An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks for MS-DOS. Set in the universe of The Elder Scrolls franchise, 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.