So I played this game seriously for the first time recently. Not in a "oh it's a cool retro game" or "I'll dick around a bit" way. I actually sat down and finally played this game that's been sitting in my steam library for several years now.

I already was a huge fan of Skyrim, especially the modding scene. Something about The Elder Scrolls as a series held a special place in my heart and the main theme always brought back memories of Skyrim.

When I finally understood the mechanics of Morrowind, though, and I finally made a build that I wanted to use, the game captivated me. Cue a 2-and-a-half-week, 60-hour-long binge exploring Vvardenfell. The atmosphere, the discovery, the art direction, the progression are all perfect. It's one of the few games that let you have the power of a god yet still makes you feel like you earned it. Exploits aplenty and questionable decisions regarding mechanics seem to only add to the charm of this game. No other Elder Scrolls game comes close to the level of worldbuilding and alien feeling that Morrowind does.
Now that I've finally played it, I recognize Morrowind as the definitive Elder Scrolls experience. Just something about the whole feel of the game is on another level. The devs seemed to focus less on the "game" side of Morrowind and more on the whole experience of it.

I don't think I've had this much fun in a game for a loooong while now. Easily in my top five, even for someone who had no nostalgia for it.

There was a brief moment, as I stood in the midst of the Urshilaku tents and listened to the wind blow through the bone-chimes, that I felt truly swept away. It captivated me like I haven’t been since I first watched the snowdrifts gently dance atop the glitchy mountains of Skyrim in 2011.

I’ve been trying to beat Morrowind off-and-on since long before then; it’s sort of a bucket-list item for me. I got a copy of Game of the Year Edition for the Xbox when I was probably 8 years old, and loved the atmosphere, but couldn’t quite grasp the gameplay. I was just as bad with a sword as I’d have been in real life. So I gave up, and I understand why I wasn’t alone in that.

Morrowind is a dangerous place, and the game itself can be just as unfriendly. It begs patience, time, and thought to learn its systems, and pretty much never handholds.

Now that I’m a little older, it’s a breath of fresh air to play a game that makes the player discover things like they would in real life. The closest I’ve ever come to this in my life was briefly living in South America without a car or smart phone -it’s a long story so I digress, but the point is, exploring with an unmarked map and writing down landmark-based directions, provided vocally, is something I don’t experience in my day-to-day or in games, and it can actually be fun.

There’s limited public transportation in lieu of fast travel, although the game comes into its own considerably when you become experienced enough to venture out blindly into the wilderness. So basically when you get your skills high enough to hit enemies consistently. There’s a strangely serene beauty to its grey 4:3 environment as well, like being at home sick on a rainy day.

The lore and world are rich, the game has a great sense of humor, and you are encouraged- honestly more like forced, to engage with its world. It’s honestly just a vibe and a half, putting you smack dab in a strange alien landscape and letting you loose.

I personally don’t think Oblivion or Skyrim dumbed down the experience to the point of ruining the immersion (although I’ve never really liked Oblivion idk why. I’ll try to beat it next), but I’m glad I can still experience a game like this, and I hope Todd & the gang take a look back at Morrowind as they begin to ramp up production on Elder Scrolls 6.

I’m honestly a little shocked, but very pleased, that I finally beat Morrowind.

P.S. all my homies hate cliff racers. Those dumb pterodactyls can suck it. And slaughterfish while we’re at it. Gtfo I’m just trying to get from point A to B bro please leave a Nerevarine alone.