You know that part of The Empire Strikes Back where the Millennium Falcon is flown inside of an asteroid to avoid a group of TIE Fighters? And then, while making repairs, Han realizes that they actually landed inside the throat of a gigantic space worm? That scenario is why Starfield, and most space games, are held to such high standards.
Up to this point, Starfield has had an extremely mixed reception. Folks either love the game for what it is, or hate it for what it isn’t. Everyone had it in their head that Starfield would be this truly fluid space exploration game with top-notch RPG elements, action, and all the freedom offered by owning your own ship. But, the truth is, Starfield is a space-themed Bethesda Action RPG with much less exploration than anyone might’ve hoped for. Rather than going into how Starfield might’ve been over-hyped, I got to thinking: is it actually Star Wars’ fault that we have such high hopes for space games?
Of course, we could blame any piece of space science fiction for our desire to hop in a starship and zip around the galaxy. But, for me, The Empire Strikes Back is the perfect example of an intergalactic adventure. Rather than focusing on solving one primary conflict, the protagonists are each on their own path. Whether we’re following Luke’s bumpy trip to see Yoda on Dagobah, or Han and Leia’s mission to avoid being captured; The Empire Strikes Back is all about the hardship of long journeys. This difficulty also makes things both interesting and relatable. While I can assume you haven’t parallel parked your X-Wing in a swamp recently, it is likely that your car has had a flat tire or your bike’s chain has popped off mid-ride. These aren’t things we necessarily want to experience, but for better or worse, an interesting story usually unfolds.
Where The Empire Strikes Back is all about the journey, Starfield focuses on destinations, their characters, and kicking butt across the galaxy. Space travel is surprisingly simple in Starfield. Getting from point A to point B is boiled down to fast travel from the starmap. Select a landing point, and you’re on your way. When it comes to the ship itself, players need not worry about fueling up or performing maintenance. Instead, reaching farther destinations becomes possible as the player visits neighboring systems, and as their ship improves. Conversations with NPCs often have repercussions on how the player is perceived, which is its own kind of fun. But, Starfield’s lean on interpersonal relations categorizes it as more of a Space Action Drama, and less of a journey through the unforgiving void.
This isn’t to say that a drama doesn’t have its own value. In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, causing trouble is one of the best ways to enjoy the game. Players get a chance to craft a personality they may not otherwise embody in real life. However, Skyrim also encourages the player to get distracted on the way to their next city or objective. Fast travel isn’t even available for a location until after players arrive on foot for the first time. Along the way, there’s typically a handful of smaller locations, quests, enemies, and allies to be met. It’s in these moments where Bethesda’s RPGs have been at their best. In Starfield’s case, side quests fill the gaps between major objectives. Loot will be earned and levels will be gained, but that all-important sense of discovery gets lost along the way.
Even with its watered-down exploration, Starfield has a lot to offer players who already love Bethesda’s RPGs. Unfortunately, the game is being judged against what folks wanted, and honestly, what they were told it would be by Bethesda themselves. Once those expectations are adjusted, it’s a lot easier to accept the game for what it is. While other games exist to bring players closer to that idea which Star Wars put in their heads, one has yet to embody the full package. Though it may seem hard to believe, Ubisoft’s upcoming Star Wars Outlaws stands a chance at actually delivering such an experience. However, it’s worth staying cautious until more is known about that particular title.