The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has become synonymous with everything that makes the open-world genre great. With plenty of open space filled with random NPCs, encounters, and discoveries, Skyrim has plenty of content for even the most dedicated gamer, leaving players hundreds or potentially thousands of hours of content.
Though there is plenty of content for players to get through, that hasn't stopped players from creating and downloading tons of different mods that change gameplay in small or massive ways. From a Skyrim mod that adds more trees to mods that heavily change combat, NPCs, or other elements, there is almost certainly a mod that exists for any player's desires.
However, one type of mod that doesn't exist in large numbers are mods that completely change Skyrim from the ground up. While it is possible for players to download enough mods to change Skyrim completely, Not many mods exist with the goal if making Skyrim look like an entirely different game altogether. However, popular Skyrim modder Ripcat has decided to do just that, creating a mod that changes Skyrim from its traditional setting into a sci-fi game.
Ripcat posted an update video of the mod, showcasing an entirely different game from Skyrim. The visuals are breathtaking due to the mod's graphics; with the walking and camera angles, it looks like the camera is floating through the city environments. The environments give off feelings of a sci-fi city, with sights such as a massive, complicated door one could see on a sci-fi ship to a black pyramid with neon lights and designs. There were even some android NPCs walking around that could have come straight out of Mass Effect. While there are mods used to transform Skyrim into Harry Potter or other fantasy universes, Ripcat's mod may be the first to completely transform Skyrim into a sci-fi game.
Ripcat's decision to change Skyrim to a sci-fi setting is strange given the fact that a sci-fi version of Skyrim exists in the Fallout series of games. However, Ripcat's mod seems to change Skyrim into a much calmer sci-fi experience. In the Fallout series, the environment is almost constantly volatile or dangerous, pitting players against many dangers in the open world. It is also a hostile looking series, with many environments being irradiated and decrepit. Ripcat's mod changes Skyrim into a breathtakingly beautiful environment, with sleek cities and structures as well as beautiful natural areas.
Beauty is an underrated characteristic in games, as some players' experiences can be ruined by a visually displeasing experience; this leads to the creation of mods that improve the visuals of Skyrim VR. Conversely, it also drives the creation of mods like Ripcat's that completely change the visual and gameplay feel of Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.