A fantasy adventure needs dungeons to explore whether it's a cave or a portal to another world. Oblivion and its remastered version has both with lots of dungeons to explore as you travel through the forests and mountains of Cyrodiil.
Creating so many unique locations would be a big task. but it's easier now because of better design tools and procedural generation. These tools can help create great environments with less repetition than before.
Back in 2006 game development was very different and Oblivion was seen as huge. Even though things have changed the design of its dungeons still makes the game feel great in 2025.
Like a Lego Set, But Richer and More Complex in Every Way
This quote from Todd Broadwater a dungeon designer for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion perfectly sums up why this development was so exciting almost 20 years ago.
To make the dungeons in Oblivion quickly, the environments were created in parts that could be connected on a grid.
The dungeons in Oblivion are simple and repetitive. but in a way that feels realistic. If I were exploring caves in real life they’d probably start to feel similar after visiting a lot of them. After a few Ayleid ruins I’d get used to their architectural style. These dungeons don’t need to be more complicated than that. Even though I know what to expect. I still get lost in each one as I explore.
What makes it even easier to get lost in Oblivion compared to Skyrim is that its dungeons don't have a clear path. In Skyrim caves and dungeons usually have a visible route and a way to get back to the start. But in Oblivion the dungeons focus more on fighting enemies and collecting loot with no clear way to navigate through them.
When you reach a fork in the cave whether you go left or right you'll end up in a maze full of enemies and loot. The choice doesn't matter much it's all about the journey. Once you are deep in a dungeon it's hard to find your way out and I love that. Thank goodness for Clairvoyance.
Exploring the Mysterious and Haunting Realm of Oblivion
I should mention the Daedric dimension when talking about dungeons in Oblivion. In every playthrough there are 60 Oblivion gates to enter and explore and the goal is to close them all. Ten of these gates are part of the main story while the other 50 appear in different places around the world and don’t have fixed interiors.
You might walk down a road you have traveled many times only to find that an Oblivion gate has destroyed part of the forest. As you go in the game will pick one of several pre-made Oblivion maps so you never know which one you'll get. If you go through all 50 gates. you'll see some repeats but the variety adds to the excitement of exploring new dungeons.
Oblivion gives me a unique sense of adventure unlike any other game. Even now in 2025. I still appreciate how it presents dungeons. They are like mazes sometimes pointless and simple but that's what makes them great.
0 Comments