It is a classic open-world RPG, part of the Elder Scrolls series. Skyrim, a northerly province that appears to have been blended from equal parts Scandinavia and Scotland, is beset by the return of dragons and divided by a bitter civil war. You play the big damn hero who will have to set things right.
I could look at this for hours
Skyrim is realized beautifully. While longer play will show some rough edges, the visuals pull you into this wintry realm. Frost covers the mountains, snow drifts by, and at night, the aurora borealis plays across the starry skies. For the ultimate in atmosphere, play it on a winter's night with wide open windows, clothed in a wet t-shirt or just a loincloth and a handful of bear fat.
Nearly everything else supports this northerly flair, from the design of the villages and towns, to the creatures you encounter. There are only some minor fractures, like the lizardmen and catpeople that turn up once in a while, but they were probably necessary to retain the furry segment of the customer base.
Deep history
Skyrim shares a history with Tamriel and all the older (elder?) parts of the Elder Scrolls - which I haven't played. Sorry, I had to spend my time acquiring a near-encyclopedic knowledge of Fallout's universe. At times, this made me feel like the kid who didn't pay attention in history class and now has to ask everybody about this strange "First World War" everyone is still upset about. I think that people who have played the other parts will have a very deep experience.
Also, there are tons of books lying about, and you could use them to read up on Tamriel's history, peoples, beliefs and customs, but spending time in a pc-game to read a book appears to me as a singularly twisted way to waste my time. So I (and my character) stays an uninformed oaf - luckily, everybody seems to share my hatred of the snooty high elves, so I don't stand out too much.
You are what you do
In contrast to most other RPGs, you don't get to create your character in depth. You may select a race, which may or may not support the role you want to play, the appearance of you character is heavily customizable (as is usual by now), but you don't get to put all your skill points into chess boxing and take it from there. Instead, your character gets good at the things you make him do - do a lot of sneaking and shooting guards in the throat with a bow, and your character will turn into a sniper. This means, that your preferred style of play defines your character, and if you want to deviate from that, you will have to watch your tactics carefully.
I watched my first character, whom I wanted to play as a mage out to rip Skyrim's secrets from its tombs, degenerate into just such a bowman. At level 15, I tearfully shouted "look what you have become!" and left him on an isolated savegame for a more coherent practitioner of the dark arts.
Feeling forced
I haven't finished the main plot yet, but some of the side quests appear to force you down certain roads. At one point, some goddess of decay asked me to lure a priest into a temple, where he was to be sacrificed and eaten. I returned to the priest, hoping that there would be an opportunity to warn him or at least to send him away before the trap sprung. No such luck - after you talk him into following you, the only way to get rid of him is to put him into the big disemboweling machine. So this priest is still following me, and every time I turn to him he assures me that his god's protection is absolute and everything is going to be just dandy. On the other hand, he is a quite competent spellcaster, and I have cleared out the second Nord catacomb with his support. And he doesn't seem to count as an official follower, so I still get to keep my housecarl to lug around my stuff and beat those draugr into submission which get past my fireballs...
You will find plots and adventure hooks all over the place. If you see an interesting ruin in the distance, be assured that it is not just scenery - there is an adventure to be had there, so walk up and check it out. But (at least up to now) don't expect to be able to make many choices. The dungeon design supports this: Mostly long, winding series of chambers and caves (but so very pretty, awe-inspiring caves) which lead in a loop close to the entrance, a bit like a roller coaster or a haunted house ride. You won't get lost, but on the other hand, you can't get lost. Still, it is very enticing dungeoneering.
Yes: a very involving, very deep game. If you are into this stuff, be warned that you might spend an inordinate amount of time on it. The wife might not approve.
5 of 5 of the restless dead, the draugr, the ancient Nord traitors who had truck with the dragons and were punished for it with eternal hunger, sealed in their crypts, gnawing their own shrouds - forever, in darkness. Is that a weak, wickering torch in the distance?
Posts
