The controls and battle in ESB Gold seem intentionally simple, which is in stark contrast to the visuals, which are stunning. I wander around my town, a between-missions hub world, talking to various retailers. I am surprised at how much detail there is, provided that this is all running on a telephone. I'm just able to try it out on a luxury iOS apparatus, so that I can't speak to the scalability on more affordable choices, but on a flagship iPhone, Blades seems looks on-par with Skyrim's dungeons and versions. Lighting with real time shadows and higher resolution textures blanket the planet, providing it a dwelt in and (at times) creepy vibe. There's no better graphical showpiece on cellular than Blades. (Though given the rate of mobile games these days, there might be a brand new king in a week)

Buy The Elder Scrolls Blades Gold may only take Blades so far. Can its simple controls and scaled back battle really appeal to the diehard Elder Scrolls community? The missions I played were basic but that is expected to get a tutorial. Later quests can provide a little more depth. The Abyss, which will be a large section of the game's content in start, is a never-ending dungeon which makes more difficult and rewarding the deeper you go. At level 20 at The Abyss, I may have to juggle numerous spells, special attacks, and parries if I have any hope of staying alive.

I'll also have to wait and watch about the match's monetization models. Blades will be free-to-play, together with two forms of money (one earned in-game and you mainly purchased with real money). Will competing in the greatest levels of Blades need hard-earned cash? Until then, having access to a bite-sized Elder Scrolls universe, regardless of where I am, is kind of exciting.