We all have our childhood favourites, games that we recall fondly and often purchase on newer consoles or systems out of a nostalgic need to re-experience the stories, gameplay and visuals that defined our formative years.
For me, the title that had the most significant impact and is the reason for my love of RPGs is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Compared to titles that would follow, such as Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online, Oblivion wouldn’t now look like much.
Its graphics are dated, combat and game mechanics complicated, and, of course, it had the standard-issue complement of bugs all Bethesda games come with.
Though dated now, Oblivion’s graphics were state of the art at the time of release.
The impact it made
Still, Oblivion holds a special place in my memory and my Steam library despite all its flaws.
Oblivion was the game I looked forward to playing as soon as I got home from school; it was the game I would wake up early or stay up late for on the weekend.
It consumed an embarrassingly large amount of my free time for many school years.
Even with the buggy AI and sometimes poor voice acting, its quests remain ingrained in my memories due to the stories and characters in the settings you could explore.
One of the many dungeons you could explore in Oblivion, well-stock with loot and danger.
The unforgettable experiences
One memory that particularly stands out to me is one of the Quests in the Dark Brotherhood story that leads to something akin to a murder mystery party (for the NPCs, not you, since you’re obviously the murderer).
The party was set in a mansion, and after starting the quest, the goal was to kill all the other guests who were invited under the belief there was a treasure hidden inside.
How you went about this gruesome task was entirely up to you, you could attack them on sight and finish things quickly, or you could be precise and breed suspicion, laying blame on the innocent and weaving a cruel tale of betrayal.
Regardless of your choice, the outcome was always satisfying.
There are many other just as noteworthy quests as well. The memorable dialogue of the Arena questlines, protecting an old woman’s pet rats from mountain lions or getting trapped inside a painting, and fighting oil-paint trolls are but a few of what Oblivion has to offer.
Despite its age, some of the vistas of Oblivion are still impressive.
Oblivions quests sparked in me my love of RPG’s and the stories they can tell, the characters they can make you hate or love, the experiences and thoughts they can provoke.
And if for no other reason than that, Oblivion is undoubtedly the favourite game from my childhood.
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