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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review


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5a74979ea6920_Skyrimboxart.png.51025e9a8d3746f02dcafc5ef7fee175.pngThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on a Nintendo system. Even after having played through the game I still find this kind of shocking. It was obvious back in 2011, when the game was originally released on other systems, that it wouldn't have worked on the Wii, but more than just hardware limitations there was a sense that a game like Skyrim, a Western developed massive open-world game, just didn't seem to gel with Nintendo's style. There was a certain difference in design philosophy between the two, which also kept a lot of other third-party games at arm's length from Nintendo's systems. But the times, they are a-changin', and when Nintendo officially revealed the Switch in 2016, one of the first games shown in the trailer was Skyrim. And let's be fair, the game is several years old now which represents quite a leap in hardware design, but it's still pretty incredible to see one of the most lauded games of the past decade finally find its way to a Nintendo system. Best of all, it's still a really fun game.
 
There's a good chance that you've already played Skyrim, or at least know the premise, but here's a quick recap: you play as the Dragonborn, an individual with the unique ability to absorb dragons' powers. Your arrival in Skyrim seems destined as the land is plagued with dragon attacks, and only you can stop them. That's just the main story though. The incredible thing about Skyrim is its sheer size, not just in physical locations but in the hundreds of side stories that the game's inhabitants live out. In any open-world sandbox game it's easy to lose yourself in the game's world since there's so much to do, and that's never been more true than in Skyrim. There are a multitude of combat options—even if combat feels a little stiff and repetitive at times—and a whole host of non-combat activities to busy yourself with. The degree of freedom and opportunities for side quests is staggering, and not a little intimidating, but when you throw yourself into Skyrim you'll find yourself engrossed in the game's world for literally hundreds of hours.
 
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The base game is still a wonderfully compelling adventure, and this Switch release includes all of the DLC that was added to the game post-release. Additionally, the developers have thrown in a few minor Nintendo touches. Skyrim on Switch supports amiibo, which drops a treasure chest in front of you with a random assortment of goodies. Since you're constantly collecting and hording stuff in Skyrim it can be a nice boost early in the game but after a few hours you'll probably move beyond the need for random goodie bags dropping from the sky. If you use Zelda amiibo you might receive special Zelda equipment—Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and Link's Champion's Tunic from Breath of the Wild. Again, these are pretty useful early on, plus it's just fun to see a lizard man running around with the Master Sword in hand. And don't worry if you don't collect amiibo; the Zelda equipment can also be found by visiting an important location in the main story.
 
This Switch edition of Skyrim also adds motion controls, so you can swing a Joy-Con to swing your sword into your fearsome dragon foes. You can also aim bows or magic spells with the Joy-Cons' motion controls, and even pick locks by rotating the Joy-Cons. But since the game wasn't originally designed for motion controls, swinging the controllers around isn't very comfortable in Skyrim. It's fun for messing around a bit, but playing through the entire game like this would get pretty tiring quickly, and not just physically.
 
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Of course, as a Switch game, Skyrim can also be played in handheld mode, which is easily the biggest addition to this version of Skyrim. This is the kind of game that can take over your life while you're playing it, so squeezing in a bit of extra playtime on the bus or even just in the kitchen is a great feature. The game also runs quite well in handheld mode. Obviously everything is a bit smoother when you have the system docked, and dark shadows become even more difficult to see through when playing in handheld mode, but overall the game is perfectly playable on-the-go.
 
I should mention though, as compelling as Skryim still is it also still has plenty of little bugs and glitches, some of which can be pretty problematic if you haven't saved recently (although you can save anywhere, so just remember to save as often as possible). Additionally, Skyrim is really showing its age as an over six-year-old game. Some of the animation is looking pretty stiff these days, and character models are looking rough. Still, the overall aesthetic of the game holds up well, especially since the game is simply so large and transitions between areas pretty smoothly.
 

Even six years after the game's original release it's not hard to see why Skyrim was so highly praised. It remains an incredibly engrossing adventure, one that can last for hundreds of hours, and this Switch version has the benefit of both handheld mode and all of the game's DLC packed in. The other additions for this edition may not be particularly exciting, but the base game has enough content and appeal to keep you glued to your Switch all the same. If you've never taken a trip through this game's snowy landscapes and deadly dungeons this Switch version is a perfect time to do so, and even if you already have you'll probably still enjoy once again exploring every detail Skyrim has to offer.

 

Rating: 9 out of 10 Dovahkiins

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