Verdict
Skyrim’s innovative open-world RPG boasts incredible worldbuilding, music, graphics, and gameplay that was ahead of its time. It still holds up today, despite a buggy experience.
Hey, you, you're finally awake. These are the opening words of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and, through pop culture, show the impact of the game on the open-world RPG genre. Skyrim brought us exactly the right thing at exactly the right time, launching both itself and the genre into the realms of legend. You'd be hard-pressed to find a gamer alive who doesn't love this game, or at least one who doesn't acknowledge its widespread impact.
I distinctly remember the first time I ever tried the game, and the feeling that sticks with me now is awe of the sheer magnitude of it. It was my first time grappling with the idea that I was not playing levels or stages of a game, but I was inside the game, fully inside of it. Of course, there have been hundreds of open world games since, and many of them have larger maps - but rarely does one feel as full and fleshy as Skyrim. It's not just the sheer number of things to do and see around the map, but also the heart put into it. It feels like every little dungeon and every odd shrine serves a purpose.
I might be getting ahead of myself, because Skyrim doesn't just excel at the macro level. To create open-world magic, developers have to immerse players. That to me is what a successful open-world looks like, and this is the marriage that Skyrim drew me in with. Because, while the map is huge and impressive, the attention to detail is present in every aspect of the game. On my very first run, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the number of customization choices for my character - could I be Imperial in race but a Stormcloak by allegiance? Could I change my character's design after she was finished? Why are there fifteen different nose options?
Aside from the character customization, there are a ton of features to enjoy. The voice acting is rich and meaningful, the animations for the magic are enrapturing, and the soundtrack perfectly peaks and ebbs at the right moments, while providing that epic feeling that you're looking for. Plus, though it isn't as impressive as the graphics of later games, it still looks pretty damn nice. I also think the game is well-balanced, with a great skill tree system that still produces iconic memes today. The combat is just the right amount of fun versus difficult, and the story - well, we need to take a moment to appreciate this.
Whenever I loaded up my fun dragon magic game, I became increasingly aware that the story behind the joy was actually a gripping take on rebellion, revolution, and racial conflict. You'll likely be aware that you can hear lines like, 'Skyrim belongs to the Nords' whenever you run into battle, but townspeople also participate in the racism. On one hand, Ulfric Stormcloak is a fun, wild-card character, but I personally couldn't tolerate the racism he and his followers showed, forcing me into the arms of the Imperials, who I didn't love because I distrusted them. Often in these types of games, you're kind of not supposed to side with the establishment, yet there I was.
Even so, I grew to like the Imperials, and the fact that I still feel so strongly against the Stormcloaks nearly fifteen years after the game's release tells you a thing or two about the story progression. The other aspect of this that I respect is that you can choose not to do this quest entirely. I think a first-time player skipping it would be a mistake, but I think it's good to allow returning players the option to back out.
The combat is an interesting and dynamic experience, with the typical RPG options to use magic or a good ol' fashioned sword, but with an extra dragon-themed twist in the form of the Dragonborn Shout. Great at getting you out of a pinch, this mechanic is pretty useful, and you can unlock more Shouts as you progress, leading you to be able to choose the best for any scenario. Also useful is the option to bring along a friend wherever you go, and there's a vast array of fun followers to choose from - from your dog to your Housecarl.
Speaking of Housecarls, I had my main character marry her Housecarl, Lydia, and though they settled in Whiterun, the intrigue of the romance options is limited. Subsequent editions of Skyrim, such as the tenth anniversary edition, sought to improve this by bringing more extensive housing, families with children, and a variety of stronger items to players. It also brought the extremely active Skyrim modding community into the game in a more official capacity, with the Creation Club. The feature boasts a few dozen mods that Bethesda commissioned, and is well worth the upgrade with additional characters, locations, and quests, as well as those all-important weapons.
The only real issue I have with Skyrim is that the game is too good. Hear me out. The title is good enough that Bethesda doesn't need to fix the many, many bugs - people lap it up anyway, dropping money on a 14-year-old game in a heartbeat. The bugs don't render the game unplayable by any means, but I can't tell you how many times I've been glitched in or out of a fight, or stuck in a cranny that means I have to reload my previous save, erasing hours of work. Some of the bugs that ruin my immersion, like giants causing NPCs to be flung into the sky, Bethesda announced it would keep on purpose for 'entertainment purposes'. Aside from this, the closest to a complaint I can find is that I dislike the dragon battles while you're unprepared and trying to traverse the map, but even then, Skyrim rewards you handsomely for your time and effort.
In short, Skyrim is the perfect game for everyone, in my opinion. It's good for dopamine lovers and relaxed gamers alike, for kids and adults both, and even for lore-lovers and haters equally. What you get out of the game is whatever you want it to be. It's an experience that reared the open-world genre and caused a slew of spin-off games. It's entrenched in gaming culture, and there's a reason for it. It's because Skyrim is genuinely just fantastic.
For more gaming wizardry, check out our lists of the best games like Skyrim and the best RPGs. For more to play on your Switch, head over to our list of the best Switch games.