Starfield is one of the most courageous game developed by Bethesda in years. The players don’t seem to like the game from the Fallout 4 and Skyrim developer.
Bethesda is one of the most well known game developer out there. Best known for now classics like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4, it has made a big name for itself in the action RPG genre.
In 2018, Bethesda announced a new game called Starfield. Called as Skyrim in space by many, Starfield is one of the most courageous game developed by Bethesda in years. That, too, based on an entirely new universe.
The development of the game, however, wasn’t smooth. Its release got delayed several times. After years of waiting, it was finally released on the 6th of September 2023.
When Starfield got released, the professional reviewers were not fully impressed. This is reflected by the score of 83 on Metacritic. While any other game getting 83 on Metacritic would enjoy the treatment, more is expected from one of the top game developers in the world.
To put things into context, Bethesda’s other games, the original Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for example, enjoys a Metascore of 96. Even Fallout 4 is near 90.
However, the users on Steam are even less generous than the professional reviewers.
Starfield Keeps Getting Bad Reviews On Steam
Users on Steam have kept slamming Starfield. So much so that, while overall reviews remain mixed, the recent reviews show that the game has only 29% good reviews on the gaming platform by Valve. Which is way less than what we would usually see with any top games.
There are many reasons behind why people are complaining. We have seen two common complaints. First one is, “Starfield feels very mid”. That means that while the game is good, it’s not that as great as people had expected. The second reason is that people feel the game is vast, but quite empty.
Many say it’s boring, some say it lacks passion, some unfulfilling. Some complaints seem to be also about long loading screens. Some even say that while the game is good, it’s not worth the $70 that it’s priced at.
A lot of these reviewers are not quick players either, some have invested hundreds of hours into the game. So it’s not a case of review bombing, something which Valve usually reverts later.
Developer Blames Gamers
What doesn’t help the public opinion is that Starfield’s design director Emil Pagliarulo went on to complain against the gamers on a long Twitter thread (via PC Gamer) a month ago.
It starts with “how disconnected some players are from the realities of game development”. However, it also complains about how easy it’s to criticize but very hard to develop something. Fair enough. But this could rub the players the wrong way.
But that’s not enough, IGN had reported more than a month ago that when Starfield started getting bad reviews on Steam, Bethesda sent its representatives to reply to them. This is a rare move by any big gaming company.
However, that created more issues. The replies were not convincing. It said, “Some of Starfield’s planets are meant to be empty by design — but that’s not boring. When the astronauts went to the moon, there was nothing there. They certainly weren’t bored.” All other replies more or same are a repeat of it with more added stuff.
This is basically asking players why they are not having fun on empty planets. Empty planets are meant to have fun.
Future Of Starfield
Make no mistake. Starfield can be redeemed for sure. Some even ask if it’s that bad to be redeemed. Sure it isn’t. But it’s certainly not one of the game of the year, forget about game of the generation. It’s not better than Horizon Zero Dawn, either.
The reason we say it can improve itself is looking at recent years, many games which started out badly got massive updates which fixed major issues in them. There’s no reason Starfield cannot do that, either.
In fact, in a blog post, Bethesda has promised many big updates to Starfield this year. They claim to have heard the player feedback and promise new ways to travel, access city maps, customization, new gameplay options. Not to forget official mod support and new major expansion with new story content, new locations, new gear and more.
All’s not bad for Starfield on Steam, either. In The 2023 Steam Awards, Starfield won the Most Innovative Gameplay Award. For the record, it’s chosen by Steam players. So some do like the game after all, despite the ratings suggesting otherwise.
So, in other words, Starfield currently needs a lot of improvement. Players can surely go and buy and play it. But if they want something great, it’s best to wait and see if Bethesda delivers on it.
