Skyrim Revisited

On 11th November 2011, my young life would be altered inextricably by the release of a new game. That game was Bethesda’s Skyrim, and I didn’t know at the time, but this masterpiece would come to leave an indelible mark on my imagination for years to come.

Skyrim was, at the time, Bethesda’s largest ever game project, and the hype surrounding initial release was both palpable and deserved.

If Bethesda’s previous Elder Scrolls release, Oblivion, was anything to base a reasonable judgement on (and it was), Skyrim was going to be the next big AAA fantasy adventure, and was going to positively blow our tiny teenage minds apart.

And it did just that alright.

From adventuring through ancient Nord barrows, to learning how to harness destruction magic, to getting whacked so hard by a giant that you were basically able to kiss Masser and Secunda, Nirn's two moons.

To raiding bandit dungeons and mastering spell-craft, Skryim not only redefined the classic fantasy genre, but propelled it onto new heights, and cemented a heartfelt experience into the minds of gamers the world over.

I still recall the feelings I had when I booted up the PS3, the sound of those Nord drums beckoning you into what promised to be an experience that would change gaming forever. The feeling of completely ignoring the main quest and forging your own path out of Riverwood, to Bleak Falls Barrow. The Draugr still give me the creeps.

Part of Skyrim's allure was in its beauty. No, Bethesda may not be known for its cutting edge graphics, but it delivers and goes well-beyond in the lore department. Vanilla Skyrim was (is) beautiful to look at, and I can't tell you how many times I just stood upon a bluff and took in the scenery. From mammoths, to giants, to roving bandits, to Khajiit caravans selling completely legitimate and *legal* goods. The environment is what defined Skyrim for me - the history, the cultures, the lore and the real and imagined, all melded into one absolutely soulful experience.

Skyrim was a very deep game. It's lore was already rich, and Bethesda did have the benefit of working from an already well-established mythological and created in-game universe with Oblivion and Morrowind. They went the extra mile with Skyrim, carefully attuning and creating new stories that had a real and very lived feel to them.

Being a Norse myth super geek, it was incredible to see how Ysgramor's story was weaved into the creation myth of humanity in Tamriel; to learn of the conflicts between humanity and elf-kind in the founding of the Empire. These stories are undoubtedly inspired from real-world Norse mythology (as almost everyone already knows).

But to witness such stories given light in a new setting, and to be able to play the game with the knowledge that the places, people and history of Skyrim were all inspired from Nordic tales of giants and dragon-slayers, was the icing on the proverbial (and completely not-stolen) sweet-roll.

Sure, Bethesda took some creative licence, and no reasonable person would blame them. This is Tamriel after all, not Scandinavia, where arrows often do not find people's knees, despite popular myth.

Skyrim still remains the focus and thought of many dedicated fans all over the planet. Skyrim playthroughs, mod tutorials, lore updates, easter-egg hunts and game movies continue to hold a substantial presence on social media, and particularly on YouTube.

Its not hard to see why: Skyrim was, and continues to be, perhaps one of the best games in a generation. It was buggy, it was even flawed at times, and no gamer can ever forgive Lydia for her stupid door-blocking antics, but Skyrim will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We can only hope the next addition to the much-loved Elder Scrolls series stacks up. In the meantime, Skyrim will keep us happy.