The Elder Scrolls 6, rumored to be called Sentinel, will be out… Uh, at some point, despite being teased back in 2019. Uncertain title aside, one of the very few things we do know about The Elder Scrolls 6 is that it will be running on yet another incarnation of Bethesda’s proprietary Creation Engine, as will Fallout 5 after that.

Ah, the Creation Engine! The foundational code for every game Bethesda has made since Skyrim – and arguably earlier, having been built off elements of the code used for Fallout 3 in 2008. I’m not here to litigate whether that’s overall a good thing for Bethesda’s work. Creation Engine has its advantages and disadvantages, like any engine, some of which impact players and others that benefit those on the development side.

I admit I’ve found Bethesda’s games in recent years to have a clunky, archaic quality that’s getting less charming every time. I can’t say how much of that is down to Creation Engine itself and how much is just Bethesda’s notorious jank, but it’s high time that Creation Engine gets pushed to its limit in the next Elder Scrolls game to deliver a more refined action experience.

Very gouda

One defense of Creation Engine that I’ve seen often is regarding its memory and the way it handles object placement.

Yes, loading screens on every door might be a bit tiresome to some, but that compartmentalization of data (as I understand it), means you can do the whole “place 1000 cheeses and/or sweetrolls on the king’s head” shtick, and Skyrim will remember the exact location of every single one for the rest of your playthrough. It’ll even make a fair attempt at mimicking the physics involved in large cheese piles!

While this elasticity is definitely good for modders, I don’t think Bethesda has fully taken advantage of this quality when it comes to the vanilla gameplay experience yet. Yes, it’s noticeably there when a grenade blast flings loose objects around in Starfield. But it’s often tertiary, if involved at all.

Meanwhile, look at Half-Life 2 as a counter-example. When Valve debuted its revolutionary physics engine, the system was completely built around players understanding and exploiting it, whether in combat, exploration and puzzles.

On an interactive gameplay level, the physicality of Creation Engine is largely used for interior decorating, letting players hang dragon bones and digital clocks on shelves in their bases, knowing they’ll still be there when they get back. And yes, that’s a good thing for a very specific type of role-player, but for the rest of us who are here to stab dragons, Creation Engine doesn’t feel like it’s extrapolating the full potential of what’s there.

To be clear, I’m not arguing for or against it. But if we are still using Creation Engine, it’s time to really use it. To design puzzles that involve laying out items, to emphasize the telekinetic magic that throws things around, to work out the physics to such a degree that players can tangibly benefit from understanding and exploiting it. If nothing else, it’ll make Bethesda’s work feel richer than ever, without losing the qualities that the fans love.

For inspiration, check out our list of the best RPGs!