Before its release, Starfield was eagerly anticipated by one and all. However, the Space RPG by Bethesda has been receiving a bucketload of negative reviews lately, and we believe the naysayers might have a valid point.
Touted as one of the most awaited games of 2023, Starfield’s announcement took the entire industry by storm. People eagerly awaited the September 6 release date, and the game even received its fair share of pre-orders. However, since then, the RPG has fallen out of the good graces of many, and although some swear on its positives, the number is seemingly dwindling with each passing day.
Recently, Starfield faced a surge of negative reviews across different channels, with the major complaint being the game’s lack of immersion. Well, let’s delve into the details and find out if these cons are indeed justified, shall we?
Starfield is definitely not Skyrim in space
When Starfield first launched, a lot of people figured it would end up being Skyrim in space. Immediately, they went back to the good old days of 2011, when Bethesda’s fantasy RPG set in the continent of Tamriel had a secret for players to discover in every corner of the map. The charm of Skyrim was in its surroundings, and it was common to venture upon a cave, ravine, or even an entire hidden village while traveling from one quest marker to the other.
However, quite unfortunately, Starfield does not offer the same experience. While walking from one quest marker to the next would be impossible in Starfield due to the required intergalactic travel, most of the planets we get to visit are barren and devoid of life. The game rarely gives you the feeling of a lived-in world, and most NPCs appear as if they have been stenciled into an alien world from a stereotypical adventure game handbook.
Even though Starfield’s setting is one of its main selling points, it seems like the developers did not do much to make space travel feel unique. Despite being a massive AAA production, indie gems like No-Man’s Sky have a better exploration system as finding a new planet makes the player feel like they have achieved something. Instead, Starfield is more about traveling from one quest to the other, with no real incentive to pause and explore the world. Thus, fast traveling becomes a faster and easier option to hop between planets, and players often find themselves sitting through one loading screen after the other, instead of experiencing real-time space travel in their spaceships.
Another point of contention is the half-baked story, and the lifeless characters one comes across during their journey through space. The missions in Starfield are nothing to write home about, and the characters you meet on your journey have no real development. As a matter of fact, there are moments when it feels like your companions are nothing more than glorified chests to store excessive items in. This is also a good time to talk about Starfield’s combat, and to us, it felt pretty average. Although we do get to play around with numerous uniquely designed weapons, most of them feel the same. Hence, these mechanics combined with bullet-sponge enemies make Starfield’s gunplay feel like a tiresome slog from time to time.
Lastly, we must also touch upon Starfield’s progression system and the game’s obsession with locking everything behind skill points. While this does offer a sense of achievement to the player, it takes away the freedom one might look for in an RPG. For example, if you want to build a sneaky character, and invest most of your points into stealth, there will come a time when a mission will require you to lockpick a door. However, since you don’t have any points in lockpicking, you’ll have to put the main story on hold and grind out the required skill points before progressing.
That being said, Starfield does have some positives, especially in its spaceship combat and customization. Moreover, we are sure that players are yet to discover all the secrets of the vast universe. Still, with many depending on mods to give them what they desire, we can understand the negative press Starfield has been getting as of late.
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