The Elder Scrolls: Arena is a free open-world action RPG by developer Bethesda Softworks. It’s the first game of the famous Elder Scrolls video game franchise, the latest being The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is widely considered one of the best RPGs ever created. 

In The Elder Scrolls: Arena, the imperial battlemage Jagar Tharn has betrayed Emperor Uriel Septim by imprisoning him in an alternate dimension, stealing his identity, and replacing him on the throne. The player, a prisoner, must travel throughout Tamriel to rebuild the powerful Staff of Chaos, save the Emperor, and save the Empire.

A vast open world

Unlike the rest of the mainline Elder Scrolls games, The Elder Scrolls: Arena isn’t set on just one or two provinces of the fictional continent of Tamriel. Instead, it features the entire continent, making it the largest TES game based on scope. It combines procedural generation and specifically designed world spaces to create a seemingly massive world filled with cities, towns, farms, dungeons, and wilderness. 

The gameplay is presented in first-person POV. Melee attacks are done by pressing right-click and dragging it across the screen. Ranged attacks with a bow are done by aiming with a cursor and clicking. Casting spells is a bit special as the game features a spell creation system that allows the combination of various spell effects. This feature will carry on to the sequels until TES IV: Oblivion. 

The game was a successful release for Bethesda, but it hasn't aged well. The graphics, sounds, and gameplay all feel ancient. Plenty of bugs persist even today and are unlikely to get fixed. Players will find the vast open world to be mostly filled with boring, randomly generated stuff. Still, you can have a good time with its main and side quests if you stick to fast traveling.

For lore junkies and retro gamers 

The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the game that started what would be one of the most popular Western RPG franchises in history. However, it suffers from being the first game in the franchise, riddled with many problems that would get fixed in the succeeding games. If you love Elder Scrolls lore or are a fan of retro games, this is one of the best games. Otherwise, just play Skyrim.