Bethesda announcedStarfieldduring E3 2018, having started development in 2015. The game is coming next year, and fans got a decent look at the science-fiction RPG during theXbox and Bethesda showcase in June- including glimpses of ground and space combat, settlement building, a perks system, and more. While there’s still a lot that fans don’t know about the upcoming game, what Bethesda has shared so far is enough to give them some idea of what they should expect, especially compared to other spacefaring titles on the way.
It’s tempting to compareStarfieldto other upcoming science-fiction games likeMass Effect 4andThe Outer Worlds 2, which have been seen as direct competitors. While that makes sense on the surface, the similarities start to fall away when one looks a little closer.Starfieldmay offer something very different from its supposed competitors, to the extend that it might not make sense to think about them as competitors at all.
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The Aesthetics of Starfield
A few things make Bethesda’s upcoming title stand out from its supposed rivals, includingStarfield’s “NASA Punk” aesthetic.Mass Effectdrew inspiration from space operas likeStar Warsand theFifth Element, boasting futuristic architecture, flying cars, and epic space battles. Meanwhile, theOuter Worldsis a retro-futuristic space western where people wear bowler hats, and corporations advertise their products on early 20th Century-inspired posters. However,Starfieldhas a more realistic art direction, with ships, robots, and suits that look more like NASA prototypes than anything out ofStar Wars.
These aesthetic choices aren’t just visual touches, they say a lot about what it wants to be.Mass Effectdoesn’t just look like a space opera; it is a space opera, with larger-than-life heroes and villains battling to save or destroy the entire galaxy. Meanwhile, theOuter Worldsis a space western to its core, with the Halcyon System’s Corporations filling the role of Wild West robber barons. Even lumpingMass Effect 4and theOuter Worlds 2into a single genre feels odd.
Bethesda fans don’t yet know much aboutStarfield’s plot, but many assume thatStarfield’s NASA punk aesthetics indicate a more grounded plot. Bethesda also indicated the game’s story will focus on humanity’s place in the galaxy, with Todd Howard saying “and now man is living amongst the stars: what does that mean?” Some fans have taken this to mean thatStarfield’s central conflict will have more to do with politics and philosophy than saving the galaxy from aMass Effect-style existential threat. The game also looks to have a more realistic atmosphere than the satiricalOuter Worlds.
All three of these games still fall into the category of science-fiction. However, they are clearly aiming to deliver very different experiences. Moreover, these differences are significant enough that it might be unreasonable to think about them as direct competitors or judge one based on the standards of another.
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Starfield’s Gameplay
Gameplay will obviously be a big point of comparison between these three games. TheMass Effecttrilogy is a third-person cover shooter, withAndromedahaving a more moment-based combat system. Fans don’t know enough aboutMass Effect 4to guess what its gameplay will look like, but it probably won’t be a Bethesda-style RPG. Just as it would be unfair to criticizeFallout 4for not being a goodGears of Wargame, there’s a limit to how valuable comparisons betweenStarfieldandMass Effect 4can be.
However, this is where similarities betweenStarfieldandThe Outer Worldsare the most obvious, with both being Bethesda-style first-person shooter RPGs. TheOuter Worldsfeatures aMass Effect-style three-character party, while Starfield includes space combat and base-building reminiscent ofFallout 4andFallout 76. However, there’s no denying the similarities in their primary experience.
However, it’s not as if both games are just shooters. While some people describeThe Outer Worldsan “open-world” game, it’s better described as a hub-based, semi-open RPG. The same applies toMass Effect: Andromeda, with theMass Effecttrilogy also being hub-based. While neither Obsidian nor BioWare have confirmed this, it’s reasonable to assume thatThe Outer Worlds 2andMass Effect 4will feature a similar format.
Meanwhile,Starfieldis a Bethesda RPG blown up to a galactic scale with over 1,000 procedurally generated planets. Whether fans think it’s a good idea or not, Bethesda wants Starfield to be a true go-anywhere open-world RPG.Starfieldstill has a narrower focus thangames likeNo Man’s SkyandElite Dangerous, but its procedurally generated universe offers a similar experience for those who want it.
Todd Howard also describedStarfieldas having what IGN’s Joe Skrebels called a “golden freeway” of hand-crafted content like a typical Bethesda RPG. However,Starfieldnevertheless aims for a much broader scale thanThe Outer Worlds 2andMass Effect 4. While players who stick to the golden freeway might have a similar experience to others, that may not represent everything Bethesda wantsStarfieldto be.
None of this is to say that fans can’t or shouldn’t make comparisons betweenStarfield,The Outer Worlds 2, andMass Effect 4, as it’s also possible that all three will be more similar than they appear. One could even argue that they are still competing for the attention of a similar audience. However,Starfieldseems different enough fromMass Effect 4and TheOuter Worlds 2that treating them as rivals might not be particularly helpful.
Starfieldlaunches on PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
