Highlights
- Starfield lacks the immersive ambience and dynamic storytelling seen in Skyrim, hindering player engagement.
- The lifeless atmosphere of New Atlantis in Starfield pales in comparison to the cities of Skyrim.
- Traversal in Starfield is unengaging, with encounters and exploration reduced to menu choices rather than interactive experiences.
It’s fair to say, at this point, Starfield isn’t going to have the same cultural impact on video games as Bethesda’s 2011 mega-hit The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Starfield is a game loved by many, though it doesn’t come close to universal acclaim. There will always be arbitrary comparisons between two games from the same developer, but one key aspect of Skyrim was neglected in Starfield, and it’s one of the reasons the game hasn’t found similar success.
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First Impressions Are Everything
Starfield lacks the ambience and dynamism of Skyrim, and it greatly affects the playing experience. During my recent stint with Skyrim for the Adventures of Boris, I was reminded of the elements that make Skyrim ‘work’. I’ll give an example. When you enter Riften for the first time, you’re shaken down by the corrupt guardsmen, Maul immediately accosts you on behalf of the local Black-Briar family, and you can overhear Mjoll the Lioness complaining about the Thieves Guild.
A two-minute first impression of Riften has told us that a local crime family runs the hold and there is rampant criminality, even among the hold guards. After Brynjolf pitches you his plan to rob Brand-Shei, your understanding of Riften is cemented, this is a hive of thievery.
Likewise, when you enter Markarth and witness the attempted (often successful) assassination of Margret, an Imperial spy. Her would-be killer Weylin exclaims “The Reach belongs to the Forsworn,” as he carries out the act. Seconds after entering Markarth, you’ve seen the seeds of a potential conspiracy, and have glimpsed the deep, violent history of the city.
The Lifeless Depths Of Space
In contrast, entering Starfield’s New Atlantis is boring. They’re trying to sell you on the ‘splendour’ of the place, rather than its character. This is a core problem of Starfield, Bethesda desperately wants you to think that hundreds of uninhabited planets with dynamic lighting and subtle ecological variations are engaging, but not many RPG players fancy walking around a barren planet admiring the geology.
New Atlantis doesn’t get any more interesting when you stroll around, either. I spent the majority of my early game in the United Colonies’ capital, and all I was doing was going back and forth on the NAT, doing odd jobs for people. It felt like the morning commute to a monotonous day job. I had few if any interesting interactions with the locals, and I learned nothing about the character of the city.
I understand the themes of Starfield are intended to be more subtle. Not everything is perfect in the future, there’s darkness beneath the white-washed NASA-punk aesthetic. Technology creates more problems than it solves, and so on. You’re not presented with any of that intrigue up front; your interactions with the people of New Atlantis are incredibly dry.
Journey Before Destination
Traversing the galaxy is also a bore. The unusual encounters with people, creatures and places you get travelling from place to place is one of the best aspects of The Elder Scrolls. Why is everything placed behind menus in Starfield? The design choice to sacrifice all the ‘fun’ in favour of theoretical realism is baffling.
I walked from Riften to Ivarstead in Skyrim, a decent hike. There were scenic views along the Treva River, I fought my fair share of wolves, a man pretended his carriage broke down and led me into an ambush, and I met an Orcish drug dealer, I experienced a lot during that ten to fifteen-minute walk through Skyrim. I found the Sarethi Farm, a location tied to the Nirnroot quest I never bothered to finish. At last, I reached Ivarstead, a town with a lot of life considering it has twelve residents.
In Starfield, I never felt like exploring. I wanted to get to the objective and back to the ship as quickly as possible. I just wasn’t engaged. Starfield and Skyrim are intended to be different types of games, yes, but, I have to question why Bethesda chose to strip away the most fun parts of its formula for its space RPG.
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