Elder scrolls morrowind

Looking Back at Morrowind

Memories of Morrowind.

There are many fond memories I have with Morrowind, whether it’s the enchanting feeling of being drawn in and mesmerized by how alive Vvardenfell feels for a game of its time, or whether it’s just the nostalgia warping my imagination, the memories stick regardless and have a well deserved place.

One of the most memorable experiences in particular was at the start of the game, heading towards Balmora and to my surprise abruptly having my adventure disrupted by a wizard plummeting down to the ground from the sky only to meet his unfortunate demise, then reading his journal to amusingly discover his failed attempt to cast a flying spell, only to then ironically procede to use his spell and inevitably end up meeting the same demise as you gracefully plummet in similar fashion.

Or the unforgettable moment when you find yourself in a rather awkward conversation with Crassius Curio, an obscenely promiscuous NPC who seems to have a thing for the player, as his demands become increasingly more vulgar, inappropriate and equally as humorous.

The sheer ridiculousness of coming across the boots of blinding speed that literally make you both blind and fast, as your character attempts to break the sound barrier while running in some random direction, only to take them off and stare in disbelief as you are perplexed at how you arrived at this new destination. I think the most powerful memory for me is the moment when you are about to enter the heart chamber in Red Mountain and Dagoth Ur starts to unfold with mass amounts of character exposition that makes you question whether or not he’s actually the good guy.

Has Morrowind Endured the Test of Time?

Time allows us to cradle the beloved memories of our favourite franchises, but is often also a curse as the more time flows, the more outdated those beloved games tend to be and with that being said, it’s important to consider whether or not the elements of this game are too dated to thoroughly enjoy without irritation, without the blinding veil of nostalgia. With the game’s engine being almost 16 years old now, dated would be sugar coating the experience and unfortunately, time has eroded many of the qualities this game once excelled with.

Many experiences are now almost too archaic for the same type of immersion players would have received back in 2002 when this technology was state of the art. The combat system is very clunky, with poor hit detection, and despite being very technically advanced with a lot of complex algorithms determining the combat, it feels too dated to gain a proper sense of appreciation from the depth. The graphics have not aged well, despite that never bothering me personally, but unfortunately clipping into the terrain is an all too common issue that reminds you persistently that this is an old video game.

Morrowind, despite having these increasingly persistent flaws as the game continually ages, has many redeemable factors and many elements of the game remain timeless and intact, from the beautiful soundtrack, which remains some of Jeremy Soule’s strongest work, the deep RPG elements give the game additional layers of depth that make the customization and gameplay richer and rewarding, the storytelling is still just as incredible, the art style, creative depth and atmosphere go hand in hand and help solidify the consistency of the experience, despite its age.

Whether Morrowind truly withstood time for the majority is a difficult question to answer because many elements of the gameplay have rapidly become outdated and unenjoyable, which would lean towards the notion that time has desecrated it. Morrowind might still be that niche experience for the gamers that can look past the clunky gameplay, but those that can are able to experience what is arguably a contender for the best Elder Scrolls game in the franchise. Some things are timeless, even with flaws.

While Morrowind does have its fair share of shortcomings, an HD remaster with improved performance might remind people that Morrowind still has a lot of really strong content to offer that will please Elder Scrolls fans regardless of how dated is.

Time can never truly destroy a masterpiece, and despite some noticeable rough patches and dated mechanics that can unfortunately hinder the experience, the dated gameplay is the only major flaw and the smaller imperfections are not detrimental enough to wound the rest of the incredible features. Morrowind is a treasure from the past and is without question some of Bethesda Games Studios’ finest work and remains to this day, one of the most iconic RPGs in video-game history.

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