Bethesda’s Oblivion Remastered Features a More Earthy Color Palette Compared to the Original

The anticipation surrounding the release of Oblivion Remastered has finally come to an end, and it’s safe to say the game now sports a modern look. By modern, I mean it has an abundance of brown. From the mud to the water and even the grass, everything has taken on a brown hue. For someone who was once captivated by the vibrant fantasy world Bethesda created nearly two decades ago, this shift is a curious one to digest.

Taking a look at side-by-side screenshots from the original Oblivion and its Remastered version highlights a noticeable change. There’s now a persistent haze that casts a shadow over every scene, giving the impression that the entire game is part of a PowerWash Simulator challenge needing a good scrubbing to unveil its former glory.

Despite this, the level of detail has certainly seen improvement. Torches now illuminate the darkness with a newfound intensity, water gleams under the sun’s rays, and what were once mossy stone docks now appear more like actual wood. Curiously though, the stones seem to have taken on a charcoal look. While the original game’s brightness brought out the lush greenery in the hills and trees, the remaster with Unreal Engine 5 leaves the world looking somewhat singed.

Venturing indoors in Oblivion Remastered, however, offers a slightly better experience. The iconic opening sequence where you escape prison alongside Patrick Stewart unfolds in stone corridors, enhanced by streams of light filtering through. It captures the chilliness of the original surprisingly well and showcases what the improved lighting can achieve when not paired with overly dark textures.

Gone are the pale, almost ghostly faces of characters from the original. This change is largely for the better, in my opinion. Ideally, we’d see the old smudged NPC visages in sharp 4K, but the compromise of hyper-detailed wrinkles and pores is welcome if it means facial animations have stepped up their game. Rest assured, the NPC dialogue retains its charmingly awkward sound.

Still, I can’t quite shake off the overwhelmingly muddy overhaul of the outdoor environments in this remaster. As someone known for holding a grudge against changes like the alteration of the stylistic bonfire in Dark Souls: Remastered, it’s possible that Oblivion Remastered’s visuals might come together more cohesively as you delve deeper and explore further. But if they don’t, there’s always comfort in knowing the original Oblivion remains accessible for those wanting a return to that familiar, colorful world.