Why You Can Trust CNET E3 2018: Skyrim is actually playable on Alexa; here's how to get it
We thought voice-controlled Skyrim was an E3 joke. Then we discovered that it's actually a real thing.
Bethesda has brought its wildly-successful RPG The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim to basically every platform, from the PS3, PS4 and PC to the Nintendo Switch . It's been ported and remastered so many times it's become a joke that where there's an opportunity, there's a port of Skyrim.
At its E3 2018 press conference Sunday, Bethesda laughed at its own success with a trailer for Skyrim on
Amazon
Alexa. Featuring comedian, actor (and CNET magazine cover star!) Keegan-Michael Key, the ad runs through the obvious jokes about performing dragon shouts via voice command, vocalized combat with crabs and eating the endless cheese a player has stocked up on.
But here's the craziest part: the game actually exists.
"Bethesda Game Studios is proud to present Skyrim... for Alexa. Yes, that's right, the version of Skyrim you never saw coming has finally arrived on the platform you never asked for," the Alexa Skill listing says.
What does Skyrim on Alexa include? Don't expect any dynamic combat or world-changing decisions. Instead, it's more of a text adventure that you can control with your voice. And it's actually pretty cool!
When you tell Alexa to play Skyrim, you're dropped at a crossroads, deciding where to go. I ended up quickly getting a fetch quest from a bee keeper to recover her beloved silver candlesticks, which is about the most Skyrim quest you can imagine. That quest led me to a dungeon, in which I entered combat for the first time.
Staring down a menacing mudcrab, Alexa gave me my combat options: Attack with weapon, perform magic, shout or flee. Obviously, I yelled at the crab. At first, it was ineffective, but upon the second shout the crab was launched into the air and defeated. I didn't get any loot, but my dragon shouts did hit level 2.
It's just like Skryim, but without the visuals, the free-form exploration, the mods, the inventory management, etc...
After the crab battle, Alexa presented another crossroad: Would I go toward a mushroom tunnel, a creaking door or a spooky path? Obviously, I picked the spooky path. Along that path, I ran into a Draugr (because after all, this is Skyrim) and continued with my proven tactic of telling Alexa to shout at things.
There's plenty more, after playing for about 15 minutes I had obtained loot, turned in quests and chased every spooky path that was presented. What does the rest of Skyrim on Alexa have in store? You'll have to find out yourself!
Bethesda also joked about Skyrim is also coming to other platforms, but as far as we know, none of these more ridiculous examples of Skyrim ports have yet to materialize.
An Etch A Sketch!
A pager!
And a Samsung smart fridge!
Watch the full trailer below.
E3 2018: Everything you need to know
E3 2018 coverage at CNET: All of our E3 2018 coverage in one place.
E3 2018 coverage at GameSpot: Wall-to-wall coverage of the show from our sister site, GameSpot.
E3 2018 coverage at Giant Bomb: Still more commentary and news from E3, from our colleagues at Giant Bomb.
First published, June 10 at 7:43 p.m. PT.
Update, 9:53 p.m. PT: Adds that Bethesda might have actually made this thing.