I always have to shake my head a bit when someone compares another game to Skyrim and says something like, “It’s just like Skyrim.” Really? It is “just like” Skyrim? I’ll then start to question them to see what they really mean. This is the line of questioning that I go through with them:
Is it open world? (Note that this is one of the only questions that they say yes to.)
Will it take you an hour or more to walk from one side of the map to the other?
Is it an action RPG?
Is it first-person point of view with the option of going to third person?
Do you level up an ability by using that ability?
Do you have to pick a certain character type (i.e. mage or warrior)? Or can you have multiple talents?
Is the game set in a high-fantasy realm?
Can you choose between being a male of female character?
Do you have the choice of multiple races to play?
Does it have hundreds and hundreds of hours of quests?
Does it have a weapons and amour crafting system?
Is the open world interactive with both NPCs and items?
Do you get to have followers who help you?
Can you pick and choose who you’d like to be your follower?
Is the game background and setting intricate and in-depth?
Are there hundreds of areas to explore?
Is there a huge modding community for PC that puts out amazing mods all of the time?
Is the game so beloved that there are tons of memes and jokes of it all around the Internet?
Is the game the yard stick that other games are measured by? (Because Skyrim is.)
There, of course, are games similar to Skyrim, but there is nothing “just like” it. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gets some things close. Far Cry 4 also does the same. It was described as “Skyrim with guns.” But is there really a true comparison? Not really. Not even the Fallout series is actually the same because of the way the leveling system works. I don’t necessarily mind comparisons, but when people make statements that include “just like,” it gets me a little riled up because in the end, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most defining games of this decade. And that is why it is so beloved.