“I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

I have another good 500+ hours on Legendary Edition.

Skyrim is a testament to the ever nearer day in which we'll be able to upload our consciousness to an alternate reality and live within. When you first make your way to Riverwood, Past to Present plays in the background and the calm waters and beautiful scenarios draw you in completely: immersion begins.

It's not the isolated aspects of the game that make it great. It's the whole, completed work of art that is the Skyrim universe. It's so complete that it feels like it breathes a life of its own. NPCs are prepared for everything! Deny their quest, there's a dialogue. If you accept, there's another dialogue. Hey, you completed this quest and now you're the Harbinger? NPCs will properly address you. Accomplished a valorous feat on the western side of skyrim? The very far eastern guards will make sure to congratulate you.

The utter freedom you have for character development and the sheer scope of playable space gives this game an unprecedented (and rather uncanny) resemblance to reality itself. Whether making the choice to rob someone, to kill Paarthurnax, to give voice to an Empire or a nationalistic insurrection, you're always on edge, trying to imprint upon the game a morality that you'd wish the world to follow, or just being chaotic and watching everything burn. This is what it means to create something out of nothing: the pinnacle of all artistic endeavour. Therefore, the ambition on this game is remarkable.

Of course, everything is carefully selected and downsized - it's a videogame, after all, we still don't have the technology for complete replication of reality - so as to not overwhelm the player. Cities are simpler, smaller than reality and events happen quickly and without regard for boring detail (as it is with most narratives).

Be whoever you want. It's how the gods must've felt playing around with humans on our plane. The miserable shackles of reality are undone, you are now free to roam a sandbox world, talk to people, become a shameless thief, a warrior who'll defend justice, an intellectual who studies the hidden dark arts of necromancy, a bard, a salesperson.

"Khajiit welcomes you, and your coin."
― Ri'saad

It's hard for me to point out any bad things about Skyrim (it feels like nitpicking), given its massive scale. If they made something THIS big, it's bound to break here and there. And it's for this very reason the game has lots of bugs, glitches, exploits and blind spots. Make of it what you will. Some stuff was fixed, some was not. I'm happy with it as it stands on the date of this review.

The graphics are reasonable and can run on many setups. Absolutely go for the Special Edition, since it has improved substantially performance-wise from its earlier version, has all the mods ported and also Creation Club (official, curated high quality stuff made by Bethesda and their affiliates).

Combat mechanics are kinda sluggish, not gonna lie. It's not like those Hack 'n Slash titles where your character is some sort of gymnast god while gracefully decapitating foes with a 5 meter Zweihänder. You got your power attacks (which drain stamina), normal attacks and blocking (with a shield or the weapon itself). It's nice, but limited. Spellcasting is completely different from this, though.

Also, with enough dedication ― and a horse ― one can climb any mountains in-game.

Don't get me started on the Dragons! As with most fantasy narratives, a language was made. But the Dragon Language is something else. Very visceral and ancient. (greetings). These guys are incredibly awesome. Powerful and prideful creatures that argue politics using their Thu'um, their Voices, ancient spells of force that shake the very foundations of Nirn. The Greybeards follow the Way of the Voice, as to direct this dangerous power for good. One cannot help but make some interesting associations. I won't spoil this any further.

With its challenging environment, Skyrim misses some survival aspects, since you swim in freezing waters, walk in snow, contract diseases and go without sleeping and nothing of relevance happens to you as a consequence of this. The survival mode creation on CC and other unofficial survival mods fix this, adding hunger, cold and better disease mechanics (if you're into this sorta thing).

It's not perfect. But it's hella ambitious. I look forward to new Elder Scrolls games in the future.

...I guess this concludes my analysis of this masterpiece. Definitely check it out. 10/10

"What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"
― Paarthurnax

Lok, Thu'um.