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Asking whetherOblivion Remasteredis a remake or a remaster may seem like a strange question at first. After all, it’s right there in the title. However, upon booting up the game, it quickly becomes clear thatOblivion Remasteredadds much more than just a fresh coat of paint, with various systems and assets having been completely rebuilt from the ground up.
Oblivion Remasteredimproves upon the original game in just about every measurable way, yet still manages to hold onto the charm that helped to make its twenty-year-old predecessor so popular among players. Despite what its title suggests,Oblivion Remasteredis as much a remake as it is a remaster, at least when compared to a lot ofother modern titles with the “Remastered” moniker.
Is Oblivion Remastered a Remake or a Remaster?
The Creation Engine is still right at the heart ofOblivion Remastered, driving all of the world logic and gameplay. However, the visuals are nowpowered by Unreal Engine 5, helping to push graphics to the next level and making it much easier to make improvements in other areas like lip-synching and lighting effects. In the words of the game’s executive producer Alex Murphy, the originalOblivionengine is the brain, and Unreal 5 is the body.
Oblivion Remasteredisn’ta remake likeFinal Fantasy VII Remake, where everything is redesigned from scratch, yet it offers far more than a standard remaster. It falls somewhere in between the two, with neither title quite right. It’s easy to see why Bethesda opted to go with remastered, though. Much of the reveal was spent emphasizing the fact thatOblivion Remasteredis stillOblivionat heart, and calling it a remaster supports this idea a lot more than calling it a remake would.
