Summary
With the release of the long-awaitedStarfieldearlier this year, Bethesda fans can finally start the countdown toThe Elder Scrolls 6. Although it has been over a decade sinceSkyrimwas released, and will likely be even longer by the time its sequel releases, fans have continually returned to the title thanks in no small part to Bethesda re-releasing it for multiple platforms over the decade. However, with how long the development time forThe Elder Scrolls 6will likely be, Bethesda has stated that it wantsStarfieldto be a similar ongoing experience for fans, but the game faces more hurdles thanSkyrimdid.
Development onThe Elder Scrolls 6reportedly moved out of pre-production just before the release ofStarfield, meaning fans likely won’t see the game released for several more years. In the meantime, Bethesda believesStarfieldwill be able to keep fans hooked within its world for the duration of this wait, withStarfieldDLCconfirmed to be coming in the future. It may be too little too late, however, as Bethesda’s latest RPG hasn’t captured players the same waySkyrimdid when it was released back in 2011, painting a worrying picture of the future the developer envisions for this game.
Starfield Might Not Have the Same Staying Power as Skyrim
Starfield’s Flaws Hold It Back
Even thoughStarfieldbrings a solid sci-fi RPG experience to the gaming space, there are still some glaring flaws with the game that keep it from reaching the potential it could have had. For a game that wants to emphasize space exploration, the player never really feels compelled to explore due to travel largely involving simple menu navigation. What’s more is that when players venture out toexplore one ofStarfield’s planets, there isn’t much worth exploring and many planets share similar enough features that exploration starts to feel repetitive.
Contrast these worlds with themap ofSkyrim, which allows players to wander around and discover numerous secrets just by taking a detour between quest markers. This type of world design makes players much more likely to spend time in the game combing the map for any hidden points of interest they can find. WhileStarfieldhas a massive world to explore in terms of quantity, the quality of the planets players can discover and the way they access them makes them less enjoyable to traverse compared toSkyrim.
Starfield Fails to Capture What Made Skyrim So Replayable
In tandem with its more accessible map, another part of what makesSkyrimripe for multiple playthroughs is the overall feel of the world it creates. The medieval fantasy setting ofSkyrimis much more hospitable for players looking for a cozy, role-playing experience than the bleakness of space inStarfield. For players looking to soak up theatmosphere ofSkyrim, it’s easy to get lost wandering around the open world, while inStarfieldthere is too much menu navigation involved in space travel to have the same type of relaxing experienceSkyrimoffers.
WhileStarfieldcontains some interesting stories, especially when it comes to its faction quest lines, they don’t offer players much reason to restart the game with a new character. Compared toSkyrim,Starfieldlacks the same level of role-playing potential, unless players are interested in role-playing as something like a space trucker. As such, the world ofStarfieldhas a harder time keeping players' attention beyond a single playthrough, as it prioritizes quantity over quality when it comes to planets and quests, meaning players are less likely to come back to the game over the coming years ahead ofThe Elder Scrolls 6’s release.
