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Disclaimer: If you haven’t finished The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, beware; there’s a bunch of spoilers in this article.
It was the strangest thing, looking out at Cyrodiil and knowing I would never see it again. I know, that sounds over-emotional, but hear me out; I know that at some point, I’ll turn on Oblivion and ride through Cyrodiil again, sure, but I’ll never see it in the same light. And not only because of the game’s conclusion, but because it’s clear from the plethora of previews I’ve watched for Skyrim (and would be without them anyway) that the next installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise is going to improve the series so much that Oblivion is going to be kind of unplayable.
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Seriously, how could I not be excited?
But still, why is that an upsetting thing? Skyrim is going to be awesome and I’m really excited to jump right into a vastly superior, way more polished, sandbox RPG adventure—I know that I am. So why did it matter when I left my house in Cheydinhal, jumping down from the second floor landing for the last time? Did I feel like I was leaving home? No—as much as I love video games, I’m not that far gone.
But I was leaving behind a part of my life. It was 2006 when I first played Oblivion. I escaped the Imperial Sewers and then immediately swam to Vilverin, where I remained for 8 hours (factor in occasional trips back to the Imperial City’s Market District to sell loot and buy supplies). After that, it was an on-again, off-again romance between Oblivion and me; I’d play it for months, but then, for example, a game like Bioshock would come out and I’d take a break for a year. Then I came back, only to take a break again for Fallout 3. Things kept going like that—a quiet love affair that didn’t take precedence over my real life (of course) but that happened around it all—an easter egg in the background of those memories. And a constant one because I kept going back to Oblivion—until now, two days before Skyrim. And only because we’re two days from Skyrim and I pushed myself to finish the rest of the game in time for Friday’s release. In a modern age of huge sandbox games, and with me at an age where I honestly pick only a few games to play each year because I just don’t have enough time or money to devote to the hobby, Oblivion never let me down. Even when I thought it did.
The best way I can explain how I feel about all of this is with a confession: when I started it, I hated the Shivering Isles DLC.
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It definitely started off really well, but I thought the wow factor dropped pretty quickly.
I didn’t think anyone was crazy enough—their dialogue was all confused and extremely annoying (particularly Sheogorath’s)—and the sights weren’t particularly crazy either (we had giant mushrooms instead of trees back home on Morrowind, thanks). But then I asked Sheogorath why he wouldn’t be around when his antithesis, Jyggalag, the god of order would invade and destroy his realm. He asked me if I really hadn’t “noodled it out yet,” and that was enough to tell me; he was Jyggalag. They were the same person, and I hadn’t realized. Suddenly, everything was different—this Madgod who I thought was so annoying was now asking me to kill him and take his place so that his realm wouldn’t be destroyed. And this DLC that I’d hated, and game I’d just wanted to finish before Skyrim on Friday caught me in the gut and forced me to slow down, to pay attention, and to care again. Still. Five years later.
So I did. I took my time in the last dungeon. When Jyggalag invaded, I wore my crown and wielded my staff when I walked out of the Palace to confront him, as Sheogorath now, not the man I had been. I defeated him and was amazed at the explanation for his being both Sheogorath and Jyggalag. And then I rode back through Cyrodiil, to the Imperial City, to the statue of Akatosh that had once been Martin Septim, to Sky Ruler Temple, to my home in Cheydinhal, and then through the Blackwood and back to my realm. When I got there, I made it snow in the Shivering Isles, as if to remind myself of how much had changed. And then I returned to the Palace in New Sheoth and sat on the my throne.
And after all of it, all I could think to say was thank you to Bethesda. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. I wouldn’t trade in those 271 hours for anything.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
