While some have high praises for Bethesda's massive outer space RPG Starfield, fans are finding it boring and dull days after the game's big Early Access launch.
Bethesda is betting big on Starfield, the first original intellectual property the video game company has produced in 25 years. And if sales are any indication, Starfield's Early Access numbers make it already a certified hit. But it seems despite critical praise for the technical achievements and sheer size of the game, some Starfield fans who have played the Early Access are finding the experience average or even below that.
Fans who have played Starfield via Early Access from the Premium and Constellation editions expressed their thoughts on social media, and not all of them are stellar. Some have emphasized how ultimately boring the overall experience has been after hours of playtime.
Star field is boring…. I said it.. pic.twitter.com/6Q4Tp9tNeg
— KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) September 4, 2023
Multiple Reddit threads have also been dedicated to pointing out how boring Starfield is, despite the promising premise and expansive size. While the sentiment of these fans are that the game is definitely a graphical marvel and offers a lot of freedom to explore, the game as a whole is unsatisfying.
Another example is popular Twitch streamer and cosplayer Amouranth, who called Starfield boring and not what she thought it would be.
Some Starfield players pointed out the repetitiveness of NPCs. One in particular found the "sassy boss" trope of females staffing ships insufferable.
In Starfield, not only are there ships staffed almost entirely by sassy girl bosses, but the SAME sassy girl boss. pic.twitter.com/vW8asBWpbC
— American Krogan (@AmericanKrogan) September 3, 2023
The general consensus on NPCs is it feels phoned in and lazy rather than adding actual personalities into what is supposed to be an immersive experience adventuring in space. This is an odd shortcoming, given how previous Bethesda franchises like the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls games had memorable NPCs and dialogue, even the random ones.
Moreover, the criticism becomes even more evident when compared to Larian Studios' monster hit Baldur's Gate 3. On the surface, the two games are quite different RPGs, but there are fundamental similarities. And between the two, Baldur's Gate 3 does a much more immersive and satisfying NPC dialogue and interaction.
Could this ongoing comparison be an argument in favor of the perception that Baldur's Gate 3 set a new standard for AAA games? Certainly, Starfield has no excuse in terms of development time and budget. Development for Starfield began as far as 2015, which is 8 years compared to Baldur's Gate 3's 6 years. Adding fuel to that fire is Bethesda Game Studios game director and executive producer Todd Howard hyping up Starfield as "Skyrim in space".
What did you think of Starfield? Are fans right with calling it boring? Is Starfield just a lot of pretty sights in space, but generally dull? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
About Starfield:
Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity's greatest mystery.
After the Early Access, Starfield officially launches today, September 6, 2023. The game is available for the Microsoft Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC through Steam and the Game Pass.
Kinda boring. Every NPC seems lifeless worse than morrowind. They always go back to their creepy neutral smile face after each sentences. The sassy girlboss i noticed right away. Almost shot half the females i met since they were so rude. Asking for the pronouns at the beginning is so dumb. How many sentences are there in the game referencing the player at the 3rd person ? Answer : Zero. Wich makes the pronoun option purely virtue signaling.
Starfield has nice graphics, but is so clunky, and boring. Compare this to No Man’s Sky or The Outer Worlds (both games out for years already), and you’ll see just how deficient Starfield is. Disappointed but not surprised, I never had faith that Bethesda would recover from the failure that was Fallout 76, and Starfield proves me right.
It's so damn boring. The creation engine is a clunky, creaky, old relic that needs to be retired. It can't make interesting, expression character models that don't look gawky and awful by todays standards. The galaxy somehow feels smaller than any of their previous games that take place in a single continent. Mostly due to fast travel being so ubiquitous. The weapon variety is small and bland, especially the melee choices. All in all just a very average, pretty boring game.