The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster revives a side quest so surreal, it mirrors Christopher Nolan’s Inception despite predating it by many years.

In Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered’s vast world, there are a few side quests that balance the storytelling aspect with surreal visuals and layered gameplay that is bound to remind you of a mind-bending film, much like Christopher Nolan’s Inception.

The perfect example would be the Through a Nightmare, Darkly quest. While the original version of this quest predates Christopher Nolan’s Inception by several years, its dream-within-a-dream concept draws an awfully similar comparison to the 2010 movie.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered revives the one perfect side quest that astounds everyone

The player helps out Kug-El in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Entertainment

This particular side quest revolves around Henantier from his Dreamworld, who has been actively trapped there for a while. We are supposed to save him after interacting with his friend Kud-El in the real world.

After telling Kud-El that you are ready to help her save her trapped friend, we follow her to her house. Our character then wears the Dreamworld Amulet, and we are teleported to where Henantier is trapped.

Successfully interacting with Henantier will reveal that he has lost something of importance in the Dreamland. Now, in order for you to escape from the place, there are four different tests (the test of Patience, Perception, Courage, and Resolve) that you need to get through before getting out with Henantier.

Passing the different tests of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remaster’s Dreamworld

Waking up Henantier requires going through different quests | PerfectParadox on YouTube

I forgot to mention how, in the Dreamworld, you are stripped of your inventory and powers you worked ever so hard collecting in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, and need to rely mainly on logic and intuition instead. The test of Perception asks the player to get through a lot of traps, and making it through would reward the player with the element of Perception.

Furthermore, the test of Patience is laden with traps and pressure plates that you need to navigate carefully, or else you risk getting fired at by arrows. Pass through the test of Courage and the test of Resolve next, and you will finally be able to escape Dreamland with Henantier.

As a reward, he also gives six scrolls. After coming out, the player also gets all of his inventory back, putting an end to the Through a Nightmare, Darkly quest side quest that feels nothing less than a Christopher Nolan movie.

There is no clear way to tell if the renowned director has played the original Elder Scrolls or not, but one thing’s for sure: viewers and players alike love to indulge in storytelling that goes deeper than what’s usually shown on the surface.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.