When Bethesda unveiled Oblivion Remastered earlier this week, it was nothing short of a revelation. The 2006 journey through Tamriel, once characterized by its quirky, potato-faced characters and blurry, low-resolution landscapes, has been transformed into the most visually stunning entry in the Elder Scrolls series. Having grown accustomed to the often underwhelming results of HD remasters like the Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Dark Souls Remastered, which barely differ from their Xbox 360 counterparts, the sight of the Imperial City rendered in Unreal Engine 5 with ray tracing left me in awe. Beyond the visual upgrades, the game also boasts enhancements in combat, RPG systems, and numerous other details. This led me to question whether Bethesda and the project's developer, Virtuos, had misnamed it. Shouldn't it be called Oblivion Remake instead of remastered?
It turns out, I wasn't alone in this sentiment. Many fans have labeled it a remake, and even Bruce Nesmith, the senior game designer of the original Oblivion, remarked that "I'm not sure [the word] remaster actually does it justice." Despite my initial skepticism about the term 'remaster', after spending several hours playing, it became clear that while Oblivion Remastered may look like a remake, it fundamentally plays like a remaster.
The reason *Oblivion* looks like a remake is straightforward: Virtuos has meticulously redesigned every single asset from scratch. Visually, it's all new—from trees and swords to crumbling castles. This overhaul ensures *Oblivion* meets modern graphical standards, with beautifully textured environments, stunning lighting, and a new physics system that realistically simulates the impact of arrows and weapon strikes. Even though the NPCs are the same characters from 2006, their models are entirely new creations. This impressive transformation aims not to replicate the nostalgia of the past but to achieve visual excellence by today's standards. Had I seen it before the remaster rumors, I might have mistaken it for *The Elder Scrolls 6*.Yet, it's not just the visuals that have been updated. Combat mechanics have been refined, making swordplay feel more substantial than before. The third-person camera now includes a functional reticule, improving gameplay. Every menu, from the quest journal to dialogue and the lockpicking and persuasion minigames, has been given a fresh interface. The original, problematic leveling system has been replaced with a more coherent hybrid of Oblivion and Skyrim's approaches. And finally, players can sprint, adding to the list of significant gameplay improvements. With all these enhancements, one might still argue that we're in remake territory.
However, the debate about whether Oblivion Remastered is a remake or a remaster touches on broader industry semantics. There are no strict definitions for these terms, and publishers often use them interchangeably. For instance, Rockstar's "Definitive Edition" remasters of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy still retain their blocky PlayStation 2-era aesthetics with only upscaled textures and modern lighting. In contrast, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, also called a remaster, features entirely new graphical assets, resembling a modern game. The situation becomes even more complex with remakes: Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls by Bluepoint are rebuilt from the ground up yet remain faithful to the original experiences, while Resident Evil 2 redesigns the interaction within the game's structure. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth go further, overhauling design, script, and story beats. All these are considered remakes, yet they share little common ground.
Historically, a game rebuilt from scratch in a modern engine was labeled a remake, while remasters were seen as more limited upgrades within the original technology's scope. This distinction is becoming outdated. A more relevant definition today might categorize a remaster as a graphical overhaul that preserves the original game's design with some quality-of-life improvements, while a remake redesigns the game entirely. This would reclassify Demon's Souls and Metal Gear Solid: Delta as remasters, reserving the term 'remake' for games that offer new interpretations of old ideas.
New lighting, fur, and metallic effects are just the tip of the iceberg of Oblivion Remastered's changes. Image credit: Bethesda / Virtuos
Given these definitions, Oblivion Remastered is aptly named. While its new assets and Unreal Engine 5 ray tracing give it a fresh look, the core gameplay and mechanics are unmistakably from the 2000s. As Bethesda stated, "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 essence of that earlier era is evident in the game's numerous loading screens, the perplexing persuasion minigame that remains disconnected from conversations despite its updated interface, the simplistic city designs that resemble stage sets, the stilted NPC movements and dialogue, and the combat, which, despite upgrades, still feels somewhat detached. Even the game's quirks and bugs are preserved, adding to its charm.
Recently, Obsidian's Avowed showcased a futuristic take on some Elder Scrolls elements. Its dynamic combat and exploration mechanics make Oblivion Remastered feel dated by comparison. Yet, Oblivion Remastered still offers much in 2025. Its world retains its magical allure, with vast, Rohan-like fields filled with mysteries. Its ambition shines through in features like the dynamic goblin wars and its engaging quest structure, which surpasses Skyrim's repetitive dungeon missions. The game's old-school approach to player freedom feels refreshing in an era of more guided gameplay. However, its dialogue, system integration, and level design show their age. A true remake would have updated these aspects, but Oblivion Remastered is about reliving the original experience, hence its name.
AnswerSee ResultsVideo games often borrow terminology from other media. In film, remakes are new productions with new casts, crews, scripts, and sets, while remasters are existing films enhanced to meet modern visual standards. Even with 4K restorations, classics like Jaws and The Godfather remain unmistakably 1970s products. Oblivion mirrors these Blu-ray restorations of classic films, pushing visual quality to the limit by recreating its exterior in a new engine. Yet, underneath, it's still a product of the 2000s. As Alex Murphy, executive producer at Virtuos, aptly put it during the reveal stream: "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 lives up to its name and should be celebrated for its achievements. Rather than insisting it's a remake, we should use it as the benchmark for remasters from other major AAA developers. This is the level that Mass Effect Legendary Edition should have reached, and what Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy should have been, instead of feeling like a mere cash grab. Oblivion Remastered combines the look of a passionate remake with the heart of a lovingly preserved remaster, and that's exactly what it should be.
