In the nearly two years that it’s been out, Starfield has certainly received quite a mixed reception. Touted as Bethesda’s next step as a leader in the realm of blockbuster IPs, and potentially the first of a new series, the game took fans of Fallout and Skyrim to the frontiers of space, with a thousand planets to make a name for themselves on. It promised a lot, and had a few things been different, it could have been Bethesda’s crowning glory.
But even before release, the game was met by plenty of skepticism, and Starfield became Bethesda’s most divisive game since Fallout 76. A lot of talk at the time focused on how Bethesda’s game design was stuck in the past, failing to innovate on a formula that had remained mostly unchanged since 2011. Among all of this negativity, Starfield presented one truly groundbreaking feature that deserves to be carried forward into other games, and if not Starfield 2, then by another developer entirely.
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Starfield’s Ship Building Mechanic Is Worth Another Shot
With space as the next frontier, Starfield players were going to need a way to get there, and the game’s ship-building feature did not disappoint. From almost the very beginning, players are given a ship that they can tinker with, and as time goes on, they can acquire new parts and invest perks into the system, allowing for bigger, better, and stranger designs.
Some ships can be built for speed and stealth, others for guns and boarding actions, and even more for smuggling, hauling, or generally bullying smaller ships. With few limits on what parts can go where, there’s no end to the bizarre creations that can be made, and some players have pushed Starfield's ship-building to its limits.
Unlike some of the divisive features brought to the game by Starfield's Creation Engine, the ship-building truly shone in its dynamic framework. Bethesda’s engine has been the source of much frustration over the years, but it has allowed for systems like Fallout’s settlement building to work seamlessly in real-time.
The same is true for Starfield, where ships act as something of a mobile base, but also so much more. A ship is a reflection of the player’s character, which, beautiful or ugly, communicates how they see their place in Starfield’s galaxy.
It is the greatest expression of Bethesda’s desire to give players the most customizable player home possible, and the fact that it travels with them everywhere makes it even more immersive.
Ship-Building Isn’t Without Its Flaws
It should be noted that, despite how strong it is, there are several flaws in the system. Ship-to-ship actions could have been handled better in Starfield as, outside fast-traveling to new systems, there are few reasons to fly the ships around space, limiting how much use they have. Another is Starfield's New Game Plus mechanic. It offers a pretty compelling take on New Game Plus, but it also flies in the face of many Starfield systems by taking away all of a player’s loot at the start of a new cycle, discouraging replaying the game.
If Not in a Future Starfield, Then Another IP Needs to Take On Ship Building
While Starfield’s future as a franchise might be in question, there is no reason that other developers can’t take notes from the system. Games such as No Man’s Sky, which have often been seen as an inspiration for Starfield, could be a great sandbox to explore more modular ship-building. Not to mention, other exploration games, such as Subnautica, could expand upon their own building mechanics by taking a leaf out of Starfield’s book. Even if Starfield never gets a sequel, this mechanic doesn’t need to die, and some other IP can hopefully carry the torch onward.
A ship is a reflection of the player’s character, which, beautiful or ugly, communicates how they see their place in Starfield’s galaxy.
Starfield
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 101 GB (September 2023)
