| genre = Action role-playing

| modes = Single-player, multiplayer

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire is a 1997 video game developed by Bethesda Softworks. Set in The Elder Scrolls universe, it is an action role-playing game in which players navigate the titular Battlespire and planes of Oblivion to find and defeat Mehrunes Dagon, before his armies invade the world of Tamriel. Following the release of Daggerfall in 1996, Battlespire was first conceived as an expansion pack to the game, and adapted into a spin-off title set in The Elder Scrolls universe, alongside The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. Led by Elder Scrolls developer Julian Le Fay, it was designed with a smaller scope and linear level design. The game featured several novel mechanics not seen in previous titles, including the addition of a multiplayer mode.

Upon release, Battlespire received mixed reviews, with critics divided on the merits of the game's visuals, gameplay, and smaller scope, and critiquing the high level of software bugs. Critics retrospectively assessed the game as an unsuccessful spin-off in the series, and its developers viewed that the game's commercial and critical failure, alongside Redguard, had led to a period of decline for Bethesda Softworks not recovered until the development and release of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

Gameplay

thumb|left|Battlespire is played in a [[3D graphics|3D world, although characters are displayed in 2.5D.]]

Battlespire is an action-adventure video game in which the objective is to progress through a series of seven levels by defeating enemies, solving puzzles and collecting objects. Players navigate through the world in first-person perspective, Battlespire was first planned by Bethesda Softworks as an expansion pack for the game as Dungeon of Daggerfall, but instead, the studio decided to simultaneously produce several spin-off titles set in The Elder Scrolls universe, Battlespire and The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, announced at E3 1997. The spin-offs aimed to present further stories and worldbuilding set in the Elder Scrolls setting of Tamriel, the games reflected feedback from players of previous Elder Scrolls titles that the scope of Daggerfall was too large.

Development of Battlespire was directed by lead programmer Julian LeFay, who had worked as a lead on previous Elder Scrolls titles. The game was made using Bethesda's proprietary game engine named XnGine used in Daggerfall, upgrading its graphics to SVGA. The developers opted to use two-dimensional billboard sprites for non-player characters and enemies instead of 3D, to provide a higher level of detail and allow the team more time to optimize the game and work on other features.

Reception

Critical reviews

Battlespire received average reviews upon release. Critics were divided on the impact of the game's reduced scope: Next Generation felt that this provided greater focus and less "aimless wandering", Several noted the game's removal of key design elements that were selling points of the Elder Scrolls franchise, including a narrative, open-ended world and character customisation. However, several critics remarked that the game's online capabilities were ahead of their time. Repeatedly describing Battlespire as the worst of the Elder Scrolls series, PC Gamer faulted the game's "brutal" difficulty, lack of towns, and "awful" writing, considering its "clunky" combat ill-suited to a linear dungeon-crawling game.

Legacy

Several Bethesda Softworks staff retrospectively reflected that co-development of Battlespire and Redguard was strained and their unsuccessful release led to a period of contraction for the studio. Both executive producer Chris Weaver and lead programmer Julian LeFay considered that the studio overextended their resources to produce these titles, and as a result experienced attrition of several employees, including LeFay. Whilst the developers could not identify what elements, if any, made their way into future Elder Scrolls titles, Weaver stated the games gave the studio time to test gameplay ideas and provide opportunities to further plan and develop Morrowind.

  • Official website