Before I get started, I’d like to note that I am aware that Elder Scrolls Legends is not finished yet. I’ll even confess that I was skeptical about their latest mobile game. But I did enjoy Fallout Shelter. Yet, every time I look at the site for Elder Scrolls Legends it looks like more of a flop and here’s why.
Skyrim is Only a Tiny Part of Tamriel
The Elder Scrolls takes place in Tamriel. But for the many fans who started off with Skyrim they have missed a lot of the land. And a lot of the cards include specific names that the average player will not get. For instance, do you know who Divathy Fir is? Well, I didn’t but I didn’t play Morrowind. He’s this 4,000-year-old wizard. Yet, does the game tell me that? No. Flavor text would help.
In Whiterun a man asks “Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying, of course, you don’t”. He is inferring that you are not wealthy enough to go there. Elder Scrolls realized that catchy phrases and witty remarks make characters memorable. But Elder Scrolls Legends seems they’ve forgotten that. It is either to identify Nazeem with mention of the cloud district.
In a way, the game takes itself to seriously. I know that many would get more enjoyment out of cards named Milk Drinker, Skooma Addict, Arrow to the Knee, and The Lost Sweet Roll. But we are getting cards named High Rock Summoner, Lightning Bolt, and Mummify. None of these really make me want to laugh or even smile. Not one of them makes me go for a non-technical reason, “I want to put that in my deck”. I’m struggling to find where the developers felt passion. Meanwhile, Hearthstone never seemed afraid to laugh at itself and worked in humor adding to its overall enjoyment.
Legends is too Focused on Card Art
The card art needs to be good. And they ignored the play mat. It is painfully drab. Meanwhile, Hearthstone play mats are polished and encourage interaction. But let’s be honest here no matter what Bethesda does we are never satisfied with their art in Elder Scrolls. That’s why the Steam workshop has over 1,000 mods dedicated to graphics. I need Better Embers, all my Towns and Villages Enhanced, and an Immersive Saturation Boost. Oh, and my mud crabs should all be posh.
But these affect another important thing Bethesda forgot. The environment should be alive. For me, some of the easiest in game content to remember, at least in Skyrim are various locations. I love The College of Winterhold, the Ratway in Riften, and the Prison Mines of Markarth. And I am disappointed in the lack of cards that I see referencing them. Additionally, while many of us may not have finished the whole storyline we have finished all the quests for our favorite guilds.
By the Nines – Where are the Gods?
As far as characters go the ones that recur throughout the series are the Nine Divines and the Daedra. In Skyrim, they were mostly used for their buffs and removing disease. However, in Oblivion players quested to find their way shines. However, neither the guilds or the gods care about race so why should I? I noticed this becoming a large focus early into the games development. And it became more predominant in Elder Scrolls Online with the three factions.
However, despite racial tension in many of the games I really wish the game incorporated mechanics that focused more on the gods and guilds that blur these lines as the races were harder for me to connect with. If you look at the community mods for Skyrim the category with the most is Mechanics. And I am already finding the vital Mechanics of this card game lacking. The lanes seem uninspired and with so many other opportunities to make meaningful mechanics I find myself disappointed with Legacy as a whole.
This is Not A Game That Will Move The Masses
Being realistic, Elder Scrolls Legends is not a game that will have Hearthstone players leave and never return. Even if cards could not be purchased and it was a pay once and play forever title, I don’t see fans setting Hearthstone down. That said those with a love for the Elder Scrolls series who have did not have the same connection to World of Warcraft, may find themselves playing this game.I feel like those who have played the earlier games or have researched the lore in depth will derive more pleasure from this card game. And with the recent success of similar card games, it was not necessarily a poor move on Bethesda’s part to develop one. But I cannot help but feel they were ill prepared and rushed the project to release it during the genre’s height of popularity.
