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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review

Despite the fact that this game has been out for just over 6 years, and is the 5^th instalment in the Elder Scrolls series, it’s surprising how many people haven’t played, nor heard of Skyrim. So, in this review I’m going to inform you about the game, and attempt to convince you to play it.

The game was released on the 11^th of November in 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and people have been playing it ever since. Obviously, a game 6 years ago isn’t going to look as good as games being released nowadays, or able to be played on the new consoles. But don’t worry, a remastered version of the game came out on the 28^th of October 2016 for Xbox one and PS4, containing improved graphics, smoother gameplay, more realistic lighting and the capability of mods.

THE FREEDOM

First of all, let’s talk about the amount of freedom within the life of Skyrim. Complete a quest, kill a dragon, kill other creatures, go ascend a mountain, munch on butterfly wings or simply walk around while listening to quite possibly one of the best game soundtracks in a very long time. Skyrim's land mass is absolutely crammed full of content and curiosities, making every trek through total wilderness, an exciting one, filled with what feels like  endless possibilities as something unexpected often lies just over the next ridge.

THE SHOUTING

In the game, killing a dragon rewards you with a soul, which powers the game’s Shout system. These are magical abilities any character can use, you don't have to learn spell casting to change the weather, throw your voice, slow time, call in allies, blast out ice and fire, or launch back enemies with a surge of straight force. Even if you prefer a bow, light armor,  like to sneak everywhere and ignore magic entirely, you'll still be able to take full advantage of these super power abilities provided, you find the shout words ( each Shout has three) hidden all across Skyrim's map, giving players another reason to keep exploring long after you've run the main quest story dry, fought alongside the Dark Brotherhood, found all the Deadric special weapons and gear, or thrown your support behind one of the factions vying for control of Skyrim.

PROGRESSION

For such a large, intense, complex game, Skyrim is actually very user-friendly. The Elder Scrolls' traditional leveling system applies. When you kill something, or complete a quest, as well as receiving experience points, your skills also level up through use. Use a bow and snipe enemies, your archery skill will go up. Use a two handed sword to chop up various creatures, your two-handed skill will level up. Brew potions and your Alchemy will shoot up, hide from enemies and your sneak skill will go up. You define your class, piece by piece, favoring Magicka, if you want to use magic, Health and Stamina if you prefer using weapons or a combination of everything if you don't want to specialize in a set skill class. It's an easy to use system, and the results are easy to see

THE STORYLINE

As far as the story line goes, this is going to be my best attempts to summarize it as easily as possible, after all it is around a 30 hour campaign. Ok, so The Empire of Tamriel ( Tamriel is the continent which serves as the primary setting for all of The Elder Scrolls games. It consists of nine territories called provinces.) is on the edge. The High King of Skyrim has been killed. Alliances form as claims to the throne are made. While this conflict is going on, a much more dangerous, ancient evil is woken. Dragons, long lost for years, have returned to Tamriel. The future of Skyrim, and the Empire itself, rely on the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can control the dragons.

THE VERDICT

It's hard to ever feel completely satisfied every time you play Skyrim. There's always one more new quest, one more unexplored dungeon, one more skill to increase, one more bandit camp to raid. It's an amazing game that draws you into a superbly crafted fictional adventure packed with content that consistently surprises. The changes made since the games before, are many, and result in a more simple and sensible style of play, where the effects of every choice can be easily seen. Whilst, keeping the same  freedom of choice The Elder Scrolls series is known for,  plus, with amazing visuals and an incredible soundtrack, playing Skyrim is a rare, very rewarding experience, and in my opinion one of the best role-playing games ever made.