Skyrim Reimagined As A Retro Game

Join us as we take a look at what Skyrim may have looked like as a classic Nintendo and Atari video game back in the day. 8-bit gaming never looked so good.

Last September I wrote about three retro video games that helped inspire Skyrim (in case you missed the article you can read it here). At the conclusion of the article, I posted a YouTube video that reimagined Skyrim as a classic Nintendo game, complete with an amazing 8-bit rendition of the game’s opening track, Song of the Dragonborn.

I have to tell you, I have a thing for classic video games. Perhaps it’s because I grew up with Atari and Nintendo, and spent countless hours gaming after school and on the weekends. Whatever the reason, I’m overcome with a sense of nostalgia when I think about the classics, and it’s fun to see Skyrim reimagined as a retro game from my youth.

Skyrim Reimagined

I must not be the only one who feels this way. Recently, I came across an 8-bit Dovahkiin t-shirt design that was pictured on Gameranx. Alas, the t-shirt is no longer available for sale, but the NES design is amazing, and fits the time period perfectly. As far as original Nintendo games go, this one would have been intense. I can just imagine having to blow into the cartridge to get the game to load.

Old school Nintendo is cool, but how about going way back to the Atari 2600? StarRoivas, a creative artist who showcases her work on deviantArt, reimagines current video games as classic Atari cartridges (check out her gallery page here).

Her cover art truly captures the look and feel of a retro Atari game, and she takes on everything from BioShock and Minecraft to our beloved Skyrim. I’ve posted her renditions of Skyrim, Oblivion, and the Fallout series below — Bethesda masterworks that would have been astonishing back in the day.