Unreal Engine 5. This means that everything, from the shiniest swords to the rockiest rocks, is rendered just as it would have back in 2006, only with a modern shine. It’s an immense task, but one that the developers have taken on with unwavering dedication and passion, making this a truly faithful reimagining of the original game.

It’s Less Than A Remake, And That’s A Good Thing

Although everything has been rebuilt anew, the fundamental gameplay experience remains essentially unchanged, which is what sets Oblivion Remastered apart – and it’s this very fact that makes it a remaster rather than a full-fledged remake, making it unique in its own right.

The classic game still works on contemporary devices thanks to backward compatibility or streaming, but its visuals seem somewhat dated. Now, however, we’ve got Oblivion back again, looking much like we remember it, but with a fresh coat of paint for modern hardware. There have been minor adjustments to the leveling system and improvements across the board in terms of quality of life, making the gameplay smoother overall.

As a devoted fan, I must say that Oblivion Remastered truly embodies what a remaster ought to be, even setting the bar for future remakes. It’s as if the game we cherished has been given a new lease of life, draped in a loving layer of fresh polish. Playing Oblivion Remastered feels remarkably like stepping back into the world of Oblivion all over again, not like I’m experiencing a 2025 re-release.

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2025-05-02 01:04