Summary
TheElder Scrollsseries is famous for its huge open worlds and detailed role-playing systems, like inOblivion, but there is a hidden gem in its history that many fans miss:The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard.
This game breaks away from the usual series style, offering a unique action-adventure experience set on the remote island of Stros M’Kai, a place players might recognize fromThe Elder Scrolls Online. This could offer a way for Bethesda to break into the action-adventure genre.
RedguardIs an Overlooked Gem
Unlike other games in the series,The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguardhas a set main character, Cyrus, a skilled Redguard mercenary whose race and abilities are already decided for you. This is very different from the freedom to create your own character in the mainElder Scrollsgames. The game tells a more personal story by focusing on one well-defined character.
The story is short but exciting, filled with political schemes, rebellion, and family ties. Cyrus’s search for his missing sister, Iszara, pulls him into a fight between rival groups and eventually leads to a battle with a powerful Daedric Prince. The plot is tightly written, sticking to one main story without the many side quests that often fill the biggerElder Scrollsgames.
This focused approach letsRedguardtell a complete and satisfying story without feeling too big or repetitive. This can sometimes be an issue in the larger worlds of otherElder Scrollstitles. They definitely aren’tgames you’re able to beat over a weekend.
The gameplay also makesRedguardstand out in the series. Instead of the first-person view and slower combat of mostElder Scrollsgames,Redguarduses a third-person perspective with fast-paced fighting inspired by games likePrince of PersiaandTomb Raider. Blocking and attacking are the main mechanics, requiring good timing and strategy against different enemies.
The island is carefully designed, and every area, from the busy city to the secret dungeons, is filled with detail. This makes exploration feel less like procedural generation and more like a finely crafted world. The puzzles in the game are not too hard but fit naturally into the story and setting, asking players to pay attention, think creatively, and understand how the world works.
It Was Todd Howard’s First Game as Project Leader
While Todd Howard is known for his work on countless Bethesda titles fromMorrowindtoStarfield, his role inThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguardwent much deeper than just having his name on the box. This 1998 game was a major turning point in his career, as it was the first time he took on the role of project lead at Bethesda Softworks.
Before this, Howard had worked on other Bethesda games, likeThe Terminator: Future ShockandDaggerfall, butRedguardwas his first chance to guide an entire project from start to finish. His work on the game covered many important areas of development.
He was in charge of the project and had a direct hand in designing the game, writing scripts, and shaping its creative vision. Being involved in so many aspects gave Howard key experience in leading teams, handling creative disagreements, and steering a game’s development from the early ideas all the way to release.
Redguarddidn’t sell well, but this is likely what made Bethesda trust Howard so much. The pressure of leading his first major project may have also taught him the value of efficient development practices, which would help him manage more ambitious games later on.
Redguardwas not a huge financial success, but it likely taught Howard important lessons about managing expectations and delivering a polished game within budget and technical limits. The experience Howard gained while working onRedguard, which involved leading a smaller team to create a game set in a smaller, more detailed world, was likely very useful as he moved on to much larger projects likeMorrowind,Oblivion, andSkyrim.
OblivionIs Opening the Doors to More Bethesda Remasters
The recent unexpected release ofThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remasteredhas been nothing short of exciting. It surpassed the expectations that many of us had before it was leaked. The remaster, made by Virtuos and running on Unreal Engine 5, features much better graphics, including updated character designs, improved lighting and shadows, and smoother performance.
While the full financial success of the remaster won’t be seen for a while, the gameplay is at the quality needed to be a huge success. This proves that players are very interested in modernized versions of classic Bethesda games. This success makes it very likely that more remasters will come in the future.
When Microsoft bought Bethesda, it gained a huge collection of famous game franchises. Microsoft is not the kind of publisher that lets moneymaking ideas fall by the wayside. Remasters and remakes are a safe and profitable way for Microsoft to make the most of these games. Sure, there are somegames that should never, ever be remade, but Bethesda many games definitely should.
Remastering well-known titles likeOblivionwill open the door for Microsoft to test how much players care about these games before deciding whether to invest in bigger, more expensive remakes. There are plenty ofgames that should get anOblivion-style remasterthat can help prove this. The positive reception of theOblivionremaster proves that players are happy to return to older games, especially if they get better visuals, smoother gameplay, and small improvements that make the experience more fun.
Smaller titles also won’t take as long, so games likeThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, despite being old and not as widely known, could be a great choice for a similar remaster, given its role inElder Scrollshistory. We could get a lot more out of these games; we just have to hope that Bethesda gives us the opportunity.
