The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard

Redguard was packaged with the 3DFX engine created by graphics-card manufacturer 3DFX, who produced graphics cards ("Voodoo/Banshee" chipsets) that had become obsolete when the time the game was released; the 3DFX graphics-renderer and Voodoo cards did not support Direct3D, which was the standard, higher performing software-renderer most PC-owners were using when Redguard was released. Direct3D (later a component of the DirectX standard) was amply supported by Nvidia and Radeon (AMD/ATI) technologies. Consequently, few machines were in use which could actually run this game, which is the primary reason it fell off the radar; and, saavy merchandisers didn't even bother to procure it for retail. Other than getting up-front development capital by promoting the 3DFX engine, it's beyond me why Bethesda went in this direction. The only things Redguard has going for it is some very impressive artwork, especially for the late 90s, and a good story. The combat mechanics are just plain horrible, the worst I've ever seen: parrying with your sword is a crucial component, but often becomes glitched (even with the auto-defend option) such that you're a human pin-cushion. Navigating obstacles requires tedious effort: the PC incessantly bumbles and meanders around attempting leaps and evasive tactics: this is a major problem, since Redguard is basically a 3rd-person, jump-challenge, 3-D platformer. There are a few puzzles in the game, but arriving at the solution is such a cumbersome, counterintuitive process that the revelation is no more than a means to an end. Historically, I think its very fair to note that Redguard became a rudimentary template for the signature world-building, lore, and art which became trademark to the TES genre; and, in this respect I highly recommend playing it to some extent, just to see how it all began. Morrowind, its successor, is an example of how spectacular results come from experimentation and setbacks.

This game is my personal favourite of the "old" elder scrolls games wich were released before oblivion, mostly because it has a simple user interface and (unfortunately not very precise) controls. The combat system may appear strange at the beginning, but once you read the manuals, remapped the controls on your keyboard and get a little exercise, it can be fun too. The overall performance of the game is stable for me, there is no lag except after you exit the menu back to the game (just dont move Cyrus for 2 seconds to avoid accidents). The thing that makes this game so special to me, is probably its design, the warm atmosphere of hammerfell and the adventurous soundtrack of the game. Unlike morrowind, daggerfall or arena, all dialogues are fully voiced and you could basically entirely without subtitles. through progression of the story, you will talk a lot to people, until it becomes actually annoying because you cant go forward just because you forgot to discuss a certain topic with an npc. this game also contains the most challenging puzzels in all of the Elder scrolls series, so I had to look for help in Redguards uesp wiki page even after my 3rd playthrough... so overall, if you want to play some more ES classics, but daggerfall seems unplayable to you, buy it. And its cheap too.

I didnt have any problems playing. Has a lot of charm, I like this more than Skyrim honestly.

Fun game, but the emulation is just aweful! In a sword fighting game where reflexes and response time are critical, 10-20 fps emulation is borderline unplayable. I unfortunately can't recommend this in the pitiful state that it's in. How you can fix it: Custom settings that actually do something- at least let us turn the graphics down for a slight fps boost! Bring back the original game's settings! Better DOSBox Optimization- I'm no computer genius, or I would have done this myself, but the minds behind this port need to come together and figure out a better way to emulate this- maybe even a custom emulator specifically for this game. That may sound like a lot of trouble, but since YOU are selling a faulty product, YOU have the obligation to your paying customers to fix it. Selling such a broken port is questionable at best, but not caring to fix it is simply unethical, poor custom care. I have faith that the people at Bethesda and/or GOG truly care about delivering this classic gaming experience to modern audiences, or else it wouldn't have been ported. (Porting such an ancient, unknown game doesn't really make sense from a purely economic standpoint.) Because of this care, I hope you can come back and fix this game's performance issues.

Personally, I really wanted to enjoy this game more since I liked its world, aesthetic, and ideas. Yet the core aspects of its gameplay are simply not fun nor spark an adventurous spirit. Gameplay here comprises of subpar implementations of swordplay, platforming, and puzzle elements. The controls are just unresponsive and slow, bogging down nearly all interaction with these gameplay systems. The combat is purely a chore and sharply contrasts with the supposed excitement that is to befall on an adventurer when tasked with a duel. The platforming and puzzle sections also suffer from this, demanding that the controls and movement systems should be more fluid. There are also many serious bugs. The visuals are endearing, sporting their hand-countable polygons on their sleeve. The art direction itself is rather good and serves as a major draw to Stros M'Kai as a place to explore. However, character animations are very choppy, which does no favors for the poor combat and platforming sequences. The music is solid and helps sustain the adventure. There are some sound mixing issues, particularly with dialogue sequences, making important information difficult to hear. The story and world-building are the core reasons to play this game. This is a shame because they probably wouldn't stand on their own merits had they not been for a TES game. Regardless, Cyrus is a good protagonist to have become the only non-player created hero in the franchise. His tale is of the generic, redemptive underdog, but it serves to showcase what a vulnerable settlement of Tamriel was like during a tumultuous time in the series' canon. Also, there are several side characters that are enjoyable to have lengthy, informative, and goofy dialogue with. Redguard served to help flesh out the smaller characteristics of the world of TES through its narrower scope. However, given how unenjoyable the gameplay remains, the game is only worth a playthrough by deeply-invested fans of the main games.