Skyrim’s opening is iconic. There’s a very good reason why the lines “Hey you, you’re finally awake” have gone down in history. It’s an iconic reference that has been harkened back to time and time again since the game’s original release. Now that we’ve seen it across an endless number of ports and re-releases, the once great introduction is getting old.
You’re an unnamed prisoner, being marched into the humble town of Helgen for your untimely execution. Alongside you sits Ulfric Stormcloak and a number of other nameless criminals who have given their lives to the justice system as you’re marched towards the block for a swift beheading. You’re awoken in a daze, forced to sit through quiet dialogue as you glance around at your uneventful surroundings. With your hands bound, all you can do is sit and wait, trying in vain to understand this situation as the town comes into view.
The populace exchange curious whispers about your company, immediately recognising Stormcloak as you’re brought into the town square. Imperials await, wielding a dossier listing all of those set to meet their end today. Even now this mystique is effective, and will continue to be for the two remaining people on this planet who have yet to play Skyrim, but as a returning player, having to sit through this tiresome introduction that I know like the back of my hand is more than a little obnoxious.
I know I need to make my character, I know a dragon is going to appear on the horizon, and I know I’ll need to pick a side that will end up being completely irrelevant to the unfolding plot anyway. Please just let me get on with it, and it feels rather unusual that Bethesda hasn’t taken inspiration from the millions of mods out there by introducing an official way to skip this lengthy intro. Provide us with a bespoke character creation screen and a few choices that take into account how we might approach the opening all before spawning us into its world. All of the narrative weight remains without any of the tedium.
You could argue that I could just play on PC or use the console creation club to install a mod that does just that, but it speaks to Bethesda’s reliance on Skyrim as an obedient cash cow. Letting the community address such shortcomings instead of Bethesda coming to terms with it themselves is unfortunately an aspect of Fallout and Elder Scrolls that we’ve long come to recognise. For a company with the willingness to release the same game with minimal upgrades a seemingly endless amount of times, you’d hope such quality of life improvements would come naturally.
Maybe this is just an immature level of impatience. Skyrim’s opening sets the tone for the narrative that will unfold over the next few tens, if not hundreds, of hours, and reducing them down to a character creator and some meaningless dialogue options might cheapen it a bit. Yet other games have taken the time of returning players into account, whether it be White Orchard in The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077’s first couple of hours. These games understand that RPGs by their very design will be subject to repeat playthroughs, so they introduce options to accommodate unskippable cutscenes or needless busywork that we won’t want to put up with. Skyrim feels archaic as a result. I understand it came out ten years ago, but it also came out last week.
Skyrim has the vastness of the ocean but the depth of a puddle, but that’s why I love it so much. It doesn’t force you to understand the political complications and fantastical lore that underpin its main narrative, you can simply have fun and fuck about with whatever playstyle resonates with you. The main questline can be ignored altogether as you build a future as a magical sorceress or a twisted assassin who sets up an ominous homestead in the countryside. Having to sit through the opening 30 minutes each and every time I return takes the wind out of my sails, reminding me how janky and disjointed this game has become. It’s still amazing in so many ways, but I wish it was moving with the times.
Yes, I know I’m awake, now please get out of my face and let me slay some dragons.