"New Oblivion: Remake Look, Remaster Feel"

When Bethesda unveiled Oblivion Remastered earlier this week, the announcement left me in awe. The 2006 journey through Tamriel, once characterized by its quirky, potato-faced characters and blurry, low-resolution landscapes, has now been transformed into the most visually stunning Elder Scrolls game to date. My experiences with previous HD remasters had set a low bar—Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Dark Souls Remastered were barely distinguishable from their Xbox 360 counterparts. Yet, seeing the Imperial City I explored nearly two decades ago rendered in Unreal Engine 5 with ray tracing was a sight to behold. Not only that, but the game has also seen enhancements in combat, RPG systems, and numerous other details. This led me to question whether Bethesda and the developers at Virtuos had misnamed it. Was this truly Oblivion Remastered or more of an Oblivion Remake?

It turns out I wasn't the only one pondering this. Many fans and even Bruce Nesmith, a senior designer on the original Oblivion, have suggested that "remaster" doesn't quite capture the scope of the changes. Despite my initial skepticism, after several hours of gameplay, it became clear that Oblivion Remastered indeed lives up to its name. While it may visually resemble a remake, the gameplay experience retains the essence of the original remaster.

The reason *Oblivion* looks like a remake is simple: Virtuos has rebuilt every single asset from scratch. Every tree, sword, and crumbling castle has been redesigned, meeting modern graphical standards. The game boasts beautifully textured environments, stunning lighting, and a new physics system that makes interactions with the world feel more realistic. Even the NPCs, while familiar, have been entirely recreated, aiming to meet the graphical expectations of 2025. If I had seen this before the remaster rumors started, I might have mistaken it for *The Elder Scrolls 6*.

However, the upgrades extend beyond visuals. Combat has been significantly improved, making swordplay more engaging. The third-person camera now includes a functional reticule, and all menus from quest journals to lockpicking minigames have been refreshed. The original leveling system has been replaced with a more intuitive hybrid of Oblivion and Skyrim approaches, and players can now sprint. With such extensive visual and gameplay enhancements, one might argue it's firmly in remake territory.

Yet, the debate over whether Oblivion Remastered is a remake or a remaster highlights the ambiguity in industry terminology. There are no clear definitions, and terms like "remake" and "remaster" are used loosely. For instance, Rockstar’s "Definitive Edition" remasters of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy are still visibly PlayStation 2-era games with updated textures and lighting. On the other hand, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, labeled a remaster, features all-new graphical assets and looks modern. Remakes like Bluepoint’s Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls rebuild games from the ground up but remain faithful to the originals, whereas Resident Evil 2 redesigns gameplay while maintaining the original structure. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth go even further, overhauling design, script, and story. These examples illustrate the lack of a unified philosophy for what constitutes a remake versus a remaster.

New lighting, fur, and metallic effects are just the tip of the iceberg of Oblivion Remastered's changes. Image credit: Bethesda / Virtuos

Applying these proposed definitions, Oblivion Remastered fits its name perfectly. While the new assets and Unreal Engine 5 ray tracing give it a fresh look, the core gameplay and mechanics remain rooted in the original game. Bethesda emphasized, "We looked at every part and carefully upgraded it. But most of all, we never wanted to change the core. It’s still a game from a previous era and should feel like one."

The hallmarks of that era are unmistakable. Loading screens are frequent, the persuasion minigame remains perplexing despite its updated interface, and the city designs feel simplistic. NPCs still move awkwardly and converse clumsily, while combat, despite upgrades, feels detached. The game retains many of its original bugs and glitches, preserving its quirky charm.

Comparing Oblivion Remastered to newer titles like Obsidian’s Avowed puts its age into perspective. Avowed showcases modern combat and exploration systems, making Oblivion's feel outdated. However, Oblivion Remastered still holds its own in 2025. The magic of its world, with its vast fields and myriad mysteries, remains enchanting. Its ambitious features, like dynamic goblin wars and engaging quest structures, still stand out. Yet, the game's finer details—like dialogue and system interconnectivity—reveal its age, and the level design feels antiquated. A true remake would have updated these elements, but Oblivion Remastered is about reliving the old.

What do you think the new Oblivion is? --------------------------------------

It's a remake. It's a remaster. It's a different thing and we need a new word for it.

AnswerSee Results

Video games often borrow terminology from other media. In film, remakes are new productions with new casts and scripts, while remasters are enhanced versions of existing films to meet modern visual standards. The 4K restorations of Jaws and The Godfather are excellent examples; they look incredible but are clearly products of the 1970s. Oblivion is akin to these restorations. It pushes the visual quality to its limits, using a new engine to recreate its exterior, but remains a product of the 2000s at its core. Alex Murphy, executive producer at Virtuos, provided a fitting analogy during the reveal: "We think of the Oblivion game engine as the brain and Unreal 5 as the body. The brain drives all the world logic and gameplay and the body brings to life the experience that players have loved for almost 20 years."

Oblivion Remastered is precisely what it claims to be, and this should not be seen as diminishing its accomplishments. Rather than debating whether it's a remake, we should use it as a benchmark for other AAA remasters. This is the standard that Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy should have aimed for. Oblivion Remastered is a labor of love, crafted with passion to look like a remake but preserved to play like the beloved remaster it is.