The Elder Scrolls: Arena

The Elder Scrolls: Arena launched in 1994 a series that, at the time, no one suspected would grow so long and so high. The player wakes up in a dungeon after the emperor is overthrown and replaced by a double, and the only path to setting things right leads through collecting eight pieces of a shattered staff scattered across the continent of Tamriel. The game is staggering in scope from the very start: it offers dozens of towns and villages traveled between on a map, each with its own shops, temples, inns, guilds, and, at night, thieves lurking in the streets. Besides the main storyline, you can endlessly take small contracts and clear randomly generated dungeons.

Combat takes place in real time from a first-person perspective and is controlled by dragging the mouse, so the direction of movement determines the type of slash or thrust. Alongside swordplay there's rich magic with the ability to compose your own spells, sneaking, lockpicking, various races with different traits, and professions ranging from warrior to mage. Technically, it's a textured 3D space with digitized enemies and impressive weather effects along with a day-night cycle, which at the time contributed significantly to the feeling of a living world. The music varies by environment and carries the atmosphere of towns and catacombs very well.

The game's launch was rough due to bugs and unfortunate release timing, and only later patches and decent reviews helped it find an audience. Its scope, freedom of movement, and near-endless playability made it a blueprint for everything that followed. Today, Arena is the most demanding entry in the series: the dungeons are long, maze-like, and merciless without a proper map, the difficulty fluctuates, and some quests are repetitive. For players interested in the series' roots, though, it's a valuable and surprisingly sprawling adventure. It's fascinating to see how many elements of later entries were already present here in basic form — from guilds to custom spellcrafting to freely roaming the countryside. Anyone who calibrates their expectations to the year of release can spend dozens of hours here.