First review

Just yesterday, I stated that the stream of previews would soon be replaced by a stream of full-fledged reviews, but I never thought it would happen so quickly. In any case, enough beating around the bush - here’s the translation of the first review of Skyrim - from Atomic magazine.

Before we begin, I must confess something: of all the [Elder Scrolls](/games?search=Elder Scrolls), I have only played Morrowind and Oblivion… and I didn’t like either of them. At all. I’ll go further – they are directly responsible for my dislike of the RPG genre. Then [Fallout 3](/games?search=Fallout 3) came out, and I thought Bethesda and I had become friends, but I still looked at fantasy RPGs with suspicion. Until recently.

So, I didn’t approach the task of playing Skyrim, the fifth game in the [Elder Scrolls](/games?search=Elder Scrolls) series, with particular enthusiasm. Will this game be the one that can turn the tide of my distrust? Or will I be throwing my gamepad at the wall again, furious at a gigantic crab that attacked me from behind without me noticing?

Fresh Faces

Skyrim begins with your character, who doesn’t even have a name, gender, or race yet, getting caught in some rather unpleasant circumstances: he is captured by guards along with a group of rebels, and to put it briefly, things look pretty bleak for him. After a rather impressive introduction to the current political situation (trust me, this part will seem very amusing in the game), you will be given a short introductory quest that will introduce you to the basics of gameplay and help you understand what you want from your character. Since the RPG system of Skyrim is based on skills rather than classes, there’s no need to worry too much – after the first mission, only your character’s gender and race will remain unchanged forever. There will be plenty of time and opportunities ahead to upgrade him as you wish.

As a small aside, it’s worth mentioning that during the first hour or so of the game, we replayed several times as different characters, and we found enough differences that this first hour still felt fresh and interesting even after multiple attempts. If you’re one of those who finds the introduction part tedious and completely uninteresting after a couple of playthroughs, just remember that it’s not that long.

The introduction deals with two major issues in Skyrim – the conflict between the Imperials and the rebels from the Stormcloak faction, as well as dragons. Lots of damn dragons. As with the other entries in the TES series, there’s a main plot you can follow, and this time it mainly concerns the study of the Dragonborn legends – people capable of using the dragon language to replicate dragon shouts that can damage various types of enemies and a host of other things. Right at the beginning of the game, it turns out that your character is Dragonborn, and since dragon souls are necessary to use the aforementioned shouts, you should prepare for some mass dragon-slaughtering.

Skills That Astound...

As I mentioned above, the RPG system in Skyrim is skill-based – there are no classes in the game (well, not completely… but you get what I mean). When you gain a new experience level, you can choose to increase health, magicka, or stamina, as well as a perk related to one of the 16 skill trees. New perk slots open up as you increase your skills, so to acquire them, you will still have to practice using a specific skill yourself or seek help from someone who can teach you. The perk system gives you even greater freedom to customize your character to your liking. For instance, you can increase your two-handed weapon skill, and then specialize in crushing weapon perks in the open slots, becoming a true warhammer demon. If you prefer guys in robes with hoods, you can, for example, upgrade your destruction skill and then specialize in frost spells using perks.

It’s a wonderful system that gives players considerable freedom and allows you to create a character that does exactly what you want and how you want. We tried several characters before settling on an orc – a hefty green-skinned battle machine. Our idea was to create a sort of battle mage – a character who excels in both sword and magic. In Skyrim, you can wield a sword in one hand while casting a spell in the other (a system somewhat reminiscent of [Bioshock 2](/games?search=Bioshock 2)), so this setup seemed quite natural to us. Eventually, our orc became a bookworm inclined towards stealth and blacksmithing, as well as battles with a fireball in one hand and a battle axe in the other. We chose heavy armor, thanks to our blacksmithing skills, and we even spent some time at a special table trying to make the armor more comfortable for a mage. Oh, and in true RPG fashion, our guy was completely incapable of saying “no.” Need to bring a bow and cabbage? He’s on it. Need to help a group of werewolf hunters? This is exactly the orc you need. Seriously, sometimes you wonder why the character couldn’t be a bit more discerning...

Wild and Expansive World

The term “open world” in relation to computer games is used by everyone today, but when it’s the guys from Bethesda speaking, they really know what they’re talking about. Skyrim doesn’t skimp on size, so be prepared for long walks to discover its new areas. You can use various forms of transportation to fast travel to the largest cities, and from there, you can start exploring the world on foot or acquire a horse somewhere (not necessarily using legal means). However, it is the walks that bring the most joy due to the stunning landscapes crafted by Bethesda. The Creation Engine, among other things, allows for dynamic weather conditions that can be incredibly striking. Battling a dragon on the slope of a big mountain is impressive enough, but it can be even more so if it happens during an ice storm that limits your character’s visibility to a few feet ahead.

The cities and towns in the game feel quite alive – residents walk back and forth, talk to each other, and go about their business. Listen to their conversations – you might just pick up another quest, a skill improvement, or even learn something new about the game world. The vendors in the shops here are more selective than in most other RPGs and only buy the type of items they sell, so be prepared for a long walk from stall to stall after every dungeon run.

And in the cities, you’ll also spend time crafting. In the blacksmiths, you can create or improve weapons and armor; at alchemical tables, you can brew potions and poisons; and you can probably guess what you can do at the enchanting table. None of the crafting types is mandatory, but we, for instance, spent a lot of time creating magical armor and improving it – only to discover that in order to improve magical items, you need to possess a special perk. This caught us a bit off guard, but it also revealed further potential for character development.

In the cities, you can also join various factions. We quickly joined the Companions, a sort of fighters’ guild, and then found the school of magic. Both guilds turned out to be very useful - you could pick up quests, rest, and stock up on various gear.

And finally, the dungeons. In Skyrim, there are about 150 dungeons, each created with appropriate care and attention to detail. Battles here mainly boil down to exterminating endless waves of undead that crawl out of their graves every five minutes, but there are also puzzles and traps to overcome that bring joy. And still, it was always damn nice to step back out into the fresh air – our orc just didn’t like any dungeons. At least each dungeon in Skyrim is unique – there’s no cookie-cutter feel that plagues many similar games.

Useful Tips:

1. Be a Racist

At low levels, your character’s racial abilities can greatly aid in the game. First, think about what kind of character you want to play, and then choose a race with the most fitting bonuses.

2. Bookworm

Read all the books you can find – this will not only allow you to learn more about Skyrim and its history. Sometimes this way, you can raise a skill or even receive a quest.

3. Use it or Lose it

If you have a skill that suits your play style, use it as often as you can. While you can train with NPCs, you’ll discover that consistently using skills is far more beneficial.

4. Gossip

Talk to everyone – that way, you can pick up numerous quests and find out who can teach you what.

5. Be Flexible

Don’t be afraid to try doing something new, even if that “new” doesn’t quite align with your character’s concept. This is the best way to truly discover Skyrim.

Let’s Recap...

Well, so far, the picture has been perfect. Are there any downsides to Skyrim? In fact, almost none: a couple of minor nitpicks here and there, but you could easily overlook them. The combat initially felt too much like, how should I put it, hack’n slash games, but then we realized we were carefully considering battle tactics that aligned with our play style. The NPC AI, while greatly improved, still has its quirks: people sometimes repeat the same phrase over and over, and the guy you just beat to a pulp with your bare hands can stand up and happily say, “Good to see you!” as if nothing happened. Sometimes, such situations break the immersion. We were also slightly miffed by the occasion when our character was arrested for accidentally hitting a peaceful townsman with a spell... in the midst of a bloody battle with a huge dragon. The fact that guards rushed after our character instead of standing there gawking at the dragon’s corpse blocking the entrance to the city made us ponder that it was time for these guys to reconsider their values.

Skyrim is a lot like [Fallout: New Vegas](/games?search=Fallout: New Vegas) – it’s not without flaws, but all of them pale in comparison to its merits. Despite the many, many hours spent in the game, we couldn’t shake the feeling that we were just scratching the surface, only occasionally delving deeper, while our quest log was always full. It’s a gigantic and beautiful world, and being in it is a pure pleasure. And the gameplay is designed so you can extract this pleasure in a thousand possible ways. It’s a game that will stay in the hearts of all RPG fans for a long time, and for those who haven’t had much love for the genre before, Skyrim could serve as a great starting point for redemption. This game is magnificent both in itself and as a new part of The [Elder Scrolls](/games?search=Elder Scrolls). You simply cannot pass it by.

Gameplay:

Any playing style is possible.......................................................... 97

Graphics:

Landscapes are simply stunning....................................................... 92

Sound:

So realistic it makes you flinch...................... 95

Overall:

Get ready for a vacation – you’ll want to play this game for a very, very long time.

Rating: 95

Thanks to Midest for providing the materials.