The Elder Scrolls: Arena Review

The folks at PC Gamer have republished their old 1994 The Elder Scrolls: Arena review in time for the release of The Elder Scrolls Online and the series’ 20th anniversary. It’s a rather interesting document, especially considering the incredible success the series has found throughout the years (just for context: Skyrim has sold 20 million copies):

Bethesda has created a true virtual world, using light-sourcing and shadows to magnificent effect. Puddles on rain-soaked streets reflect lightning bolts in the distance; fog, snow, and mist impair your vision as you move through the countryside; you can discern caverns lit by firelight in the distance, and peek through keyholes before entering potentially dangerous rooms.

…

But there’s one area in which Arena could stand some improvement the storyline. The plot seems rather shallow compared to games like Betrayal at Krondor or Ultima VII, and could never stand alone as a story. To be fair, though, Arena’s storyline is as good or better than most of its recent peers. Here’s the skinny: the Emperor’s wizardly advisor-turned-traitor, Jager Tharn, has used the magical Staff of Chaos to secret the king in another dimension. This nogoodnik has also killed a sorceress friend of yours, and tossed you (as an unsavory type with possible heroic tendencies) in prison to rot, while taking the Emperor’s place on the throne.

…

On the downside, each NPC may have his or her own name and profession, but it doesn’t matter one whit to your heroine that NPC Wendel is a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. The non-player character’s identity has no bearing whatsoever on your interaction or your quest, and as a result conversations consist mostly of isolated questions and answers, never developing to reveal truly unique characters. In fact, NPC interaction is rather lifeless, with you learning things like “go find the empty shoe-polish tin of the gods in the crypt, and I’ll tell you the location of the mystic dog polisher.”

But despite this, Arena is still entrancing. My character has completed a few quests and is tracking down the next staff piece. There’s a huge and dazzling (if a bit superficial) world to explore, more than enough to keep a jade gamer like myself playing long after I finished this review. If Arena had a better-developed story line and NPC interaction, it would be almost perfect. But stay tuned Bethesda has cranked out a winner, the sequel may be the best FRP ever designed for computers. Bernie Yee