Amazingly, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is real and available right now. While the game's title seems to imply it's a mere upscaled version of the original with higher framerates and quicker load times, it is actually a full-blown remake, built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. As a result, fans can expect a lot to have changed from the original Oblivion experience, from combat to audio and exploration. Fortunately, a lot of the beloved and iconic jank still made the cut.

A lot of these significant changes are what have ultimately made Oblivion Remastered one of gaming's most successful shadow drops, proving that the marketing strategy can work, especially when some very handy leaks start showing up a few months beforehand. Of course, not everyone will be sold by the game's dedicated presentation, and will want to know exactly what has changed before spending $50 on it. Luckily, there are so many amazing changes that, even individually, would make this a game worth buying.

10 Massively Overhauled Visuals

It Has Been Built In Unreal Engine 5

Obviously, one of the biggest changes from the original Oblivion experience - and the feature that has made Oblivion Remastered one of the most successful remakes of all time - is its massively improved visuals. Built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, Oblivion Remastered has completely remade Cyrodiil. Unlike some remasters and remakes that make a game appear as you it, Oblivion Remastered looks far better than anyone had anticipated and even better than Bethesda's own AAA title, Starfield.

Every asset has been completely remade, but that doesn't mean that the charm and bizarre nature of Oblivion's visuals have been lost. Virtuos and Bethesda ensured to retain the same charming, almost cartoonish look of the original experience, which has resulted in an almost photo-realistic experience that skews more on the uncanny valley side in perhaps the best way possible. Suffice it to say, as great as Oblivion Remastered looks, it is nevertheless still Oblivion.

9 Completely New Character Models

From The Player To NPCs And Enemies

By far the biggest and most necessary visual upgrade that Oblivion Remastered makes is improving character models. Everyone, from random NPCs, enemies, and key story characters to the player themselves, has had a significant glow-up. Everyone still looks suitably bizarre, but significantly better than the original game. The awful character models in the original game are the feature that dates it the most, even more so than Morrowind or even Daggerfall, both of which are substantially older than Oblivion.

Each race has been somewhat redesigned, while still retaining the original look. The Khajiit don't look as off-putting, more resembling felines than ever before. Elves also look significantly better, with their long drooping faces appearing a tad more aesthetically pleasing. Interestingly, they didn't redesign them to look more like Skyrim's interpretation of each race, but instead just improved upon the art direction of the original experience, which is a really nice touch.

8 Virtuos Added A Whole New Voice Cast

New Cast Have ed

Oblivion Remastered has kept the original Oblivion's best feature: its voice acting. Much of the original dialogue, including all of the lines done by its A-list stars like Patrick Stewart, has made it into the full experience. Glarthir's creepy tone, the Imperial Watch guard's screaming at you whenever you commit a crime, and Sheogorath's delightful ramblings are all present and ed for. However, Virtuos and Bethesda have also added several new actors to the incredibly small cast to make the dialogue more varied.

It is no small secret that only a handful of people - including Todd Howard himself - voiced every character in the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In Oblivion Remastered, each race has a distinct voice, new actors have added extra lines of dialogue, and previously flubbed lines have been removed. It is a far more diverse and interesting cast, but fans of the original will need to adjust to all the new voices saying these iconic lines.

7 Audio Has Been Revamped Across The Board

New Combat Sounds, More Varied Voices Per Race, And More

In addition to adding new voice actors, Oblivion Remastered also improves on the original's audio across the board. Most notably, it adds actual sound effects to combat to make it significantly more weighty and impactful. The soundtrack has been remastered as well to better fit with the rest of the game's crisp and clean audio, and there are more sound effects while exploring, such as birds tweeting in the trees above and wind rustling through the tall grass.

The way the environment affects audio has also been changed. Characters behind walls or doors will now sound muffled, and voices in large spaces, such as a temple, will echo. It's all done to make the experience more immersive, and, while minor tweaks, help make it feel like a modern AAA game. In many respects, Oblivion Remastered's approach to audio is non-intrusive, something you'll likely never notice unless you have the two side-by-side, but it is nevertheless game-changing.

6 Players Can Now Finally Sprint

You Can Now Run Across Cyrodiil

Something you may not from the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is that you can't sprint. I had certainly forgotten that it was never in the game. You could, of course, level up your speed, which makes your character ridiculously fast. However, for those who didn't want to invest in that skill, they were completely out of luck. Fortunately, as much as it goes against the original's experience, Oblivion Remastered has added sprinting.

While some of the animations look a little goofy, the ability to sprint in Oblivion Remastered certainly helps make it feel more modern. It is a feature that everyone expects to see nowadays, so leaving it out could make the overall experience feel clunky for those who never played the original. Of course, for those who want to play without sprinting, it will almost certainly be possible through future Oblivion Remastered mod to remove it completely.

5 There Are Brand-New Combat Animations

It Has A More Modern Feel Now

Combat has also been completely revamped in Oblivion Remastered. While it is largely the same as all of Bethesda's games - you shouldn't expect Ghost of Tsushima levels of amazing melee combat in this - it is vastly better than the original Oblivion. This has largely been done through new combat animations, which make enemies feel more realistic and varied, and combat feel significantly less stagnant.

Spells feel more impactful and less like you're flinging something at someone, and enemies have flourishes to their moves, making them somewhat less predictable. Shooting a bow feels more weighty, new on-hit animations make every attack more impactful, and various effects, such as blood splatters and sparks flying whenever you hit something metal, all help to make combat a more enjoyable part of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion experience.

4 Improved Third-Person Camera Mode

It Feels Like A Legitimate Feature Now

While the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion had a third-person camera mode, it wasn't amazing. It was functional, but there's really no reason you'd choose to play that way. Fortunately, Oblivion Remastered has fixed that completely by implementing a far better third-person camera perspective. Now, the camera is centered over-the-shoulder, rather than being directly behind the player, and you'll move independently of the direction the camera is facing.

There's a crosshair when aiming with a bow now, which makes using it in third-person significantly more viable. In the Oblivion Remastered reveal, it was made clear that Virtuos wanted to replicate the third-person camera of Starfield to make it feel more in line with Bethesda's modern games. It absolutely has achieved that, and while it doesn't make Oblivion the best third-person video game ever made, it is a huge step-up.

3 Progression Has Been Changed A Lot

It Is More Akin To Skyrim's

Oblivion's progression wasn't terrible, but it often felt a little inconsistent. Of course, Oblivion Remastered has addressed it, but perhaps not in the way hardcore fans were hoping. Rather than improve upon the foundations of the original game's progression, Oblivion Remastered essentially merged it with Skyrim's to make it more player-friendly, accessible, and easy to understand for newcomers. It isn't worse by any means, just different.

In the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion experience, players would level up attributes by actively engaging with them - jumping to level up acrobatics, or using one-handed weapons to increase strength - and then gain skill points which they could apply to those set attributes. It was more limited and needed players to actively engage with the gameplay elements they wanted to level up, although it wasn't always as consistent as it sounded.

Now, players will unlock Virtues - skill points - which they can apply to any three attributes once they level up. This means that they can have more varied builds and won't get outclassed by enemies too quickly after having neglected certain skills. It is certainly fairer and easier to grasp, but perhaps makes for a less hardcore experience. Nevertheless, newcomers and those who have only played Skyrim will certainly gravitate towards it more.

2 The UI Has Been Entirely Overhauled

It Has Been Redesigned With The Original In Mind

Oblivion Remastered's UI has also been completely overhauled, although perhaps not as drastically as the game's visuals. Unlike The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's medieval aesthetic, Oblivion Remastered has a far cleaner UI. Menus are a lot easier to navigate and are clearly indicated at the top; there's little left to the imagination in of what each weapon does, and you can filter through items, making it easier to locate the one you need.

You can also open your inventory using the d-pad on a controller, the map is far easier to understand, there are a slew of new accessibility options, and so much more. This is definitely a huge improvement on the original - although ittedly far less stylish - and feels like a hybrid between the visual simplicity of Skyrim's UI with the medieval flair of Oblivion's.

1 Dialogue Mini-Game Is Much Easier To Understand

It's The Same Game With A Clearer Interface

The dialogue mini-game in the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion experience was very confusing. If you didn't look up guides on it, talking to NPCs could feel very overwhelming and, more often than not, result in an undesirable outcome. Fortunately, Oblivion Remastered has revamped the dialogue mini-game, at least visually. While the mini-game still functions in the same way - so fans will feel right at home - it has had a number of visual tweaks to ensure that it is easier to understand for newcomers.

Namely, after playing the mini-game with a particular NPC for long enough, their preferred options will be colored appropriately, to allow you to attain a better outcome. It is a small change, one that doesn't fundamentally ruin the original experience but makes it more accessible to a modern audience. That can be applied to a lot of the changes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered as it updates the incredible experience of the original game while retaining all of its charm, jank, and quirks.