Elder Scrolls 6 Be Damned, New “Scrollslike” RPG Is Perfect For Morrowind Fans

As the long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 continues, the temptation to check out some alternatives becomes more attractive with every passing day. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find games that truly scratch the Elder Scrolls itch, especially for those fond of the weirdness that once defined the series.

One new game could be the perfect answer, promising to ignore the Soulslike genre trend in favor of a classic “Scrollslike” experience. Whether it can actually live up to classics like Morrowind remains to be seen, but with a 2026 release window, we should be finding out soon enough.

The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is a “solo or co-op RPG” set to release this year, and its Steam page makes the Elder Scrolls inspirations readily apparent. The game trailer opens with a comical disparagement of Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard, declaring that “Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so long that we’re just making our own.”

Unlike recent Bethesda titles, however, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is putting its eccentricities at the forefront. The trailer also rattles off a list of “weird and unique” features in the vein of Morrowind, ranging from absurd jumping spells to “fungus wizards” and “vulture gorillas.”

If any aspect of The Lantern of the Laughless Saint stands out from actual Elder Scrolls games, it’s the promise of co-op. While this is a fully-featured single-player game, not an MMO like The Elder Scrolls Online, players will be able to explore its wilds with a partner if they so choose.

Morrowind Fans Should Pay Attention

Expecting this to have the same scope as The Elder Scrolls 6 would be foolish, but The Lantern of the Laughless Saint still promises an open-world structure with complex choices and consequences. If players take a shine to it, something bigger should follow. Developer NerveLabs is cooking up a connected open-world RPG called The Holy Fool, which expands to a “vast, surreal land” that might truly give The Elder Scrolls a run for its money.

Older Bethesda titles have a magic that few other games do, and seeing another game studio attempt to recapture it has me excited. I’d rather play Morrowind than Fallout 4 or Starfield any day of the week, so I’m almost more confident in The Lantern of the Laughless Saint than in The Elder Scrolls 6 itself.

At any rate, it’ll have a chance to prove itself before The Elder Scrolls 6 does. With plenty of in-game screenshots and footage already available, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is running circles around the brief mountain landscape shown in the sole teaser for The Elder Scrolls 6. Fingers crossed that the new RPG will be able to move beyond a lighthearted middle finger to Todd Howard and establish itself in its own right.

Created by

Vijay Lakshman, Ted Peterson, Julian Lefay

Character(s)

The Vestige, Dragonborn, Nerevarine, Hero of Kvatch, Champion of Cyrodiil, Mannimarco, Sheogorath, Mehrunes Dagon, Vivec, Almalexia, Sotha Sil, Dagoth Ur, Talos, Alduin, Molag Bal