The Elder Scrolls is a beloved RPG series, and yet many people seem unaware there are spinoffs other than Legends and Online. There were some mobile phone games and two PC games, An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire and The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. The games didn’t do very well, mostly due to Battlespire being a drastic genre shift and Redguard, while a serviceable action adventure game, was made on outdated tech and had development issues that ended up costing more in the long run.
These two spinoffs may not have done well but there is still potential in spinoffs for the series, especially prequels like Redguard . Specifically, one prequel spinoff that would be a good idea is one that would let people play as Tiber Septim/Talos as he forges his empire. The character is an integral part of Elder Scrolls lore and getting the chance to play as him at last would be amazing. This would also open up many opportunities to see the events of the backstory that we have heard about, actually unfold before our eyes.
This potential game would also be good in another way. After the events of Skyrim, the Dragonborn’s tale is done and in more ways than one, since lore wise, there will not be any more in the series universe. But a game like this would once again allow people to play as a Dragonborn since Talos was one himself. The game can even find new ways for him to gain access to his shouts since the dragons were mostly not around in his time. We could see Parthunaax and the Greybeards summon him, which was referenced in Skyrim, and we can finally clear up the mystery of how he ascended to godhood.
In a previous article, I suggested that Bethesda test out their upcoming engine for Elder Scrolls VI on a different game before ES6 is made, so there will be less bugs. A spinoff like this is a perfect opportunity for that. As well, Bethesda could experiment with different gameplay styles. This could be an RPG like the main series but with its own set up, or an even more action oriented game than before, and being a spinoff will allow more freedom to take risks.
If Bethesda is worried about revealing too much about the series lore, they shouldn’t worry as they have a built in safety net. When Bethesda came up with the concept of the Dragon Break and CHIM, it essentially gave free license to retcon anything and not have to worry about it being lore breaking, because the very lore of the series allows this.
My only real true request if such a game is made though, is for better voice acting. The voice acting in Skyrim was not that great, some of the cast did well but some were clearly just reading off lines in a bored tone that broke the immersion. Better voice acting could truly make this game have much more of an epic feel to it.
I truly believe this would be an amazing spinoff and one that fans would love. But now I turn the question to the readers. Would you want this game? Let me know.
The above was the opinion of the author and the author alone and doesn’t necessarily reflect the reviews of Real Otaku Gamer or its staff.