Embracing the Fascination of The Shivering Isles within Oblivion

Celebrating the Madness: Diving Deep into Oblivion's Shivering Isles

Haters might write Oblivion off for its weird-faced NPCs, lackluster main questline, and speechcraft minigame. Hell, they might even call it dull. But that's all drastically changed when you step foot in The Shivering Isles.

In this week's Why I Love, PC Gamer's Jody Macgregor embraces the twisted side of Oblivion. Leave the traditional fantasy land of Cyrodiil behind, and enter a world where you'll face a Gauntlet worthy of the Mad King himself.

A portal in Niben Bay offers a glimpse of what's to come. Sure, the man guarding the entrance warns only the insane enter, but that's just part of the charm. Sit down with the flat-voiced man, and he'll announce you're about to enter a place holy to Sheogorath, the Prince of Madness. The walls dissolve, and you find yourself in a psychedelic wonderland filled with giant mushrooms and clouds that dance like fireflies.

The Shivering Isles is a realm of extremes, split between Mania and Dementia. Mania is a vibrant, colorful world brimming with hallucinatory flora and fauna. Creatures here have a knack for getting you high, if you catch my drift. Dementia, on the other hand, is a dark, swampy nightmare. Its inhabitants would probably drown their sorrows in medicinal bug-juice, if such a thing existed.

Sheogorath's personality mirrors his realm. From his goofy ramblings to his sudden threats, he's a character straight out of a cartoon. And the NPCs? Oh boy, do they fit the bill. They're so extreme that to call them two-dimensional would be an insult to paper. Remember Jayred Ice-Veins, who'll drone on about bones? Or Duchess Syl, who's paranoid about spies and assassins? Don't forget Amiable Fanriene, who's petrified of walls falling on him while he sleeps.

These caricatures are the stars of The Shivering Isles. Bethesda's in-house voice actors clearly had a blast portraying them, and their performances add to the absurdity of the Daedric realm. They make the ordinary folk of Oblivion look about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Now, let's talk about mental illness in The Shivering Isles. There's a blacksmith who self-harms, her dialogues drenched with references to cutting. Drug addicts and suicide risks are presented with as much sensitivity as the guy who is obsessed with one fork. They're as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face, about as believable as a Muppet. But guess what? It works. It works because The Shivering Isles is a realm that shocks, surprises, and defies expectations. It's not meant to be taken seriously, just like its characters.

Here's a fun fact: if you're missing the bizarro fantasy of Morrowind, it's been hiding in Oblivion this whole time.

So, consider giving The Shivering Isles a chance. Skip the drab journey through Cyrodiil, and jump straight into a world that won't shy away from pushing the boundaries of weird.

Jody MacgregorJody's first computer was a Commodore 64, which means he once used a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist, Jody interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor. He also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. Jody's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, Five Out of Ten Magazine, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for entertaining discussions at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was about Alien Isolation's audio, published in 2015, and since then he's written about why Silent Hill belongs on PC, why Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, and how weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually managed to play every Warhammer videogame.

Insights:- The Shivering Isles is a major expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, divided into two realms: Mania and Dementia.- The expansion is known for its quirky, absurd characters and situations that enhance the whimsical nature of the Daedric realm.- The expansion features dozens of quests with branching storylines based on player choices, encouraging significant replayability and varied outcomes.- The Shivering Isles rewards exploration, with hidden secrets and unique loot to discover.- The expansion offers more than 30 hours of new gameplay content.- The NPCs in The Shivering Isles are extreme stereotypes with absurd vocal tics. Bethesda's in-house voice actors seem to have a great time with them.- The portrayal of mental illness in the expansion is deliberately over-the-top and cartoonish, making it an integral and entertaining part of the gameplay.- The Shivering Isles serves as a way to introduce elements from the origins of The Elder Scrolls franchise, found in Morrowind, back into the series.

In the realm of Oblivion's Shivering Isles, the gauntlet mirrors the Mad King's unpredictable personality, a fight worthy of such eccentricity.
Jody Macgregor ventures into the psychedelic Shivering Isles, embracing its crazier characters and caricature-like NPCs.
According to Macgregor, the Shivering Isles features caricatures as the stars, with the Bethesda voice actors performing their quirky roles with gusto.
In The Shivering Isles' two realms - Mania and Dementia - the NPCs cater to a world that beats the drum of cartoonish chaos.
From the self-harming blacksmith to the irrational fear of walls falling, the portrayal of mental illness in the Shivering Isles is a deliberate homage to the cartoonish nature of the realm.
For those who miss the bizarro fantasy of Morrowind, a tasteful hint of it can be found amidst the chaos of Oblivion's Shivering Isles, making a captivating addition to movies-and-tv, entertainment, and Gamer's weekly watchlist.