Summary
It’s hard to imagine a small studio putting out games with worlds as massive, deep, and historied as Bethesda’sElder Scrollsseries. But as big games take longer and longer to develop, many admirers and fans have gotten together as indie studios to fill the gap with open-world sandboxes.
As the series evolved,many of Bethesda’s design philosophies also changed, and while they may not have the budget or storied lore as seen inSkyrim,Morrowind,Daggerfall, orOblivion, these games might just scratch those decade-long itches left behind by those ambitious fantasy life simulators with their emphasis on player choice, immersion, and highly detailed worldbuilding.
6The Quest
A Hand-Crafted Open World Dungeon Crawler With An Immaculately Fleshed-Out World
While there are plenty of modern dungeon crawlers looking to emulate the classic 90s look, what makesThe Questdistinct (and draws comparisons with theElder Scrolls) is that it presents a world full of civilization, from its NPCs,readable in-game books, living factions, and cities. There’s much more in the game world to interact with than just smackable bandits and monsters. Houses can be broken into, characters can be persuaded or dissuaded depending on the player’s actions, and inns offer a playing cards minigame as an additional diversion.
At a glance,The Questbears a resemblance to 1996’sElder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, butthe creators have citedMorrowindas one of their main influences. Thanks to its weather system, day and night cycle, and expertly hand-drawn environments, players have a world of immersion to enjoy. A dealbreaker for some may be its turn-based combat and grid-based movement. However, those who enjoyTESgames for their populated towns and cities and libraries of lore, and especially those who dig Daggerfall’s style, may want to giveThe Quest(or its 2016 remaster) a look.
A Psychedelic PSX Morrowind With Gigantic Mushrooms And Clockwork Monstrosities
ManyElder Scrollsstaples can be found throughoutDread Delusion’s wobbling floating isles, the most obvious perhaps being that the playerbegins as an imprisoned nobody, where they then choose their class and background.Dread Delusionspecifically draws inspiration from one of the older games in the series,Morrowind, with its pickable plants, giant mushrooms, three colored bars on the lower left corner of the screen (magic, stamina, and health), and dice-roll skill checks, including “charm,” lockpicking, and secret finding (or “lore”) skills. There is even a buyable and upgradable home, giving players a reason to hoard all their loot and allowing them to play out their homeowner fantasy.
CreatorJames Wraggsaid that he was happynot to have to compete with Bethesdain creating a spiritual successor toThe Elder Scrolls 3, but a few differences set it apart fromTES. For example, while the map is large enough to get lost in, it isn’t as expansive as a BGS sandbox. The player does not loot enemies. Instead, items and currency float in the environment like old-school power-ups. However, like any of the mainlineElder Scrollsgames, it is evident that a great emphasis was placed on creating memorable NPCs and placing deeply weird and interesting lore through in-game artifacts, places, and readable books.
4Outward
Immersive Adventures Don’t Have To Taken Alone
Although theElder Scrolls Onlineallows fans to embark on adventures together, many fans admit that, despite the remarkable exploratory freedom on offer, the inherent trappings of the MMO genre persist throughout the experience. In the mainlineTESseries, players are given a profound sense of immersion, control, and an intimate connection with the world rather than feeling like mere guests in the expansive universe. Thisshared sense of freedom and adventurewas exactly what the developers behindOutwardwere aiming to emulate when they developed their open-world, co-op-ready RPG.
3Eastshade
Vivid Worldbuilding From An Artist’s Eye
As well as its depth of lore and player freedom,The Elder Scrollsgames are best known for their stunning environments. Capturingthe essence of Dawn’s Beautyis no easy task for a developer of any size. However, the four-person team behindEastshade, led by seasoned environmental artist Daniel Weinbaum, made crafting an artful and beautiful world a priority. Unlike the epic fighting fantasy of theElder Scrollsseries, the main gameplay loops players can expect inEastshadeinvolve gathering firewood, peacefully resolving disagreements between the humanoid inhabitants of the island, and painting eye-pleasing landscapes.
Players don’t face much danger on the island besides getting caught off guard by a sudden blizzard while venturing out at night. Eastshade Studios has expressed a desire to give players of theirSkyrim-inspired game a mindful and relaxing experience driven bysidequests, exploration, and meeting memorable characters. Part of what makes Bethesda games work is their inclusion of three-dimensional NPCs with schedules, social circles, and interests dotted all across Tamriel.Eastshadeadmirably renders its own cast of fully-voiced, anthropomorphic humanoids across the landscape and throughout bustling towns, especially considering that NPC implementation is one of the most complicated tricks for a developer of any stripe to pull off.
2Kenshi
A Hardcore Survival Sandbox That EmbracesThe Elder Scrolls' Grim & Gritty Side
This open-world sandbox is a little more sci-fi and dieselpunk than the games it draws inspiration from, but it still takes the same “player-driven story” gameplay philosophy asTES.Kenshitakes place on the game’s titular moon, which hasexperienced multiple apocalyptic eventsover several epochs. Like the unreliable-narrator-driven Nirn, the world (or satellite world) is layered with deep, hidden history and odd characters that fans ofMorrowindorOblivionmight expect from an open-world sandbox, although the bandits and berserkers are a lot more formidable and organized than the rabble found across Tamriel.
WhileThe Elder Scrollshas never shied away from harsh and alien themes,Kenshitakes these grotesque elements and runs with them. Everything, from the setting to the UI and the difficulty, can be thorny for newcomers. Those who persist will find an experience as vast in content asSkyrimand as deep asDwarf Fortress, the two games that Kenshi creator Chris Huntcited as the game’s primary inspirations. A few nods toThe Elder Scrollsseries can be found throughout the game (for example, the resemblance between scorchlanders and ashlanders).
1Ardenfall
Taking Up The Mantle Of An RPG Legend
Summonable monsters, extensive dialogue trees, joinable factions with interweaving politics, unique cultures, and a cast of charming NPCs (all of whichare entirely murderable), and, most importantly, choices that matter; it’s details like these that makeMorrowinda shining jewel in the RPG crown, but they also happen to be features common to Spellcast Studio’sArdenfall. The player character starts as nobody in a large, explorable world. With time, they can become a powerful magic user, an unstoppable warrior, a deadly assassin, an untouchable thief, or perhaps something else entirely. Whether dungeon diving or soothing tensions with a silver tongue,Ardenfallseeks to be as expansive and open-ended as it can possibly be.
While this might all sound exciting, there’s good news and bad news. After five years of development, the game still isn’t ready for release. However, there is an extensive playable demo out on Steam with a good number of explorable dungeons, voice-acted NPCs, vibrant towns, varied enemies, and all of the features described above, all playable with a variety of builds. While some long-timeElder Scrollsfans might already be chomping at the bit to play a gamedirectly inspired byMorrowind, it is worth saying that the developers are keenly responsive to feedback about their demo, and kind, constructive feedback might even influence the final release.
