The Oubliette

TeamUDF played this Oblivion mod for Halloween 2011 as the last mod before Skyrim's release. He played as Kajidoh.

### Mod Synopsis

In the Tiber Septim Hotel is a new, strange painting. When you touch it, you find yourself teleported to a dark and rainy island with a fortress in the center. You are greeted by a ghost who warns you to turn back before it is too late, as no one who enters the Oubliette can ever escape. Upon entering the fortress, you go through thirteen levels, each one a haunting trial, with kill-all-enemy arenas, flaming rooms, screams, and horror. If you are able to survive all the way to the bottom, you will be greeted once again by the Warden--the ghost you encountered at the start. He reveals himself as the evil force behind this place, along with his plans to kill you and torment your soul for all eternity. In order to defeat him, you must strike four lights in each corner of the room before killing him. Afterward, you are free to leave and return to Cyrodiil.

### Team's experience

This was a second attempt at a 2011 Halloween mod; the first was one called "Darkness Hollows." However, the first proved to be more goofy than scary, and he chose instead to go with the Oubliette. This one met his expectations much better. Unfortunately, the necromancer faction glitch that affected his character file ever since Mannimarco Resurrection--Light and Darkness prevented the mod to have its complete intended effect; all undead enemies were initially friendly toward him, and he had to strike them in order to start the battle.

Occasionally, Team found a few quirks in the design that he didn't care for, but they were few and far between. One particular trouble he encountered was a kill-all-enemies area where he was unable to find the final enemy, forcing him to use the console to proceed.

Overall, he enjoyed the Oubliette for giving him the atmosphere he expected from a horror mod. He ranked it above Gates to Aesgaard Episode 2, and nearly equal to episode 1.

### Final Rating

Overall: 8.5/10

Graphics / Sound: 9/10
+ Spooky environment to go along with nifty noises and sounds
+ Special effects at the right times to fit with the theme of the mod
+ Custom items and weapons are impressive (hurray Unholy Sword #2!)

Story: 9/10
+ Fairly in-depth about most main characters or figures in the mod and its past, leaving behind plenty of pieces to read about
+ Character development within the parchments and dialogue, even without a concrete story

Gameplay: 8/10
+ Dungeon crawl with intriguing puzzles, different themes, and unique ideas that keep the player hooked between most levels
+ Interesting solutions to not only puzzles, but fights
\* The final boss battle can be somewhat "broken" by shooting the switches when higher in the level
\* At that, the final boss may be a bit too easy
- A couple oddities with design, particularly in spots where instant death is involved

Player Bonuses: 8/10
+ Several custom items, including weapons and armor
+ In reality, the Oubliette would make an interesting and extensive evil character lair, with plenty of apt visuals to go around
- No real major reward other than completing the quest, though