An Elder Scrolls game that most fans of the series have probably never played is making a comeback. In addition to becoming more accessible, the Elder Scrolls game is seeing some significant upgrades.
Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls franchise is extremely popular, but it’s been a long time since a brand-new game was released. With the last brand-new single-player game released being Skyrim, and the last new multiplayer game being The Elder Scrolls Online, players have been very eager for The Elder Scrolls: Sentinel, which is confirmed to be the next game. However, with no official release window for Sentinel just yet, fans who are looking for an Elder Scrolls experience might want to check out this blast to the past.
An oft-forgotten release in Bethesda’s series, The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey, is coming back with graphical overhauls and improvements to the game. The title was originally released way back in 2004, prior even to the launch of Oblivion. It’s highly likely that most fans of the series have never played it or necessarily even heard of it, not only due to its age, but largely because it was limited to the Nokia N-Gage handheld, which was a commercial failure. This new fan release, The Elder Scrolls: Shadowkey Reforged, brings the game to PC with numerous enhancements and improvements to the original experience.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Given that The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey was originally released for the Nokia N-Gage, which was limited to a 176 × 208 resolution, the title was in dire need of upgrades in order to be suitable for playing on PC. Accordingly, Shadow Reforged has been migrated to a completely new game engine, with upgrades to the title’s graphics, lighting, HUD, and more, bringing numerous assets to 4K. Players can choose between Classic Mode, which retains the original HUD and aspect ratio, while Modern Mode makes the biggest improvements to the visuals, with new effects, and improvements like the ability to see past doorways to the next area. Mouse and keyboard or gamepad controls are available, quicksaving and autosaving has been added, and more.
While players may be eager to check out this entry in the franchise, there are some catches to keep in mind. While the mod is free, players will need to acquire a copy of the original game’s files in order to actually play it. The added bonus of being able to utilize Morrowind‘s OST in the game requires owning a copy of that game, as well. However, considering that this game has been largely out of reach for the vast majority of gamers for two decades, players may find making the effort worth it.
As far as new official Elder Scrolls releases go, The Elder Scrolls Online Season Two: Echoes of Skyrim is now underway and will run through January 27. A new statue based upon the series has also been released, but with only 3,300 units produced, the Forgotten Daedric Prince statue likely won’t last long. However, these releases may not quite ease the sting for some fans of the series. Many suspected that Bethesda would share a big reveal on November 11, as it marks the fifteenth anniversary of the release of Skyrim. Unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening, and gamers who are eager to learn more about The Elder Scrolls: Sentinel will have to keep waiting.
- Released
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November 24, 2004
