Summary
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis a timeless masterpiece that surpassesThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionin so many ways. Even to this day,Skyrimis still spoken of in high regard. It has beautiful vistas, fun locations to explore, intelligent NPCs, as well as many other things.The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionhas its charms and certainly brings the feeling of nostalgia, with its gorgeous colorful landscapes and a fantastic soundtrack, as well as many other things.
There is one type of enemy that can be seen as far better inOblivionthan inSkyrim, and that enemy is the undead. InSkyrim, it seems as if Bethesda turned down the tone for its undead, making them less intimidating, whereas inOblivionit seemed as if they were from a horror game instead of a fantasy RPG.
How Oblivion and Skyrim Approach the Undead
InSkyrim, the Draugr are the main type of undead that players will encounter whileventuring into Nordic Ruins. Although Draugr come in different variations with some being more powerful, they all share one thing in common. They all seemed more alive than dead. They look dead, and are certainly dead, but their movement and the way they attack the player makes them seem less scary, as if the player is just fighting a lowly bandit.
It can be argued thatSkyrim’szombies fight more like bandits than Draugr, and that they still look alive, just paler.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t intimidating or scary. The morepowerful variations of Draugrare terrifying and can easily overpower players if they aren’t prepared, as well as Draugr’s being able to provide jump scares when they ambush players who aren’t expecting it, and the noises they make can certainly be creepy. Draugr aren’t the only undead inSkyrim, as there are others that could be considered more powerful or intimidating.
Unlike the zombies inSkyrim,Oblivion’szombies are far more grotesque. They look as if they’re rotting away and will usually have a missing limb or head. Compared toSkyrim, all ofOblivion’sundead have a scare factor to them and can easily cause a player to have goosebumps.Zombies are the scariest,but they can also be the easiest to kill, unlike skeletons, liches, and ghosts, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t strong, as they can easily pack a punch. Just likeSkyrim, there are many other undead inOblivionthan zombies.
When it comes to grotesque, scary-looking undead, they’re usually seen in horror games such asResident Evil, not in games like theElder Scrolls. InOblivion, they were designed so well that it’s like they came straight from a horror game. Coming across a dungeon filled with undead inOblivioncan make it harder to progress through said dungeon, let alone any of the manycreepy encounters inOblivion.
It could be argued that the undead have caused many scary moments inOblivion, especially the anticipation of fighting the zombie in the tutorial is often filled with the feeling of dread. Another scary moment is when exploring a dungeon, only to come across an undead or hear their haunting sounds—or worse, be jump-scared by them. It can easily cause someone to flee the dungeon with their hearts pounding.
Eerie Music and Scary Sound Effects
There is one thing that makes the undead even scarier and that is the sounds they make, especially when it’s accompanied by the eerie music that plays when exploring dungeons. The music conveys a sense of unease, but when the sound of a nearby undead is heard, it makes the whole experience ofexploring a dungeon inOblivionfar more terrifying.
Zombies are possibly the scariest due to the sounds they make and the way they stagger and then suddenly run as soon as they see the player, but ghosts and wraiths can easily come second with their terrifying screeches and slow movement. Wraiths and ghosts make up for their slow speeds with powerful magic. Almost 18 years later, the undead are still far scarier inOblivionthan inSkyrim, which proves that Bethesda did a great job when designing them.
