Starfield is not living up to every gamers’ expectations.
Bethesda’s new space RPG has been one of the most highly anticipated games of the year thanks to its extensive space exploration, endless planets to discover, and complex decision making. But now that some gamers have gotten their hands on Starfield, they are not impressed with the gameplay, character designs, and more.
Starfield criticized for writing, storyline
One of the most consistent complaints across all of the frustrated Reddit posts from disappointed gamers was the writing. One Reddit user said that Starfield felt like Mass Effect 1 “without good writing.”
The player felt that the gunplay was lacking (like in previous Bethesda games) and the exploration was limiting, but this was all made even worse thanks to the storyline and characters’ lack of depth.
They wrote: “The biggest issue, the issue that really makes everything else hard to ignore, is that the writing/emotional depth isn’t there. Everything is about as generic as you can make it, from the Macguffin they thrust on you in the first 10 minutes of the gam to the side quests where you’ll be tracking down an endless supply of data chits and generic bad guys. Part of the issue is that the body animations are really bad. Everyone feels very static which is another problem that Bethesda seems to have not fixed from previous games.”
The above post has garnered a lot of attention from players that both agree and disagree with the bad writing sentiment. Many gamers have felt that the gameplay is lacking, with clunky interfaces, bad fighting mechanics, and disappointing limitations when it comes to exploring — but a lot noted that this is par for the course for Bethesda.
One player asked: “If you enjoyed Fallout and Elder Scrolls will you enjoy this one? That’s all I really need to know.”
Another stated: “As a fan of the Bethesda formula, I’m enjoying this one.”
The issue is that Starfield has been highly anticipated for a while now and the buildup has caused players to have high expectations, including
endless exploration with no boundaries
and meaningful interactions with tons of characters.
Players that went in expecting it to be “just another Bethesda game” or with lower expectations have been having a lot of fun so far. You may not like the amount of time you spend in maps and with clunky UI and the combat isn’t too great, but Bethesda fans will still enjoy bringing the feeling of Fallout into space.
It’s still too early to know if Starfield is truly disappointing gamers or if it deserves more time until people have gotten used to the stiff characters and iffy UI and start getting further into the story and gameplay.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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