14 DAY TRIAL // Inside the inn there’s a crackling of energy that can be heard all across the rooms, generated by my Sparks spell, but the sound that everyone here dreads to hear is that of a sword attack.
Thankfully, this is a quiet night and the only drawn sword is the one given to an old ghost in order to give it a chance to return to the afterlife.
But once I step outside Skyrim springs a surprise filled with the sounds of flapping giant wings and the crackling of a frosty breath coming down on me from above.
The natural sounds of a quiet Skyrim night fall away as the sound of fireballs and healing spells echoes in the night alongside the quick movement of arrows as me, the powerful Argonian, and Lydia, my companion, battle an Ancient Dragon, full of sound and fury.
This is a great gameplay moment for a game that is sure to dominate a lot of Game of the Year lists besides Softpedia’s but it’s also a good moment to enjoy the sound design that Bethesda created, one which manages to complement the mechanics and the game world perfectly.
The weapons sound heavy and powerful, the armor and shield cling appropriately, spells evoke magic action, dragons announce their presence from afar via sound and the entire world hums along, in perfect sync with the soundtrack, which mixes traditional fantasy with classical string and some very eerie tracks that evoke Twin Peaks and David Lynch movies.
The voice work is not great across the board, mostly because of the accents of some Nords who have gone Schwarzenegger heavy, but the main characters and quest gives do give a damn about their lines and even humor pops up here and there.
And, to top the GOTY 2011 reasoning, the Dovahkiin song is the most well-crafted I saw this year and often pops up in my playlist.