Oblivion remake Skyblivion is getting all the tiny details right in new showcase

There are some mammoth launches with ridiculous levels of hype set to arrive over the coming months. From the far-flung reaches of Hollow Knight Silksong's Pharloom, to the expansive return to Vice City in GTA 6, we are absolutely feasting for the foreseeable. However, as many pine for the new hotness, another sleeping giant a decade in the making is finally rearing its head. We have already reveled in Oblivion Remastered's grand return to Cyrodiil, but I fear it'll have nothing on what the TESRenewal modding team has been cooking up with Skyblivion; especially after watching its latest showcase.

The phrase 'Skyblivion' is similar to Silksong and GTA 6 in that, for the longest time, it's serenaded our ears like a whisper in a dream; an intangible concept that we were never quite sure would fully materialize, despite our collective desires. Over the years, we've been treated to snippets of what's to come from TESRenewal's free Oblivion remake in Skyrim's Creation Engine, each trailer and update ostensibly bringing us closer to the real deal.

In 2020, it was 'nearly done,' but in 2021 it was "still a ways out." There's been a Sisyphean back and forth in this regard, though the cycle appears to have finally been broken this year. Even after Bethesda dropped its official remaster of one of the best RPGs ever out of thin air, the work continued unperturbed. Looking at what's to come, I'm not surprised the mod team didn't feel particularly fazed by its official counterpart.

The latest gameplay showcase takes us through Oblivion's well-trodden opening segment, from first awakening in the imperial prison, down through the sewers, and, very briefly, out into Cyrodiil's open world. The team has given many of its iconic NPCs a "face lift," which is immediately observable when Uriel Septim comes on through. While, of course, he doesn't have all the wrinkles Virtuos' Unreal Engine 5 iteration of the imperial emperor carries, it's a marked improvement over the original.

As the demo proceeds, I'm very happy to report that lockpicking's had a proper overhaul, "mixing Oblivion's iconic minigame with elements from The Elder Scrolls Online." Even in Oblivion Remastered, lockpicking sucks, so it's great to see some major quality-of-life improvements coming in there. Indeed, the details are where Skyblivion's really shining. Goblin cave paintings adorn the cave walls, expanding its environmental storytelling. The big one for me, though, is the way the cave's ceiling opens up, revealing Cyrodiil's lush forests above. Dungeons have been "regionalized" in this sense, creating a sense of interconnectedness with the outside world that elevates them from boxed-off instances.

Whereas Oblivion Remastered got lazy with some of its UI work, Skyblivion's brought in "interactive, layered art" that illustrate tooltips for the mod's new features. The Birthsign and Class menus have also had a makeover, with the latter now displaying exactly how your choice will impact your skill distribution. I might be pointing out the little things here, but it's the polish that really brings everything together. Of course, I can't go without noting the ethereal, high-fantasy bloom we get hit by as the player steps out of the sewers, and into Cyrodiil proper for the first time. Chef's kiss.

"Ten years ago, we began the journey of fully remaking Oblivion," the team says, "and today, we have nearly reached our goal of entirely new dungeons, a new landscape and biomes, new weapons and armor, new mechanics, and a wide assortment of graphical and quality-of-life improvements."

However, the good work isn't done yet. Though Skyblivion is expected to arrive later this year, TESRenewal is still on the lookout for experienced NavMeshers, quest implementers, and UI designers to help get the project over the line. Hopefully, we won't have to contend with another 2021-style update…

While we (im)patiently await Skyblivion, there's still plenty of joy to be found in Virtuos' remaster. So, gather up our Oblivion Remastered guides, consult our Oblivion Remastered mods list, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion a few more times before it arrives.

How are you feeling about the latest Skyblivion update? Ride into our community Discord server and let us know.