When Bethesda unveiled Oblivion Remastered earlier this week, my initial reaction was sheer disbelief. The 2006 journey through Tamriel, once characterized by its quirky, potato-faced characters and blurry expanses of low-resolution greenery, has now transformed into the most visually stunning entry in the Elder Scrolls series. Having grown accustomed to underwhelming remasters like Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Dark Souls Remastered, which scarcely differ from their Xbox 360 counterparts, the sight of the Imperial City reborn in Unreal Engine 5 with ray tracing was nothing short of astonishing. Moreover, the game boasts enhancements in combat, RPG systems, and numerous other details. This led me to question whether Bethesda and Virtuos had misnamed the project. Shouldn't it be called Oblivion Remake instead of Remastered?

It turns out, I wasn't the only one with this thought. Many fans have labeled it a remake, and even Bruce Nesmith, the senior game designer of the original Oblivion, remarked, "I’m not sure [the word] remaster actually does it justice." Yet, despite my initial skepticism, after spending several hours with the game, it's evident that Oblivion Remastered may look like a remake but plays like a remaster.

But it's not just the visuals that have been upgraded. Combat mechanics have been refined, making swordplay feel less like wielding a balloon. The third-person camera now includes a functional reticule, enhancing gameplay. All menus, including the quest journal, dialogue, and lockpicking and persuasion minigames, have been given a modern interface. The original, often-criticized leveling system has been replaced with a more intuitive blend of Oblivion and Skyrim approaches. And finally, players can sprint. With such extensive visual and gameplay enhancements, one might argue we're venturing into remake territory.

The industry's lack of clear definitions for remakes and remasters complicates matters. Publishers often use these terms loosely. For example, Rockstar's "Definitive Edition" remasters of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy retain their blocky PlayStation 2-era feel with merely upscaled textures and modern lighting. Conversely, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, also called a remaster, features entirely new graphical assets and looks contemporary. The term "remake" is even more nebulous: Bluepoint’s Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls rebuild their games from the ground up but remain faithful to the originals, whereas Resident Evil 2 retains the original structure but redesigns the gameplay. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth go further, overhauling design, script, and story. These examples, all considered remakes, share little in common.

Historically, if a game was rebuilt from scratch in a new engine, it was labeled a remake, while remasters were limited upgrades within the original technology. However, this distinction is becoming outdated. A more fitting definition today might be that a remaster involves a graphical overhaul while preserving the original game's design, with minor gameplay enhancements. A remake, on the other hand, redesigns the game entirely. By this standard, Demon’s Souls and Metal Gear Solid: Delta might be reclassified as remasters, reserving the term "remake" for games that truly innovate on old ideas.

New lighting, fur, and metallic effects are just the tip of the iceberg of Oblivion Remastered's changes. Image credit: Bethesda / Virtuos

If we adopt these definitions, Oblivion Remastered is aptly named. While the new assets and Unreal Engine 5 ray tracing give it a fresh look, the underlying structure remains a 20-year-old game, with its quirks and idiosyncrasies intact. As Bethesda stated, "We looked at every part and carefully upgraded it. But most of all, we never wanted to change the core. It’s still a game from a previous era and should feel like one."

The signs of this era are unmistakable. They're in the loading screens that appear at nearly every door, the baffling persuasion minigame that remains convoluted despite the interface update, and the simplistic city designs that resemble stage sets. The NPCs still move awkwardly and speak with the charm of an AI learning social norms. Even the combat, though improved, retains a sense of detachment and clumsiness. And, of course, the game retains its array of bugs and glitches, preserved as part of its original charm.

Recent releases like Obsidian’s Avowed highlight the gap between Oblivion Remastered and modern RPGs. Avowed's dynamic combat and exploration mechanics make Oblivion's seem dated. Yet, Oblivion Remastered still offers much to enjoy in 2025. Its world remains enchanting, with its open fields filled with mysteries and oddities. Its ambitious elements, such as the dynamic goblin wars and narrative-driven quests, still hold up well against Skyrim's more repetitive missions. The game's old-school approach to player freedom feels refreshing in an era dominated by more guided experiences. However, the finer details of Oblivion—its dialogue, system interconnectivity, and level design—clearly show their age. A true remake would update these elements, but Oblivion Remastered focuses on preserving the original experience. Hence, it is aptly named Oblivion Remastered.

In film, remakes are new productions with new casts, crews, scripts, and sets, while remasters enhance existing films to meet modern quality standards. Yet, these restored films remain products of their original era, much like Oblivion. The game pushes visual quality to its limits by recreating its "exterior" in a new engine, but beneath this facade, it remains unmistakably a product of the 2000s. Alex Murphy, executive producer at Virtuos, aptly described it during the reveal stream: "We think of the Oblivion game engine as the brain and Unreal 5 as the body. The brain drives all the world logic and gameplay and the body brings to life the experience that players have loved for almost 20 years."

Oblivion Remastered is precisely what its name suggests, and this should not diminish its accomplishments. Rather than insisting it's a remake, we should view it as the benchmark for remasters by other major AAA studios. This is what Mass Effect Legendary Edition should have achieved, not merely a cleaned-up re-release. This is what Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy should have been, not a cynical cash grab. Oblivion Remastered embodies the work of passionate creators yet retains the essence of a lovingly preserved classic, and that's exactly how it should be.