
Even the grumpy Thalmor solider standing on guard at 0:54 looks less of a threat, their expression less pronounced and lovely golden armour gleaming away. Everything is softened and more abstract, giving the game a feel not unlike Disco Elysium‘s stylised look. While it takes away some of the pleasing ruggedness of Skyrim’s landscape, the result is gorgeous.

The creator switches back and forth between the regular and reworked visuals – for example, at around the 1:00 mark – to demonstrate the effectiveness of the change. Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch Lively graphics overhaul Optimized Vanilla Textures. Starting with a view of Castle Volkihar from Skyrim’s northern shores, the footage takes us around some of the surrounding woodland and landmarks overhauled with a gentle, watercolour-like palette and artstyle. Modder TwoChack has posted a video of the Skyrim cartoon mod they’ve been working on for “years”, which you can check out below.

Now, another creator has given us a glimpse at how Tamriel’s frostiest, dragon-infested region would appear when turned into a painterly cartoon – and it’s stunning. We know what Skyrim meets Zelda: Breath of the Wild looks like, thanks to a very pretty mod.
