In 2011 , Bethesda Game Studios released a new title: Skyrim . It was the fifth installment in a series of fantastic RPG games that began in 1994 as a digital version of a good game of Dungeons & Dragons , but Skyrim had something different. Many years have passed since we were introduced to the dovahkiin , the Dragon’s Blood , and despite the large number of games that have come out since then it seems that the gamer community refuses to forget about Skyrim . What does this game have to be able to resist The passage of time?
Old school epicity
Fantasy and role-playing stories seem to have a series of basic elements that make it up and shape it in different ways . The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took all of those elements, adapted them to its own narrative tone, and packed them into a massive story with classic tale strokes rarely seen that way. Of course, our protagonist turns out to be the only one capable of facing the many threats that populate the land of Skyrim and thus, like someone who does not want it, begins an adventure worthy of being sung for eons.
The main story revolves around the mission that, as the Dragon Blood that we are, we must carry out: kill the fearsome Alduin, the devourer of worlds , so that he stops resurrecting dragons while he tries to destroy Skyrim. If dealing with dragons using our weapons and magic could already be attractive to any fantasy player, keep in mind that it is only a small percentage of how much this game offers . In addition to short (and repetitive in some cases) side quests, Bethesda brought together all the elements of any adventure worth its salt and designed an elaborate story system that included political intrigue, treasure hunts, exploration … Skyrim was presented as a living world and changing in which the player could intervene as they wanted.
While it seems impossible not to think of the works of Tolkien (or perhaps those of George RR Martin) when we are faced with a world like this, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim went even further and gave a twist to the legends of the ancient and medieval world . If the world of The Elder Scrolls is called Tamriel, Skyrim is the northernmost region of this and for that reason, we believe that with very good sense, Bethesda reinterpreted the legends and creatures of Norse mythology to design the places we crossed and the characters we meet. They also made our character a Sigfrid of the Nibelungs, the hero who is at the center of all problems .
Skyrim exudes an unmistakable aroma of a classic epic narrative , employing solid and well-constructed formulas that are probably one of the key elements in understanding the timelessness of this game. A good story is a good story, no matter how many times it is told.
Total immersion
In role-playing games, players take on the role of a character . They can choose their race, class, appearance, and abilities so that their role in the game fits their own style as closely as possible. Skyrim , as a good RPG that it is, allows us to design our character from start to finish and we are not talking only about physique .
Through a complex skill tree, the player has the opportunity to choose how he wants to play the game . Some will prefer to attack from a distance with a bow or master magic, while others will launch into combat wielding one- or two-handed weapons. In Skyrim there are no classes, but it is the player himself who chooses how he wants his character to be and which fields he prefers to master . This freedom surpasses combat skills and makes the title an immersive experience like few others: you can learn blacksmithing, alchemy, mining, thief skills, persuasion, marrying, buying houses … In addition, there are certain moments in which we will have to make decisions that they will affect the world around us. Life in Skyrim is to be lived .
And this 360-degree experience is completed with something that cannot be missing in any open world game worth its salt. The Skyrim region is made up of humble villages and big cities, green forests, mountainous areas, icy snowy terrain, caves and dungeons that go a long way if you really want to fully squeeze yourself ; all of them contributing something different and enriching the player’s passage through these places. And while they represent a considerable area of land to travel (first on foot or on horseback and then with fast trips), wandering through them is another great attraction due to the careful detail with which Bethesda designed its world, worth taking a look at. I take a break from time to time to appreciate the landscape, talk to people or discover the history of these lands .
Finally, you have to take into account how games of this type work. For the most part, these are single player titles with such a vast world to explore and so many things to do that you end up fully immersed in the story . In a similar way to how the cinema can do it, these games temporarily isolate the player from the outside world and involve them in what they are experiencing, assuming the role of the character and thus obtaining a much more immersive, complete and satisfying experience.
A constantly expanding world
If there’s one thing practically everyone who’s played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim jokes about, it’s the game’s extension. It takes hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in front of the screen to discover all the locations, collect all the items, and complete the game’s many main and side missions. Many people have likely been playing Skyrim since its launch and still have things to do .
If the content offered by the game in its original version was not enough, over the years new ways to enjoy the title have appeared . Let’s talk first about the “official” ones, those developed and promoted by Bethesda or with its permission. Within this subgroup we find the DLCs (expansions that expand the experience with new missions, skills, areas and objects), the new editions adapted to more recent generations of consoles or remastered with graphical improvements and the mods , which mainly served to get more details realistic in textures .
The other great piece of content that has helped keep Skyrim alive has come from the fans . Since its launch, anonymous people (heroes for some) have put their knowledge at the service of the gamer community to be able to modify the game with elements of all kinds . From historically correct weapons and armor, to a version in which the protagonist fights against vampires from the Castlevania game, whip in hand, or a fun change from dragons to the locomotive from the children’s series Thomas & Friends . These years have given much and as people’s creativity has no limits, we recommend researching the web so that each one decides which one to stay with.
Long live the Dragon Blood
In 2011, Bethesda Game Studios released a new title: Skyrim . It was a fantasy RPG like any other that could be played at that time or that would be played in the following years , but something made it sink in the public like no other. T he Elder Scrolls V became a worldwide phenomenon to which the gamer community would appreciate the experience it offered and thus recognize the work of the studio . We keep talking about Skyrim because even today it has a lot to say; because the epic of their history and the richness of their world were at a very high level and they became references of the genre.
Like that book that we never tire of reading or the movie that we have seen dozens of times, Skyrim is a timeless adventure. Long live the dovahkiin , Dragonborn.
