Bethesda’s highly mysterious sci-fi RPGStarfieldhas garnered quite a lot of attention ever since it was revealed back in 2018. Part of this is due to the company’s long history of delivering iconic open-world RPGs in which players get to spend 100+ hours in. As such, there are plenty of ground-breaking Bethesda titles thatStarfieldhas to live up to, but the most important of them all is indeedThe Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim.
The Elder Scrollsgameshave a rich history, and whileMorrowindandOblivionwere revolutionary on their own, it’sSkyrimthat built upon their ideas and madeThe Elder Scrollsa global phenomenon. The scope and depth ofSkyrimwere unprecedented for its time, and even 10 years after its release, fans are discovering new secrets in the game. Many wantStarfieldto astonish them the waySkyrimdid back in the day, and while such a feat is possible,Starfieldhas to do things differently.
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Setting the Tone in Starfield
Every game development studio has a different way of transitioning from one IP to another. Some tend to circulate ideas between franchises rather than looking at them individually. Ubisoft is a fine example of such a situation where most of its franchises borrow gameplay ideas from each other, and as a result, feels connected to each other.
When Rockstar Games first revealedRed Dead Redemption, many thought it would beGrand Theft Autowith horses. While such a comparison was reasonable, it turned out thatRed Dead Redemptionwas thematically (and even structurally) different fromGTAin many ways. Furthermore, it carved its own path by introducing gameplay ideas that felt relevant to this franchise, all the while retaining some of the key elements of theGrand Theft Autogames. The comparisons quickly faded away, and while both franchises share similar traits for obvious reasons, people look at them differently now.
In the past two decades, Bethesda Game Studios has only madeThe Elder ScrollsandFallout games. While these two franchises are miles apart from each other in terms of fiction, themes, and gameplay, there is a certain sameness that comes from being developed by the same studio. Many would expectStarfieldto be structurally similar to these games, butStarfieldmust take a different road than its forefathers.
Many games have tried to replicate the success ofSkyrim, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Bethesda themselves believe Starfield to be its spiritual successor. However, it’s important to acknowledge thatStarfieldis a different beast altogether.Skyrim’sopen-worldwas the perfect getaway from the real world, back when it came out. To many,Skyrimis still like a second home, which they revisit every so often. This is mainly due to how impeccably serene its locales are to spend time in.
While many open-world games choose to be bombastic and climatic at every turn, throwing new encounters and possibilities, Skyrim often provides players with a moment of tranquility, letting players truly soak in the atmosphere. In fact,Skyrimis such a chill experience that it could arguably be called a Christmas game.
Starfieldcould just be an ambient space adventure, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be just that for the sake of rejuvenating the same feelingsSkyrimdid. Bethesda’s Todd Howard has repeatedly mentioned that the reveal trailer ofStarfieldsets the tone for the game. And by the sound of it, it seems thatStarfield’sworldcould be a lot serious and gloomy compared to that ofSkyrim. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that suggests the same.
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Starfield: Carving its Own Path
There is no doubt thatStarfieldwould retain some of the core features ofSkyrimandFallout 4. For instance, there is a possibility of the game having multiple factions with their own questlines that players can pursue. There could also be an ongoing civil war whose outcome depends on player choices. These attributes define a good old Bethesda game and it wouldn’t make sense if they are missing fromStarfield.
Todd Howard has reassured fans thatStarfieldcarries the DNA of past Bethesda games, so fans should be able to recognize that it’s a full-fledged classic Bethesda title. However, forStarfieldto be as successful asSkyrim, it has to carve its own path and look for inspirations outside ofBethesda’s family of games, especiallySkyrim.
Bethesda’s open-world games have always had a knack for player freedom.FalloutandThe Elder Scrollsplayers are habituated to being thrust into a wide open-world at the beginning of the game and having the leisure to explore as they see fit. WithStarfieldtaking place in outer space, it could handle fundamental elements such as exploration and traversal different than Skyrim.
The leakedStarfieldscreenshots do give an idea of how some of it could work out. It seems players would have to manage their O2 and CO2 meter while also keep a tab on their gravity. This seems like a feasible addition, given the premise of the game, and is an indication that Bethesda is ready to go all the way to amp up their core principles tomakeStarfielda unique experience.
In an E3 2019 conversation with Elon Musk, Todd Howard revealed that space travel inStarfieldcould be as dangerous as “flight in the ’40s.” While this doesn’t confirm or deny anything, it does indicate that attributes such as fast travel could work differently in this game. InSkyrimorFallout 4, players could fast travel to any location freely after discovering those areas first. WithStarfield’smapseemingly spanning across various planets, fast travel may not be just a click away like it was in previous Bethesda titles. This is one of few indications that Bethesda is diligently crafting various attributes and features inStarfieldthat could set it apart fromSkyrim.
With such great expectations comes great responsibilities, and it only makes sense thatStarfieldwould look for inspirations outside of its developer’s most crowning achievement, which isSkyrim. This is important even more so becauseSkyrimis a 10 years old game. IfStarfieldwants to lead the next generation of open-world RPGs, it has to first unshackle itself from the shadows of a game that came out two generations ago.
