Courtesy of Bethesda Softworks

Skyrim, the fifth installment of the Elder Scrolls series, is a RPG game with stunning, realistic visuals.

How is it truly possible to describe “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” in a 500-word review? This is a game that has enveloped my life over the past few days, with much more to come. The strategy guide alone is 650 pages. To put a game like “Skyrim” into 500 words is like trying to experience a country by spending a few hours in its airport. You cannot begin to understand just what this game is like unless you put your life on hold for about a month and just start playing it.

“Skyrim” is the fifth installment of Bethesda Softworks’ “Elder Scrolls” series, set in the ancient home of the Nordic race, Skyrim. It is an RPG that is entirely open-world. There is a main storyline, but you can go off and do things on your own without worrying about the fact that dragons are attacking towns.

It is the most unbelievable game I have ever played. Ever. I’m not entirely impartial, as I love RPGs more than anything else, so I was expecting something incredible. Bethesda Softworks doesn’t make bad video games. And yet, all my expectations were blown away.

“Skyrim” is huge, it is beautiful, it is challenging, it is rewarding. It is a game that actually starts to make me think I am living in a real world. Since it came out on Friday, I have probably sunk about 14 hours into it, and I have barely scratched the surface.

At this point, I do not know a single thing about the story (aside from what you can find in the trailer, which is that dragons are coming back and you have to kill them). I have been going around, joining some groups, going into a couple dungeons. I have played 14 hours and I don’t feel like I have an understanding of this world in the slightest. Everything is so deep and intense; it is impossible to think that I might be able to do everything in it.

Moreover, the game looks absolutely stunning. I am running it on a partition on my MacBook Pro, and even on low quality, it has some of the most realistic looking scenery you could possibly imagine. I truly feel as though I am in the forests of Northern Germany, and I even experience fear that a giant spider will attack me at any moment.

All of the people look and act very human. I was in a town for the first time and a dragon showed up and started burning it down. The city guards and I managed to take the dragon down after a long and hard-fought battle. Afterwards, the city folk stood around the body in awe, and they were speaking to each other in amazement of what just happened.

Everything feels so real that it is impossible not to get lost in it.

As a warning, this is not a game for the faint of heart. Once you start it, it is like opening Pandora’s box. You can’t hope to play it for 20 hours and think that you have come anywhere close to finishing the game. It is something that requires work and dedication.

This is the game of the year, hands down. It is beautiful, doesn’t glitch and has a ton of deep, realistic characters and a new simple leveling system. The game is absolutely perfect. If you like RPGs at all and have some time, please, play this game. It is one of the best things ever made, and you will not regret the decision.