, Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' ambitious new RPG, wants to simulate the vast, eerie emptiness of space. For the most part, it's successful. But, now that it's out,
when it comes to planetary exploration.
Bethesda's managing director Ashley Cheng and game director Todd Howard spoke candidly in a recent interview about the deliberately barren design of many in-game planets. The point, Cheng noted, was to make players feel small, emulating astronauts' wonder when they set foot on barren celestial bodies like the moon.
This approach, although philosophically interesting, is a bit of a double-edged sword for players. In Bethesda's previous games, such as Skyrim and Fallout, exploration was rewarded with a sense of awe and wonder. However, in Starfield, the ordinary, sparsely populated planets often lack points of interest beyond resources and outposts, leaving players asking the question, "Why would I bother exploring the universe?" This stark difference in gameplay dynamics has left even enthusiastic fans feeling that Starfield's exploration isn't as rewarding as it could be.
