One of the many qualities that draw players to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is its uncanny attention to detail. Considering how nearly every object and non-player character is interactive, Skyrim is inundated with minutia that most players would likely never notice their first time playing through the game. Although, one player recently discovered a more disconcerting detail in-game.
A commonality that many entries of The Elder Scrolls share is the presence of Daedra. Over the course of any given playthrough, players are bound to run into one or multiple Daedric entities, most of which are quite menacing. Being some of the most creepy, yet memorable, figures in Skyrim, a large amount of detail is applied to these characters in particular, with one player noticing a rather intimidating facet of Hermaeus Mora's character design.
Over on Reddit, a user named Markotto97 noticed an extremely creepy glitch involving Hermaeus Mora. When viewing Mora from a first-person perspective, his eye will follow the player wherever they move. However, when the player switches to a third-person perspective, the eye follows wherever the camera is facing, giving off the feeling of Mora watching the player, instead of the player character.
This is a subtle, yet terrifying, way to instill dread within the player as a result of interacting with a Daedric Prince. While it doesn't quite break the fourth wall, video games have used similar tactics in the past to put players on edge. For instance, one player discovered that during the opening of Silent Hill 2, James Sutherland's eyes are actually looking at the player while staring into a mirror.
It's user interactivity moments like this that give certain video games an advantage over other entertainment mediums. It's true that Skyrim is home to a litany of bugs and glitches that, for example, cause elk to fall from the sky, but the game also has plenty of immersive moments like the one with Hermaeus Mora that help to keep players engaged with the world and story that Skyrim provides.
In any case, it will be interesting to see what direction Bethesda decides to take The Elder Scrolls series going forward. With Phil Spencer confirming that The Elder Scrolls 6 won't release until after Fable, it's impossible to tell when fans can expect to see the release of the next installment of The Elder Scrolls. Though, fans are hoping to hear additional news sometime in the coming months.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.