Elder Scrolls Adventures, The - Redguard

This isn't classic Elder Scrolls. Redguard tells you right from the start what it wants — a linear story, not an open world where you do whatever you please. Bethesda allowed itself to experiment in the nineties, and this was an attempt at an action adventure with RPG elements set in the Elder Scrolls universe, specifically in the exotic coastal city of Stros M'kai.

You play as a sailor named Cyrus, thrown into a story full of local politics, ancient secrets, and strange characters. The game takes you through rooms and locations linearly — you can't choose whether to go left or right, but you must solve whatever stands in your way. Dialog revolves around investigation, prying information out of NPCs, and riddles you need to crack.

Controls combine click-adventure with combat segments — you face opponents in real-time, but it's more about sword-swinging and parrying than complex tactics. Inventory, magic, weapons — it's all here, but nothing takes center stage. The game assumes you'll read the text and think things through. Its weak points are precise clicking on objects and occasionally confusing navigation — room logic isn't always clear.

Redguard was a bold move that didn't quite land. Fans expected another Arena or Daggerfall with freedom and ambition; instead they got a comedy of manners and puzzles. The story itself isn't bad, it's just that the style took over — too little action, too much reading, and when you want to know where to go next, you really have to spot those hints.

Today it's more of a curiosity — a snapshot of what Bethesda thought of the franchise back when the internet wasn't really being used and game guides couldn't be YouTube videos. If you want to play something purely from the nineties and you're not against mystery-adventure formats, it's worth your time. Otherwise, you might just enjoy remembering it as that weird relative at family gatherings.