Quietly padding through a darkened tunnel, I have a sword gripped in one hand and a spell prepped with the other. The voice of a powerful necromancer calls to me from somewhere deeper within the cave. A plan buds and then ripens in my mind, plump with mischievous humor. I’ve got one black soul gem handy, and I’ve recently learned the soul trap spell. I smirk all the way down to the dungeon’s final lair.
If you haven’t played Skyrim, that probably sounded pretty silly - like some D&D fanatic recounting their most recent play session. If you have played Skyrim, however, maybe it sounds even more ridiculous. After spending time in the northernmost province of Tamriel, you come to understand that the world - as rich as it is - doesn’t acknowledge poetic justice. If my quest is to kill a necromancer, it doesn’t matter how I get the job done. There are no bonus rewards for style.
The Elder Scrolls series has made its name on sprawling, open world games set into an fantasy background with all the genre staples: elves and orcs, enchanted swords, and the deadly squabbles of lesser gods. From the map size to the number of readable in-game books to the quantity of edible objects, the focus of TES has always been scale. Bethesda Softworks has built their empire on successfully playing to this strength, and Skyrim is only the most ...
