With the lid lifted offOblivion Remastered, fans ofMorrowind’s successor and new players alike should soon be able to dive into one of Bethesda’s most beloved games. Almost 20 years old now, plenty of currentElder Scrollsfans have not played the game, likely because they were introduced to the franchise throughSkyrim, and this is an excellent chance for them to see what makes it so beloved.
But there’s one game in the series that is arguably in need of a remaster or remake far more thanOblivion. The game that establishedThe Elder Scrollsas a titanic franchise, the one that codified what is canon today, and has been left behind on some very old console hardware. A full-blown remake would breathe so much new life into the ash-choked wastes of its setting, and that setting is none other thanThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind.
Oblivion Remastered Should Have Passed the Baton to Morrowind
The project has been hinted at for a long time now, but whenscreenshots ofOblivion Remasteredemerged early, the internet was introduced to the first proof of the remaster. Showing Cyrodiil in beautiful detail, the community was overwhelmingly excited to jump into this refreshed look atThe Elder Scrolls 4.
As much as this is a landmark moment that could makeOblivionmore accessible to newer players, it almost feels like a missed opportunity that it wasn’t aMorrowindremake.Morrowindis an iconic RPGreleased all the way back in 2002, laying the groundwork not just for the rest ofThe Elder Scrolls, but also a legacy that spawned so many new games taking inspiration from it.
Morrowind Would Be Incredible if Made for Modern Hardware
Morrowindestablished the unforgettable Dunmer aesthetic, delving into deeply alien concepts that enriched its fantasy landscape with a taste of something truly weird. Chitinous bugs of all sizes and the eccentric fashion of Dark Elf society made it feel like no other game, but the rendering capabilities of the time could only capture a fraction of the detail in Michael Kirkbride’s concept sketches. IfSkyrimmods like Armors of the Velothiare anything to go by, a modern rendering ofMorrowindwould be breathtaking, and sit very well in a cultural landscape that encourages weirder projects like theDunefilms.
The hardware of the time, particularly the PS2 and Xbox, heavily limited the scope of such an ambitious game. One of the legacy features that the game is stuck with today is its load zones, breaking up the open world, which a remake would have to change. While the game was restricted to just the island of Vvardenfell, a particularly ambitious remake could possibly branch the map out, such as theMorrowind Rebirthmodcovering the entire province.
It wasn’t just the iconic art that cementedMorrowindas a genre-defining title. Fans of the game today can look past the graphical and technical limitations to appreciate the depth of its story.Morrowindwas responsible for the deep, complicated lore ofThe Elder Scrollstoday, retconning a lot of the stuff that felt out of place from past entries. The iconic characters, rich history of Morrowind, and mad musings of the36 Lessons of Viveccould all do with being introduced to more modern audiences.
Morrowind’s Role-Playing Depth Would Be Perfect in Today’s Gaming Landscape
Morrowindis still held up to this day for its role-playing opportunities. There are few limits to what a player can do, and in stark contrast toSkyrim, the game is more than willing to let players live with the consequences of their actions. If a player wants to murder an important quest giver, then they can. The more intricate world ofMorrowindwould fit in very well today, as many RPGs seem to be incorporating deeper role-playing systems, such asAtomfall, which emphasizes choice and consequence, andKingdom Come: Deliverance.
Morrowind’s mechanics would certainly be in need of an update. The game definitely shows its age in a number of areas, but combat in particular would need a massive overhaul. However, rather than just replacing it with a version of combat likeSkyrim’s, there would be an opportunity to develop two versions of the system. One version could bring pure action-combat to the game, whereas the other could lean into the original’s TTRPG-inspired randomness, fleshing it out with more variables while keeping the original spirit alive.
The tale of the Nerevarine, Dagoth Ur, and the Tribunal will have to wait for now, but it could be so good if it ever became real. Perhaps one day,Morrowindwill get the remake it deserves, but until then,Oblivion Remasteredwill immerse fansin a marginally more recentElder Scrollsgame.
