I was once an adventurer like you until I took an arrow in the knee. Without a doubt one of the most iconic lines in gaming history, taken from a game as legendary as the line itself. Skyrim demonstrated how great open world fantasy games could look like and how magical it was to go on this journey. Skyrim showed us a world filled with magic, dragons and tons of interesting places to discover. Before Bethesda reveals the new solo adventure int The Elders Scrolls saga, it’s time to revisit Skyrim in this Special Edition.
Welcome back to the world of Skyrim
If you haven’t played Skyrim before, you’ll immediately understand why the game became this popular in the first place. The world of Skyrim is huge and there’s just something about the setting and atmosphere you simply can’t ignore. Fighting dragons is by far the most epic thing you’ll do in this game and it never gets old. The feeling you get when you’re forced to face the first dragon of the game is a feeling you simply can’t forget. Don’t worry, the Special Edition didn’t lose this vibe, it still offers the same amazing world and the thrilling story of Dovahkiin.
When Skyrim first released, it didn’t have competitors such as The Witcher 3, something the Special Edition does have to face. The Witcher 3 and Skyrim are two different games however and both are enjoyable in their own way. But there still is something about Skyrim that you can’t ignore. Maybe it’s the amazing soundtrack that creates this feeling, maybe it’s the thrilling story or maybe it’s that huge and interesting world itself. One thing’s for sure, if you like games with a huge open world, this is one you can’t ignore.
Graphical upgrade
Skyrim was a great looking game on consoles and thanks to the amazing mod community, it still looks great on PC. The Special Edition focusses on the new consoles however and brings some of the graphical updates to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gamers. One thing’s for sure, this Special Edition truly looks amazing. The new lighting and weather effects really create an impressive and trustworthy atmosphere. Thanks to this graphical boost, the game looks like something out of the real world. Fighting dragons with this level of details is impressive and it only makes the immersion a lot better.
Still a legendary journey
The only downside about the upgrade is that Bethesda didn’t upgrade everything as good as they could. The biggest issue is the animation of the characters, these stayed the same and don’t always look good. I understand that making these animations isn’t that easy, but in the end, I’m sure it would have been worth it. Aside from that, some environments, especially those inside houses and dungeons, don’t look as impressive as the rest of the game. That being said, the game certainly looks a lot better and is a true joy to play.
Let the modding begin
One of the biggest changes and improvements of this new Skyrim version is that you’ll be able to enjoy some of the great mods on your PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There only one issue here, Sony isn’t a fan of third-party mods for games on their system. This means you’ll be able to access fewer mods on the PS4 version than on the Xbox One version. If you like to mod your experience and own both consoles, it might be a better idea to go for the Xbox One game. Besides being very strict on the mods, PlayStation only allows files of 1GB max, while Xbox One supports mods up to 4GB in size.
While writing this review, a lot of the available mods right now offer small changes in dialogues or cosmetics but I haven’t found real ‘game-changing’ mods just yet. It’s almost certain that those bigger mods will always stay PC exclusive but it’s good to see some of the smaller mods appear on consoles. Mods aren’t necessary to enjoy the game but they can certainly improve your experience. Do hold in mind that you can’t gain trophies or achievements while using the mods.
A lot of content
As if the inclusion of modding wasn’t enough, Bethesda made sure gamers knew what to do when they decide to get this Special Edition. The three big DLC expansions ‘Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn’ are all added for free and truly add a lot of great content and new stories to the main game. This is perhaps the reason why a lot of gamers will want to replay Skyrim in the first place since not everybody bought the expansions in the past. The best thing about all three packs is that they offer a lot of new elements and insights to the already impressive world of Skyrim.
In Dawnguard, you’ll have to face a new danger in the world, vampires. The best part about this is that you can decide if you’re fighting with or against these vampires. As the Dragonborn, you truly have the power to decide your future and this expansion truly offers an interesting perspective on that power. Aside from that, Dawnguard offers fun new items and interesting new stories.
Dragonborn has you facing off with a dragon priest and his cult who can’t seem to agree with the role you’re playing as a true Dragonborn. Personally, this isn’t all that interesting but once again, the extra content does satisfy our thirst for more. The last pack ‘Heatfire’ introduces children to adopt and houses to create. If you want to create your own house in the gorgeous world of Skyrim, you’ll have to check this expansion out for sure.
Some frustrations
Although this remaster has a lot of great content to offer, it still struggles with some issues. First of all, there still are some unsolved bugs and glitches that result in walking through walls, freezing quests and more. It’s a shame that these bugs aren’t solved after all those years, we would have hoped for a more bug-free journey in the remaster. That being said, the biggest issues are resolved here but those smaller bugs can certainly take you out of the, otherwise great, immersion. Looking on the bright side, the loading times did improve and the game loads twice as fast as the original.
The biggest problem with the Special Edition is the way console gamers get charged for it. Paying the full price for a game this old just doesn’t feel fair, especially when you know that PC gamers can upgrade their Skyrim game for free if they own the original game. To make things even more frustrating, PC gamers can transfer their save files while console gamers need to restart from the start. Of course, transferring files from Xbox 360 to Xbox One or PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4 isn’t that easy but it would have been great to have!
Conclusion:
Skyrim Special Edition is a great game for those who haven’t played the original before. If you have played it and invested a lot of time in the console version, you still need to restart from the start if you’re playing on consoles once more. It’s a bit of a shame but nothing takes away the fact that Skyrim still is a very legendary game and it offers one of the best and most thrilling stories you can find in games, even after all those years.
8.5/10
