The Elder Scrolls series began humbly with The Elder Scrolls: Arena 1994. Evolving the series with each entry, Bethesda finally hit perfection with The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim 2011. It was, of course, like an amalgamation of every entry that came before it, utilizing the leveling system, combat, and world that had been established before.
However, there are some other games that Skyrim was probably also inspired by. While these may not be direct inspirations, it's easy to draw a line between these classics directly to the systems i Skyrimeven if they are not other entries in The Elder Scrolls franchise. Without these games maybe Skyrim would never have existedor at least not in the form that has become so iconic to the gaming industry.
Baldur's Gate
DnD Basics
Baldur's Gate is a classic PC RPG based on Dungeons & Dragonsa series to which all RPGs owe their life. The desktop version of D&D set up standardized rules about classes, stats, monetary systems, quests, and so on, and these have bled into virtual RPGs from every gaming era.
There are many things that Skyrim drew on regarding Baldur's Gatein particular, building characters that could double swing, which required the right stat build and skills. Thankfully, using spells or dual-wielding weapons is much easier Skyrim without penalty than it is in Baldur's Gatewhich was a positive development.
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
A first person Action RPG legend
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
- Released
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March 21, 1992
- ESRB
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T for teens due to animated gore, mild violence
- Developer
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Blue Sky Productions
Ultimate is another old RPG series that many have probably never played, but it was formative for many RPG developers. Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss was a spinoff that was considered revolutionary at the time, largely because it was an action-based dungeon crawler with a character traversing said dungeon in first person.
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The character's build was constantly displayed on the right side of the screen, along with their other stats, and the window for combat and exploration was relatively small compared to the rest of the UI. It's a bit archaic visually now, but it was an important step for all first-person action RPGs. thankfully, Skyrim showed the entire world for players to take in as they explored, and also gave them the option of a third-person view.
Diablo
Love that change
The first one Diablo the game was a top-down action RPG that changed the way players find loot in their games. Destroying a monster and then being able to pick through the wreckage to find new gear or weapons was always a fun experience, made even better in the sequel. Between the first two Diablo games, many RPGs saw the value in randomized loot drops, and Skyrim is definitely one of those RPGs.
Players won't find colored versions of the same gear or weapons as they can in more modern loot games, but treasure is plentiful on anything players kill in Skyrim. Spiders can have crafting materials, while bandits can be stripped almost bare for gear, and anything unwanted can be sold for profit.
The Legend of Zelda
Open-World Origins
The Legend of Zelda
- Released
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February 21, 1986
- ESRB
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E For All Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
The Legend of Zelda was a huge hit on the NES, and it led to many iconic sequels, a cartoon, toys, and even cereal. It is considered one of the touchstones of how the open world genre was formed. It was almost non-linear, as most dungeons could be tackled in a random order and players were basically dropped into the game, given a sword, and then thrust into a vast world of adventure with no guidance.
Skyrim has plenty of guidance to offer between the main story and random missions, but what players still love about it is how freeing it is to explore the seemingly limitless open-world environments. It's a big evolutionary step from The Legend of Zeldabut the ties are definitely there when you follow the evolution of open world games.
Final Fantasy 2
Everything you do elevates you
Final Fantasy 2 is a black sheep in the franchise, but not because it's bad. The progression system was just odd, as characters level up their stats and spells depending on their use. Using a fire spell will increase its power over time, while being hit by enemies can increase HP and defense stats. This prompted Squaresoft to create Fairy tale series, which uses the same progression system, albeit tweaked.
It might be better to say that Skyrimand The Elder Scrolls series overall, learned from Fairy tale game instead Final Fantasy 2. When players use spells continuously in Skyrimthe school these spells come from levels up. The same applies to other tasks such as forging or lock picking. There's traditional leveling up too by killing enemies and gaining XP, so it's a nice mix, but players are particularly fond of the way Skyrim organically build their character based on the actions they take.
Breath Of Fire
All Hail The Dragons
Breath of Fire is a Capcom series of RPG games that were like Final Fantasy in the 90s, as each sequel was its own standalone thing. However, there were familiar systems and characters in each game, such as the hero always being a blue-haired man named Ryu. Ryu was part of a dragon tribe, which allowed him to transform into various dragon forms during battle.
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How each game handled these transformations was different, but they may have provided the inspiration for Dragonborn i Skyrim. Players could not transform into dragons in Skyrimbut they could learn their language and gain new abilities, like everyone's favorite cry, “Fus Ro Dah!” which quickly became a meme after Skyrim's 2011 launch.
Shadow Of The Colossus
Fear the Titans
Shadow of the Colossus is still one of the best games on PS2. It technically has an open world to explore, though it's empty except for the colossi roaming around in specific areas. The game was basically a boss rush with a lot of set dressing in between, where players had to find these titans, climb them and then destroy their weak points.
IN Skyrimthere were no dynamic battles against colossal titans, but there were creatures that towered over players in terrifying ways. Seeing a giant for the first time and seeing them kill clubbers in a single hit is a memorable experience. Even the mammoths are scary, as they are hard to take down. Skyrim learned from Shadow of the Colossus adding terrifying and towering enemies to the mix helps create a more engaging world.
- Released
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November 11, 2011
- ESRB
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M for adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, use of alcohol
- Developer
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher
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Bethesda Softworks
