Beyond Skyrim- Bruma (english)

Skyrim breaths life!

Elder Scrolls Skyrim is probably one of the most modded game in recent history. After the creation kit had been released, people started to talk about re-making The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. However, the creators were dispersed and faced monumental job. Gradually it became clear that one team couldn't pull this together, so cooperation between teams was needed. Although current Beyond Skyrim consists of several projects, it is a strong sign of game development. And the product is indeed thrilling: northern side of Cyrodiil.

Game information

Game (mod) name: Beyond Skyrim- Bruma Developer: Beyond Skyrim team
Homepage: http://beyondskyrim.org
Platform: PC Type: RPG, mod
Age rating: PEGI 18 (The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim)
Reviewer: Rami (37)
Videos:
Launch Announcement
Beyond Skyrim: Bruma, It's Finally here; A look at one of Skyrim's Largest Mods ever
Let’s Play
Beyond Skyrim Bruma Bard

What is it all about?

Bruma continues Skyrim story directly and showcases the north side of Cyrodil. The area has faced Oblivion crisis and war against Aldmeri Dominion, so the player's interest is rather great. The mod is in fact probably largest mod there is for Skyrim and it's available to both 32- and 64-bit versions of the game

Interesting features

I was quite literally stunned by surprise. Immediately after I managed to get across the border, I did comb through the Pale Pass Keep which I did remember vividly from Oblivion. The quest was recursive and interesting - to interrogate Stormcloak rebel. Of course, there were small bugs, but these were forgiven gladly because the whole addon was made with heart (The area was a bit heavy to load for the 32-bit version, but Special Edition fared quite well). The player is reminded of the plot of Oblivion. The Brumas chapel was one of the key places of the story, and as such, it is dedicated to the saint (and constant irritation of the Aldmer) Martin Septim. The references make the player feel special and earlier events meaningful.

I recommend Bruma from its beautiful graphics and modeling. The new weapons and armor fit quite nicely to both lore and games. The architecture is similar to Skyrim but not too much. The mod has lots of voice acting, and it is mostly pretty good. Of course, the game isn't too serious, and the team has played a joke to bards of Skyrim by adding horrible bard to the tavern. More slapstick-ish jokes are made with the rogue mage selling magical staffs that are lacking in a number of ways.

What kind of content player can expect? 

I guess nobody is surprised that the mod did crash several times and there were some files missing from first release (like the map). Currently, the mod is at version 1.31 showing rapid progress during last two weeks. Special Edition version is released as well, and it doesn't need SKSE that 32-bit mod needs. In total, I should point out that not many games thrill as much as Bruma has lately.

I am eagerly waiting what kind of content other teams can make. The goal is to spread the story around Tamriel. Although one could play everywhere in the Elder Scrolls Online the thrid and fourth ages are thrilling enough, and fans might have the fresh perspective of events of previous games. Additionally one could consider what kind of content one could make based on open-source C0da-project.

Cloud ruler temple seems a bit undermanaged...

Bruma is available at TESNexus:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/84946/?

Special Edition-version:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/10917/?