Skyrim Fails
Right after the release of Skyrim, IGN gave the game a score of 9.5, awarded it "Editor's Choice," and praised it in every possible way. Now, two months later, the obligations to Bethesda have expired they have cooled down a bit and even published this article, where the author attempts to gather all the flaws of Skyrim in one text. Some of them may seem exaggerated, but overall, I believe the article is quite worth reading.
The [Elder Scrolls](/games?search=Elder Scrolls) V: Skyrim has become an object of adoration for both critics and casual RPG enthusiasts. However, while this game looks great, is engaging, and technically sound, it is far from being a perfect RPG. In fact, the developers at Bethesda have much to learn from other RPGs and even action games regarding the creation of a compelling story, balancing progression, and emotional engagement.
No Consequences.
It is very difficult to feel guilty while playing an evil character in Skyrim. In some games, killing left and right and other horrible deeds make players feel so guilty that they can't even look in the mirror. But in Skyrim, you can run through endless fields, brutally killing all the fluffy bunnies brave enough to block your way and feel perfectly fine. And if you suddenly want to turn an innocent Argonian into a leather purse or rob a blind man – go ahead. The feeling of guilt in your moral equation will be completely absent because in Skyrim, the consequences of bad deeds are almost non-existent.
Yes, it must be acknowledged that a killing spree will eventually attract the attention of the guards. But a minor bribe/fine, and you’re free from shackles and can stroll the streets again, whistling a cheerful tune. The removal of the meaningless good/evil scale that many other games suffer from is a step in the right direction, but there is nothing to replace it. Instead, to allow you to roam wherever you please as a true Hero of an RPG, Skyrim offers a static, consequence-free world that revolves around you. And as a result, no creature with vocal cords will miss the chance to shoot a generic line in your direction. All this works, say, in [Modern Warfare](/games?search=Modern Warfare), a game that is linear to the core, but what about the skies of Skyrim? No, not there. And that’s just the beginning.
For example, you’ve become the leader of the Dark Brotherhood. There’s enough blood on your hands to paint an entire city with traffic jams of fire trucks in the streets. But you can calmly join the relatively good Companions and then lead them, and no one will even bat an eye. It’s like the Justice League suddenly rolling out the red carpet for Lex Luthor. Moreover, once you become the leader, you can just bail and not look back. Of course, no one will care. The world is on pause again.
Unbalanced Progression.
Skills and leveling stumble about the same way. For practically everything you do, the game rewards you with a nebulous amount of experience points, but the world reacts only to your immediate level, regardless of whether you earned it through endless battles or something else.
So, even if you picture yourself as Mr. Pacifist Kuznetsov, you will still remain a Badass-Epic Hero in the game, an inevitable consequence of which will be the hordes of high-level monsters eager to feast on you. Typically, this results in an uncomfortably swift death at the hands of any beast that suddenly decides to show you who’s on top of the food chain. Sometimes, however, you may find yourself easily killing dragons, yet some Tony Tiger Slayer or another nasty creature from the nearby woods may shred you into tiny icy pieces. And your heroic deeds won’t seem all that epic anymore.
Weak Combat System.
Meanwhile, battles still rely on an archaic hack 'n' slash mechanic that seems completely outdated compared to other RPGs, like [Dark Souls](/games?search=Dark Souls). Yes, enemies this time react to sword strikes to the groin, but you know, in our industry, such enemies have been around for about ten years or so.
Stealth also looks like it came straight from the mid-nineties when even [Metal Gear Solid](/games?search=Metal Gear Solid) wasn’t out yet. Very often, the behind-the-scenes dice rolls affect the outcomes more than your actions, creating a feeling of disconnection from the events. It is precisely at those moments that the magnificent facade of high fantasy slips away from Skyrim, leaving nothing behind but a limp collection of zeros and ones.
Now compare this timid step forward, for example, with the incredible difference between the original [Deus Ex](/games?search=Deus Ex) and [Deus Ex: Human Revolution](/games?search=Deus Ex: Human Revolution). The industry is not stagnant, but Bethesda’s core RPG mechanics – as seen in their games from Morrowind to [Fallout: New Vegas](/games?search=Fallout: New Vegas) – continue to exist in their little bubble, as if unaware of the latest advancements like user-friendly interfaces and a stealth system that doesn't require “verbal notification” to players that they can be seen. And what do we get in the end? Chaos instead of clear options. Resistance where there shouldn’t be any.
Powerless Players.
In an attempt to give players everything in the world and new skates to boot, while freeing them from any obligations – does this mean we can lead any organization or will we clumsily search for the right spell in an extensive list – Skyrim renders us powerless. Our actions cannot affect this ancient world, nor does the world affect us. It’s as if you’re standing drooling next to a bakery window.
What’s worse is that, when Skyrim finally balances on the edge of being able to give players real, tangible consequences, we are, alas, left with a false sense that something exceptional might happen at any moment. For instance, you probably have knocked down more than one bandit to the point of crawling the ground and begging for mercy. Maybe at first you even tried earnestly to give them a chance. After a while, however, they merely get up, mumbling something like “I won’t let it end like this!” and jump onto the blade of your sword. These bandits, of course, die once and for all, but the status quo remains and continues to fight.
Now imagine what it would be like if Bethesda didn’t merely tease us with such moments? Perhaps the spared enemies could one day join you in gratitude for not skewering their faces with arrows, causing them to look like walruses in their last moments of life. Others might escape and even bulk up a bit before seeking revenge. The same goes for the families of innocent people you’ve killed. How much more tense could unexpected dragon battles be if you knew some self-proclaimed avenger was tailing you?
Skyrim comes closer than any other game to creating a believable world. But only by getting so close to the ideal do we understand that we still have a long way to go.