And why is no one doing it?Whenever someone says to me, “Hey, have you seen the indie/AA game X? It's just like Morrowind”, I know I'm almost certain it won't be my thing, but I might check it out just to make them happy.> Check out Ardenfell, it’s just like MorrowindThe gameplay is much more similar to Oblivion and Skyrim than to Morrowind, and the stats system is much simpler than Morrowind.Also, I’m a little confused by the game’s art direction, why did they make it look like Runescape 3? Then again, I suppose you eventually get used to it, and compared to their previous demo, it’s cool that they’ve finally developed their own identity.But mechanically, gameplay-wise, it seems much closer to Oblivion/Skyrim to me, with simplified action gameplay and no spellmaking.The other problem: it’s an indie game set in 2026, so you probably know what that means. Over the past year, there was a free demo, and just recently the game went into early access. They’re saying early access is expected to last 1 to 2 years, so we can expect it to actually last 4 to 5 years. Then we’ll get the finished game once all the hype has died down... and it still won’t be as good as Morrowind.And yes, I understand that it’s hard to find the money to make a video game these days. I don’t blame the Ardenfell team for that. But still.
> Check out Dread Delusion, it's just like Morrowind.I've already played and finished it—it's a great game for its scope, but it's closer to System Shock than to The Elder Scrolls.The exploration is excellent, you really need to read everything carefully and get your bearings, it is set in an "alien" and intriguing universe, and on top of that, the writing is good. It’s also worth noting that this game was eventually released as a complete product, and continues to receive occasional patches and maintenance updates here and there.One thing the game does exceptionally well is present truly agonizing choices. Even in many RPGs, you often have choices with a clear "good" option and a "bad" option, and it’s very easy to tell which is which. Not here: most quests with choices don’t have a right or wrong solution; both choices come with their own set of pros and cons. Many times, I had no idea whether I'd made the right choice or not. (Let's also remember that The Elder Scrolls -even Morrowind- have never really excelled at letting you choose how a quest plays out or ends )However, between the fact that there’s very little character customization (sure, there are background choices at the start of the game, but the clothes provide such powerful buffs that, in the end, you can do anything) and the fact that the combat gets boring pretty quickly, I don’t think I’ll be playing it again anytime soon. A little more diversity in builds, combat styles, and other elements could have added more replay value.They’ve already laid a solid foundation for a future game. I see they’re going with a JRPG for the next one, we’ll see how that turns out. But neither that game nor Dread Delusion is the Morrowind successor I am looking for.
> Check out Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, it's just like Morrowind.Goddamn, stop trying to sell me this skyrimoid thing as a worthy successor to Morrowind. It's OBVIOUS that the guys who made this are Skyrim fans, not *Morrowind* fans. Next.
> Check out Lantern of the Laughless Saint, it's just like Morrowind.I was rather hype for this while watching the first trailers, but it left me deeply disappointed when watching later trailers and gameplay. It seems like more of a game for people who like the broken aspects of bethesda games rather than the immersion.I considered looking into this one, but if it's more of a "Boots of Blinding Speed: The Game" than an immersive world filled with believable people, then... eh.And just like Ardenfell, it is an early access game, with all the problems that go with it. Devs are lazy and aren't planning on fixing issues until after they finish the gameplay content and it's out of early access (i.e. never). They also talk about how the game is designed with low-end systems in mind and in the same breath when people complain about memory leaks, their fix is to tell people to add more ram...And just like Ardenfell, it actually has the gameplay from Oblivion and Skyrim rather than the gameplay of Morrowind, and it is also an early access game with all the problems that come with it.
> Check out The Wayward Realms, it's just like Morrowind.It's more like Daggerfall, actually, and the developers make no secret of it. In and of itself, a true spiritual successor to Daggerfall is also a project that interests me and that I am looking forward, but it’s not a direct successor to Morrowind either... And we still have to hope that it actually comes out someday. For years now, there’s been no announcement about a release date, early access, or even a demo.
> Check out Outward, it's just like Morrowind.It’s much more of a survival game than an RPG. There are some RPG elements, but they’re very simplified, and there aren’t a ton of customization options. I do like the idea of starting out as a completely random nobody though, that you have to earn the right to use magic or whatever. But I don’t think it’s quite there yet. The game is fun in co-op mode, though.
> Check out Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it's just like Morrowind.It might be one of the games that comes the closest to it. It's one of the few action-RPGs where your character's skills have a REAL impact on their in-game actions, unlike Casualrim, where a guy with a 5 in one-handed weapons hits absolutely every single time. (You see, there is a way to more or less incorporate dice rolls into a real-time first-person game, it’s not impossible.) There’s a simulation aspect to it that’s really enjoyable.That said, the game’s prologue is extremely linear (you have to follow a big set path) and there’s no magic (well, there are potions that let you see better in the dark, so much for the "historical realism"), and no character customization; you always play as Henry with his well-defined background and no one else.Now, Warhorse has announced a Lord of the Rings game, but since that universe inspired all other fantasy, there’s a big risk that the world will inevitably feel "generic" compared to that of Morrowind. And that the possibilities with magic won’t be as extensive.
In short, where is the TRUE spiritual successor to Morrowind? A game where the inspiration from Morrowind goes beyond "look, giant mushrooms" or "watch as you can make a stupid spell to jump high and die!". A game:> with a world that has a soul and is original, and can even feel alien> where our character’s skills and stats have a REAL impact on their in-game abilities (ideally, Morrowind-style dice rolling but with better feedback so it isn’t frustrating; something like KCD might work otherwise)> a deep magic system that allows for tons of mind-blowing stuff with tons of magical effects and tons of possible combinations> stealth> if possible, quests with well-developed choices, but also factions where the early quests are mundane, local tasks with low stakes (unlike Skyrim, which absolutely insists on making the player feel like the center of the world at all times),> extensive character customization with many possible builds, AND ones that actually make a difference (like ones that prevent you from doing things you’re not specialized in). Lots of different pieces of armor, different weapons, different skills...> I can tolerate a hunger/thirst/sleep/poop system as long as it isn’t too intrusive and doesn’t demand way too much attention.> An insane way to traverse the map, with levitation, mark spells and recall or intervention spells, in-game transportation (if there’s fast travel, it has to be diegetic for greater immersion).Why doesn't ANY developer (whether indie or AA) make a game like this, even if it was just on a map the size of Solstheim to start? WHY ISN'T ANYONE DOING IT?
what the fuck, this bot is broken
