Summary
Starfieldhas arrived, bringing with it a game that (for the most part) delivers on the hype and potential surrounding the title over the last 5 years since its reveal at E3 2018. What’s now interesting to see is how it fits into the larger Bethesda library, something that fans will continue to measure as more and more comparisons are drawn betweenStarfieldand the studio’s other major franchisesThe Elder ScrollsandFallout. For those that have spent a considerable amount of time in the title between the review window and the early access period, it’s clear thatStarfieldshares more than a few similarities with theFalloutfranchise, but that’s surely not a mark against it.
After purchasing the rights to the IP and successfully reviving the franchise in 2008,Fallouthas gone on to become one of Bethesda’s marquis franchises, with each new entry anticipated to arguably the same degree asa newElder Scrollssequel.Fallout 4not only introduced radical changes to theFalloutseries' perk and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. systems debuted in its predecessor, it also provided players with an engaging base-building mechanic.Starfieldnow takes several of the ideas that Bethesda implemented in itsFalloutgames and iterates on them to become the definitive versions of many of the post-apocalyptic RPG’s trademark mechanics.
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Starfield, Like Fallout, Tells a Decidedly Human Tale
At its core,Starfieldis a game that understands the dreams that humans have always held toward venturing into the stars. Humans have sought to both understand and eventually conquer space to varying degrees throughout the existence of civilization, and much ofStarfield’s plot centers around this same spirit of discovery and taming of the frontier. While players start asa lone miner on Vectera, the emerging tale told through players' time in the game embraces the connections that the player forms with other humans seeking to understand their place in the galaxy. Ultimately,Starfield’s tale is a story of hope and opportunity.
In many ways, it’s a similar yarn to that spun in theFalloutgames, albeit one that focuses more on the potential for growth and understanding versus rebirth in the face of tragedy. Some have taken to callingStarfield"Falloutwithout the depression", and while that’s a gross simplification of the nuance in each game’s narrative, it does hold water. EachFallouttells players a very human tale that focuses on the main characters and their relationships with their family in the post-apocalypse. Compared to thehigh fantasy ofThe Elder Scrollsand the various races and diplomatic relationships across Tamriel,FalloutandStarfieldhave grounded stories centered around the very human motivations of connection and understanding.
Mechanics That Starfield Borrows From Fallout and Improves
Beyond the stories told in each game,Starfieldalso shares plenty of similarities to Bethesda’sFalloutgames thanks to the fact that both series share similar mechanics. First and foremost,Starfieldis decidedly a first-person shooter. Even though the game doesn’t feature theFalloutseries' signature VATS system, thecombat inStarfieldis potentially the tightest and most-focused first-person shooting featured in a Bethesda game. While both games are technically FPSes,Starfieldfeels more like a genuine first-person shooter with RPG mechanics rather than an RPG with first-person combat attached.
In addition to combat focused heavily on shooting instead of melee,Starfieldalso features its own base-building and ship building mechanics similar toFallout 4.Fallout 4was the first game in the series allowing players to build a functioning stronghold, andStarfieldsimply takes it to the next logical level via improved menus and streamlining the building process. The genius of both the ship and outpost building systems is that they’re easy to use while also providing plenty of depth for those that wish to get lost building their dream home in outer space.Starfieldclearly benefitedfrom Bethesda’s work onFallout, but it provides the definitive version of each mechanic that it successfully borrows.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
