I greet news of the completion of a Unity remaster for The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall with equal parts excitement and horror. Excitement because I have never played Daggerfall and it is one of the weirder, more fantastical Elder Scrolls RPGs - the one with multiple endings which sequels have explained away as somehow all being canon thanks to a metaphysical event called a Dragon Break, whereby timelines branch and reconnect. And horror because I have never played Daggerfall, which is said to be 62,0000 square miles in size, and I'm getting to that point in life where I seriously ask myself whether I can finish certain games before I perish.
Still the journey is more important than reaching the destination, right? Perhaps I can treat it like an occasional walking sim.
Daggerfall Unity is an open source community project launched by Daggerfall Workshop, a team of Elder hobbyists that includes Gavin "Interkarma" Clayton. It's been in development since A Long Time Ago, and reached fully playable alpha status in 2019. It supports Windows, Linux and MacOS.
You'll need a copy of the original 1996 Daggerfall for DOS to run the thing - fortunately, it's free on Steam. Here's a triumphal breakdown from the developers, which includes an installation guide and system requirements:
Cross-platform without emulation (Windows/Linux/Mac)
Retro graphics are boosted by modern engine and lighting
High resolution widescreen with classic style
Optionally play in retro mode 320×200 or 640×400 with VGA palettes
Optionally overhaul the graphics and gameplay with mods
Huge draw distances even without mods
Smooth first-person controls
Quality of life enhancements
Extensive mod support with an active creator community
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