A doorway has suddenly appeared on a tiny island south of the Imperial City. A guard posted outside, surrounded by people apparently driven insane, warns adventurers to stay away but won't stop anyone from going in. Brave adventurers beware; this entrance leads to the Shivering Isles, a realm created by Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Longtime Oblivion players might already have some familiarity with the insane demigod, but with a new land mass roughly equal to 25% the size of Cyrodiil (the continent for the original Oblivion), there's plenty of time for new players to get acquainted with the Mad Prince. First, they must overcome the giant indestructible Gatekeeper standing in the way, yet glory and insanity awaits those who can get past him.

The Shivering Isles represents the two main aspects of Sheogorath's mind. Up north lies the land of Mania, where brightly colored landscapes illustrate his insanity mixed with boundless creativity. Traveling south takes players to Dementia, with huge twisting roots coming out of the ground and similarly twisted citizens who revel in pain and misery. However, the realm faces trouble. Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order, comes in once every era to eradicate the Shivering Isles and all its inhabitants in an event called The Greymarch. Sheogorath wants to put an end to this cycle, and employs a mortal hero to step in and prevent the Greymarch from destroying his realm.

Game play pretty much mirrors what players have come to expect from Oblivion, with plenty of underground dungeon crawling, new magic spells, armor and weapons to go around. The land has plenty of side quests in addition to its very compelling main story, where players need to work their way up in rank and prestige within the Court of Madness. While most quests seem pretty straightforward, some can be maddeningly challenging, particularly in one quest where the player needs to consume drugs in order to stay mobile, or else become weakened and immoblized by the weight of their own gear.

The few issues that were encountered come from the main Oblivion engine itself, not necessarily the fault of Shivering Isles. One comes when a player catches the attention of a hostile, it becomes nearly impossible to escape them. This becomes especially apparent when encountering the Knights of Order, who appear endlessly out of crystal towers to cleanse the land. It's next to impossible to flee from encounters and ambushes, since foes chase players halfway across the realm before disengaging.

The addition of two new resources, amber and madness ore, make it possible to forge custom weapons and armor specific to the Shivering Isles. Goods may be transported back and forth between the Shivering Isles and Cyrodiil, giving players unique trading items.

With expansive lands and quests, the Shivering Isles brings forth a landscape that adds further dimension to the already impressive world of Oblivion. Players can find much sadistic joy in going mad.

Final Score: 9 (out of 10)

Related Links

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Game Guide

Bethesda

Our Final ScoreExcellent

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