Thrusts, parries and blows need to be delivered just right to sneak past the enemy's attack leaving players more used to Oblivion's 'charge in swinging' style a little disorientated. Striding into the sunlight-choked forest with a nasty looking sword slung over my shoulder, I confidently charged at the first boar I saw, pummelled the attack button and swore heavily as it charged through my clumsy swings and slices and bowled me over.

These problems can be overcome by learning the battle system employed, investing level-up points in various attack skills or by utilising a better weapon for given foes (for instance, when I took on a boar with the much longer-reaching scythe, they fell with almost insulting ease) but some of the other quirks thrown up in battle are not so easily side-stepped. The smallest of these is the awful grunts of pain you or your foes will release after being struck, often making each battle a veritable concerto of "Oh! Oh! Aw! Oh!" on a constantly repeated cycle. This only adds the what might be the game's biggest flaw; the dreaded stunlock.​