The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind Review:

(Note: This game was played on Xbox One through backwards compatibility and I had a copy for my original Xbox that I picked up back in 2014)

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is a CRPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios and Published by Bethesda Softworks in 2002 to massive critical acclaim and was a massive financial success allowing Bethesda to survive as a company because at the time they were under massive financial constraints. But now that you know about the game let’s get into whether or not this game is for you.

But to start off, this game is very, very difficult- it will kick the shit out of you, and there is zero hand-holding, no map markers, no checkpoints, no fast travel (except for public transport which costs gold) and if you prefer your games to not make you work for progression, then this game is not for you. Also the journal is very messy, but it’s easy to get over.

I’m splitting the review into four sections: Combat, Exploration/World, Story/Dialogue, and Presentation

-Combat: The combat is old school, this game is based around dice rolls and chance rather than projectile, as your chance to hit and damage is raised with your skills, personally I love this system but is infuriating at the start, as if you spec your character wrong you’re gonna have a bad time (It took me 1 minute to kill a rat, AND I DIED TO THE RAT) but once you start leveling your skills it’ll become a lot easier but never loses its challenge (unless you level perfectly, as someone was able to kill the final god Dagoth Ur with his fists, but it is virtually impossible for someone starting out), as the game is balanced very well and teaches you that you’re not a badass dragon slayer, but merely a mortal (although you pretty much ascend to go. So this combat system is not for everyone, but I love it!

-Exploration/World: This is easily the best world Bethesda has ever created, there is always something interesting around every corner, and the design is so unique and well crafted, it takes inspiration from Asian Cultures, Middle Eastern, High Fantasy, etc. This is simply a world that you won’t see in any other game. And the Exploration as I said is always interesting and unique, after spending well around 100 hours in this game I’m finding new unique things, not just re-skinned things like in the later Elder Scrolls games basically making it the most re-playable Elder Scrolls.

-Story/Dialogue: You play as a prisoner taken from the Imperial city prison under the order of The Emperor Uriel Septim VII as you are destined to be the Nerevarine, and you are set out on the quest to help the Tribunal and stop Dagoth Ur. The plot is very good, however the way it’s told is very exposition heavy (I.E: Tolkien-Esque) which will turn people off, but I found myself very engaged, as the exposition (which is all text based by the way, pretty much no voice acting) is very well written, it’s akin to reading a book, if you don’t like to read- you will be turned off from this game. Overall, I loved it, but is not for everyone.

-Presentation: I’m putting this last as it’s the least important in my score system, but still needs to be talked about. And this game is beautiful…. somewhat. The world is beautiful and easily holds up 16 years later, however, the character models are blocky and janky, the animations are stiff, and very old. But that being said, it doesn’t take away from the score. Also, the soundtrack is FANTASTIC and shows Jeremy Soule’s greatness as a composer. But I personally prefer Skyrim’s soundtrack a bit more, but this is a great score

-Closing Thoughts: This game is nothing short of fantastic… for the right person, and is the BEST Elder Scrolls game, and actually incorporates choice and consequence rather than following the streamlined and honestly uninteresting roleplaying of Oblivion or Skyrim. If you’re longing for a punishing but rewarding CRPG experience, you will find it here. I fucking love this game, but it is a slow burn, however if you’re able to get over that, it is nothing short of a CRPG Masterpiece!

Final Score: 10/10!

Superb world building with some of the most unique environments I’ve ever seen in gaming. Morrowind may not have the best combat but it remains one of the most immersive games I’ve ever played and it accomplishes this by crafting a living and breathing alien world that’s full of interesting characters.

There’s a lot to do in this game like the other games in the Elder Scrolls series and the personalities of the NPC’s you encounter are even more unique than some of the later entries in the series. This has partly to do with the game’s dialogue being almost exclusively text with much of the voice acting being ambient. Some may be annoyed by the lack of voice acting but I think it enabled the developers to have a lot of creativity with how these characters are written and also allowed them to write a mountain of text without worrying about the cost of voice acting. You actually feel as if you were talking to an actual person rather than a scripted actor. There is quite a bit of filler NPC’s who have generic dialogue but they’re mostly found walking around city streets while the more important NPC’s are inside buildings.

I’d say one of the greatest aspects about Morrowind is how alive the world feels despite its dated graphics and mechanics. It’s clear there was a lot of care that went into building the world. The developers went as far as to give all the races distinct cultures. The Dark Elves (Dunmer) for example have their own pantheon of gods that they worship, gods that many outsiders consider to be evil and destructive. There’s even entire subcultures like the ashlander Dark Elves who live in tribes instead of cities and the Skaal which is a tribe of Nords who worship their own pantheon separate from the Nords of Skyrim. There’s a reason for the existence of pretty much everything in this world.

Now, the now the main story is definitely my favorite in the series by a long shot. You spend the entire game trying to prove to the world that you are the prophesied hero and by the end of the game you really deserve that recognition because you worked HARD to get this far. This doesn’t come easy because Morrowind is the most xenophobic province to be featured in an Elder Scrolls game so far. They even have a special term for outsiders in Morrowind (N’wah) so that should tell you how much the locals despise outsiders. Of course you happen to play an outsider and trying to convince them that you are the reincarnation of a great warrior in Dark Elf culture is going to be a challenge. THIS is why the story is so awesome. You don’t ever feel as if the world is centered around you. It breaks a lot of tropes you find in fantasy stories. You are the chosen one but you don’t have any special ability really to prove it, the only way you can prove it is by completing trials.

This is a game that I think anyone who is a fan of RPG’s should try. It’s very outdated and that might turn people off but very rewarding once you learn the ins and outs. There’s a reason many of us speak so fondly of it over a decade later.