We are already approaching 2020’s, and while virtual reality has kicked in, we shouldn’t get lost in pre-designed mechanics. In just a few years, Morrowind will reach its 20th year since release, but will many still play it?
The ancient graphics and primordial mechanics are turn-off for a lot of the modern gamers, however the fact that such things become unbearable is daunting. While Morrowind was one of the best if not, upon its full release in 2002, with the development of graphic cards and processors, the whole game mechanics were quickly overtaken. Only four years after, Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion and Gothic 3 came out with a much advanced interface and now we have Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online, which are on a whole another level. If you have never played Morrowind and you began straight with ESO, chances that you could go back are almost zero. However, what is that keeps some players stuck in the old Vvardenfell over the modern one? Or maybe should I put the other way – why still some prefer killing Cliff Racers shortly before Jiub exterminates them, and the others stroll in the overpopulated surroundings of the unfinished Vivec? While this is an interesting topic, we will compare these two in another scene.
While Morrowind is far by being the perfect RPG, it has some unique characteristics that could make the future games much better from what we see today.
The infamous Jiub, first character you encounter in the game.
Game Mechanics aka. Gameplay
The game starts as your arrive in Vvardenfell where you are going to be released from detention. There are few of the races you can choose and customize your look very limitedly, and after, pick your class or create your own.
From the beginning you are released to be entirely free and follow your wishes. First you can go either check out the local tavern, take on a mission from the few in Seyda Neen, make your way around, or take a Silt Strider straight to Balmora.
As the character interacts with others, long lines of discussions will appear, and at a point it gets too repetitive, since you have learned most of them. Despite that, the game is full with quests which will make you meet NPC’s, who will almost always have to tell you something new. Though it might get monotonous at one point, this will cease to be a burden, when you will be accustomed to the game flow.
As the game progresses you gain diverse skills, and some are easier to get than others. For example, there is the acrobatics skill that can be developed no matter what, unless you don’t walk and jump. Depending on your class, you will be improving your skillset according to your actions. However, the ones which aren’t included in one of the your main lists will be harder to develop. You can’t see the presence of these elements in such games as Skyrim. While such skillset might be a bit outdated scheme, many of the modern algorithms take it too easy to bring a deeper entertainment to the player.
By using any specific skill – fighting, magic or others, you will notice major insufficiencies at the beginning. The player cannot either hit the target, or fails to adapt the magic. Though it might seem like a bug, this is perfectly normal, as the characters grow to improve in skills and master them to deal with their targets better.
Since you get in the game, you will never get bored, as the journey is almost never-ending. There have been many players that played tens of hours, and never completed the game. The world and the quest amount are so large, that you could hardly get away with less than 100 hours of play.
Though the world could be better if the NPCs acted livelier, and just wouldn’t do nothing most of the time. You can already find many mods where this issue has been addressed. For example, in the Morrowind Overhaul mod, you can customize to add animated NPCs that will execute different tasks to entertain themselves.
As you run further into the game, you will notice that it actually seems much more than on the first look. While experience with the journal and its pages might get messy, it could have been aimed that way, so the players would receive their character’s full experience.
The character is an individual entity, and as you progress through the game, you create and learn to see him that way.
Graphics
Without any doubts Bethesda Studio has worked hard to make wonderful graphics in this game, and they achieved what they wanted to see.
The landscapes are extremely nicely made that have incredible ambience. Every walk is an adventure and the diversity of environments makes it more entertaining. Though nowadays those graphics are the reason why many of new gamers turn their back on the game, it actually creates some unique patterns that probably few artists would appreciate. While you cannot call it ultra HQ masterpiece, it renders the environments and movements as they should be. Such graphics fulfil greatly the purpose of the swampy architecture around the world. Sadly, you can’t see that anymore in the ESO, which kind of took away its conventional atmosphere and replaced it with the colourful meshes.
The original graphics might die out one day as everything does indeed, however, with the initiation of the community we might see many mods come to life that might even introduce Morrowind into a VR engine. So if there would be anytime any plans to remake the game on a new platform, the replication of graphics would be the most straightforward way.
Audio
In few games you can experience such beautiful and fulfilling soundtrack as in Morrowind. The game starts with the percussion beating, and as you play, different themes kick in depending on your actions. Even though you hear the same music during the game, it never gets too monotonous, as thought it was perfectly designed to fit in the game scenarios.
The composer of the soundtracks is Jeremy Soule, who has also made the music for other Elder Scrolls releases and other games. If you have played Skyrim, you might understand the power of his music. Though Skyrim has much more pieces inside the game, for Morrowind are enough a dozen as they are to complete the full image of the game.
Besides the soundtracks there are many sound effects which accompany your actions. Most of them are quite simple, but you might encounter also some specific ones which you might like. The voices are well made, with many characters having their unique traits, however that is a less evident detail, as there is not much talking in the game.
Overview
Morrowind will surely remain one of the best games in its genre. Despite what some people think, it still influences many makers to create better worlds. It has some of the neatest fitting ambience, where music, graphics, the design, and mechanics seem to be meant for each other. After so many years since its release, playing Morrowind has become more like reading a book, but that is what keeps it alive. While many games will disappear from the scene, there will be people who will always return to Morrowind. If the old-school graphics and mechanics aren’t a big bother for you, just give it a chance, and with little imagination, you will enter another world full of interesting things.