Skryim - Bethesda Game Studios
I only finished playing this recently after playing on and off since release. The time I spent playing this game verges on the ridiculous. More ridiculous was my fixation on completing every facet of the game.
Reflecting back on the game as a whole I must say that overall I found it good, great even in parts but not the fantastic game that it was lorded (and still is) to be.
The main plot follows the return of dragons to the world as well as the Dragonborn (you) who are here to defeat them.
This takes place on the backdrop of the civil war in Skyrim as the xenophobic Nords, seek to retake take their land, and leave the empire.
As you navigate your way through these two main storylines you meet many other people of note throughout Skyrim and also run across a number of the Daedric gods.
You have the opportunity to end up leading the Wizard’s College; the Thieves Guild; the Dark Brotherhood assassin guild; and the Companions.
And this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the people you meet and aid across the country.
With so much to sink your teeth into it felt like this was a no-brainer 10/10. The problem was that it all felt a bit bland. I found that I ended up not being able to identify with any of the groups.
So you end up as a lone wanderer, who can be a member or even leader of a group that they don’t identify with. Even if you lean into the group’s goals I felt that you either ended up having to do something that didn’t sit right or it was a bit lack-luster.
The main quip I always hear is about the civil war – this is low-hanging fruit because the Nords are racist and you are encouraged to support them without knowing this at the start. You escape from execution by the empire – so why would you side with them?
The companions were a group I felt was much more interesting. While they do have the same – we love nords attitude – theirs is rooted in history. While their history does see them participate in wars they stand apart now and are more interested in personal choice and honor.
What makes them very interesting is that they have a dark secret. They are infected with lycanthropy. Their story sees you join the head of their group in his quest to rid himself of the curse so he can enter the Nordic afterlife.
What is great about this story is the player gets to choose whether they end up following this example or join others in the group who relish the hunt. Great stuff. But the problem I found is that it was a very quick quest line compared to the others.
Gameplay itself was fun and allowed you to play whatever sort of character you liked. I enjoyed the skill development, especially the crafting skills. Allowed you to tinker and develop the types of items that you wanted to create.
After all these years something still made me want to come back and finish it properly. And when I did I felt more relief than accomplishment.
So while there were some great parts and the gameplay worked well the thing I have to thank Skyrim for is making me realise that there is no need to 100% complete a game.
