“Skyrim is unrivalled…”: 13 Years on and Bethesda’s Magnum Opus Continues to Be Unbeatable in One Overlooked Regard
Bethesda Game Studios did not just focus on making The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim look good; it also ensured that it sounded absolutely beautiful.
- The Elder Scrolls got a new standard with Skyrim back in 2011, setting the bar extremely high for other open world games.
- From spectacular visuals to quests players could spend hours on, Bethesda Game Studios truly witnessed an unmatched peak.
- But a certain aspect that may not have gotten enough appreciation back in the day is a major reason for the game's level of immersion.
More than a decade ago, Bethesda Game Studios unleashed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on the gaming world, completely changing the concept of what AAA video games with massive open worlds were truly capable of, resulting in a bar so high that even the developer itself has not been able to reach it since 2011.
Switching up plenty of aspects and implementing major differences from its predecessor Oblivion, the Todd Howard-directed title received universal acclaim upon launch, as it felt like the perfect combination of new and old for long-term fans of the series and newcomers alike.
However, when one usually thinks about Skyrim, the visuals instantly come to mind as a standout highlight that still hold up even today, but there is one overlooked element that, combined with everything else, truly makes the game Bethesda’s magnum opus.
Skyrim’s Audio Design Is Some of the Greatest Ever Put Into a Video Game
Although Bethesda Game Studios definitely made some drastic mistakes with Skyrim years after its release, its legacy remains unmatched 13 years later due to so many different elements working together to create the ultimate gaming experience.
One such aspect that may not have been appreciated enough back in 2011 but undoubtedly elevated The Elder Scrolls installment over its competition was the game’s audio design, as the developer ensured that each location and landscape was accompanied by just the right sounds to really immerse the player into its huge open world.
While many modern AAA video games put most of their focus on the graphical side of things, prioritizing visual spectacles over everything else, Skyrim turned it up a notch and included atmospheric sound that brought a sense of life into its numerous areas.
“Skyrim is unrivalled,” wrote a fan more than a decade after the Bethesda title’s initial release, showing just how much of an impact the sound in a game can leave even years down the line, setting it apart from the dull and mundane worlds of competitor titles.
Whenever there was a stream nearby, players could hear it getting closer as they walked towards it, and incorporated with other atmospheric sounds like the chirping of birds or simply just the wind blowing, the level of immersion that it managed to achieve continues to be unbeatable in 2024.
As the Wait for The Elder Scrolls VI Keeps Getting Longer, Fans Miss the Skyrim Experience
Despite no shortage of excellent AAA gaming experiences that have been getting released quite frequently in recent times, the kind of detail that Bethesda Game Studios put into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still something that not many titles pay too much attention to.
Even Bethesda’s own track record recently has not had the greatest reception, and due to the modifications that Skyrim has gone through over the years, fans are looking back at a simpler time when the game was at its absolute peak of popularity.
While the fast travel option in video games is often seen as a necessary addition because of how tiresome it can get to navigate lifeless open worlds just to get to the next main objective, some players of the Todd Howard-directed title prefer to walk around and absorb the intricately crafted world that Bethesda brought for its fanbase.
Perhaps the quality of Skyrim is playing a role in the long wait for The Elder Scrolls VI, as with amazing sound design, spectacular visuals, some of the best side quests that gaming has to offer, and a lot more, Bethesda might have its work cut out for it to create a more complete experience than the 2011 title.
