Bethesda is one of the industry leaders in open-world RPG design. It has built a legacy of excellence with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, and while the latter has been innovative in its world-building and sound design with a gorgeous 50s soundtrack, the latter sticks more closely to convention with a high-fantasy setting that boasts rolling hills, snowy mountains, green pastures, and bustling towns. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is the best of them all, improving on the systems and mechanics of previous games to be the culmination of the franchise, and has remained the benchmark ever since.
Skyrim may be 11 years old this year, but the vast number of ways it can be experienced makes it more than just a one-time thing. Its legacy stretches far beyond the game's 2011 roots as new areas, gameplay quirks, and mods are being discovered by the day. The initial success of The Elder Scrolls 6 will heavily rely on the legacy that Bethesda has crafted with the fifth game in the series, and happenings in the company today mean it is worthy of another playthrough, perhaps taking one of the many narrative and gameplay routes less trodden this time around.
Skyrim is Still the Cream of the Crop
While there have been other stellar western RPGs that have forged a legacy of their own, Skyrim easily stands alongside newer games as a title that sits atop the genre. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Forbidden West, and even Bethesda's own Fallout 4 are fantastic and do well to push role-playing games forward, but Skyrim is one of the most important games of the century, and part of its immense quality is that it stands the test of time, being dated in its visuals somewhat (which can easily be rectified with mods), but its potential for escapism is still as evident as ever.
Skyrim is worthy of a playthrough in 2022 because of this alone. However, the most impressive thing about it is not just its immense scope and attention to detail in its world-building and lore, but also the wide variety of ways it can be played. Classes are varied, and anything from stealthy archers to tanky warriors, and all-powerful mages can be a viable way to get the best of enemies and are equally satisfying. The systems Skyrim is available on are more plentiful than the approaches that players can take, also, meaning that an all-new playthrough can be had on different hardware.
Starfield is Bethesda's Side-Step into Sci-Fi
It's likely that Starfield will bear a handful of similarities with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, but its space-setting and planet-hopping format means it will be different in many fundamental ways. Deep RPG elements will be aplenty, but atmospherically and visually it will be very different because the setting is so polarizing. To reexperience Skyrim, picking a new build, seeing the sights, and battling enemies in a way that feels fresh could be the perfect compliment to Starfield's sci-fi setting, when it finally arrives in 2023.
Skyrim is undoubtedly Bethesda's best game to date, and while the company moves to new ideas as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gain traction, it's becoming increasingly less relevant, especially considering anticipation for Starfield is at an all-time high. Plenty of players haven't stopped playing Skyrim since it released, though, but given that it's the gift that keeps on giving, there is always a new way to play, and its sublime quality makes each new playthrough a genuine treat.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.