Starfield is the long-awaited space RPG from Bethesda, the company behind Fallout and the Elder Scrolls. The game’s scope is undeniably vast. But since its official announcement in 2018, we’ve seen relatively little about Starfield and its gameplay. The most notable exception was the official Starfield gameplay reveal trailer. It was presented by Starfield director Todd Howard and showed off 15 minutes of in-game action and a variety of features. For many viewers, the most eye-catching thing about Starfield is just how much it resembles The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. It even sparked the “No Man’s Skyrim” meme. And for Bethesda fans curious about the game, it’s only natural to wonder whether Starfield will be like a Fallout game.
There are countless similarities between Starfield and Fallout. Of course, this can largely be attributed to its developer. After all, Bethesda Game Studios created Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.
From what we’ve seen so far, it seems that players can expect familiar gameplay and many RPG tropes that previous Bethesda titles are known for. But will Starfield simply be Fallout in space? Or will there be far more to it than previous Fallout games?
Let’s go through the key similarities and differences between Starfield and Fallout, using the June 2022 gameplay reveal trailer as our primary point of comparison.
Is Starfield like Fallout or Skyrim?
Firstly, it is safe to assume that Starfield will be somewhat like Fallout and Skyrim. But it won’t just be Fallout in space, even if does resemble Bethesda’s previous games.
The main reason for the similarities between Starfield, Fallout, and Skyrim is because they have all been created using the same engine. However, where Skyrim and Fallout 4 used the Creation Engine, Starfield is powered by Creation Engine 2. This is an updated iteration of the first Creation Engine that will also be used for The Elder Scrolls VI.
Starfield will be Bethesda’s first new intellectual property in 25 years. Its development began in 2015.
Gameplay and combat
Judging from Starfield‘s gameplay reveal trailer, the core experience will be familiar to fans of Bethesda’s previous RPGs. It features the same first-person and third-person perspectives as Fallout 4 and Skyrim.
Its combat also bears striking similarities. We’ve seen the game’s clunky movement, jumping, and reload animations before. Likewise, Starfield‘s weapons handle similarly to their Fallout counterparts.
Even enemy encounters appear to function in largely the same way. Where, in Fallout, the player faces large groups of Raiders in dilapidated buildings, Starfield will see the player battling battalions of space pirates in outposts on moons and planets.
In the gameplay trailer, the player enters a research lab on a moon called Kreet. Pirates are inside and they operate just like Raiders. They appear somewhat unresponsive to being shot (just like enemies in Fallout) and collapse like meat sacks when you kill them.
Enemy AI also seems equally unintelligent. During the trailer, they scarcely use cover and prefer to stand out in the open when firing. Hilariously, grenade kills send enemies flying like ragdolls just as in Fallout.
The way non-human enemies move also resembles those in Fallout 4. For example, the crab/scorpion-like aliens shown in Starfield‘s gameplay trailer behave much like Radscorpions.
Lastly, Bethesda’s trademark lockpicking returns in Starfield, this time with a sci-fi twist. But it is certainly more of what we’ve seen before.
Graphics and character models
Starfield‘s graphics are a significant improvement over previous Bethesda RPGs. The gameplay trailer demonstrated enhanced graphical fidelity in almost every aspect.
Unfortunately, although similarly improved, character models remain relatively emotionless just as in Fallout 4 and Skyrim.
Factions
Factions are a staple of Fallout and they are also present in Starfield. Some will be joinable while others serve to flesh out the game’s fictional universe. Major factions in Starfield include the following groups:
- Constellation
- United Colonies
- Freestar Collective
- Crimson Fleet
- Ryujin Industries
- Xenofresh Corporation
The Freestar Collective and the United Colonies are the most powerful factions in Starfield‘s Settled Systems. The game is set in 2330, 20 years after a war between the two factions for control of The Settled Systems.
Settlements
Settlements (both large and small) will be a key feature of Starfield, just like they are in other Bethesda RPGs. One of the primary cities in the game is New Atlantis, which serves as capital of the United Colonies on the planet Jemison.
Akila City is the capital and home of the Freestar Collective.
Character creation, skills and traits
Character creation has been improved since Fallout 4 but looks like typical Bethesda fare. It is more in-depth and includes things like ‘Walk Style’.
Players can choose a ‘Background’ for their character, such as Bounty Hunter, Chef, Professor, and many more. These give you three starting skills. For example, a character with the Cyberneticist background will receive the ‘Medicine’ (med packs heal 10% more), ‘Robotics’ (you deal 10% more damage to Robots and Turrets), and ‘Lasers’ (laser weapons do 10% more damage) skills.
Additionally, players can pick up to three ‘Traits’. These are optional as they provide both benefits and drawbacks. Examples include ‘Introvert’ (increases endurance when adventuring alone but decreases it when adventuring with human companions) and ‘Kid Stuff’ (your character’s parents are alive and you can visit them, but 10% of the money you earn is sent to them).
Crafting
Crafting will be a huge part of Starfield. This ranges from using resources as part of research projects to creating weapon mods.
Much like in Fallout 4, players will be able to build outposts. However, you aren’t limited to just one. You can build them anywhere on any planet and recruit NPCs to work for you.
Players can also build their own spaceships, customise how they look, put together the crew, and edit their interiors.
Once you have your ship, you’ll be able to fly it and use it to engage in combat against enemy spaceships.
How big is Starfield going to be?
Starfield‘s world will be significantly larger than previous Fallout and Elder Scrolls games. That’s because it isn’t limited to just one world. While you won’t have the entire cosmos to explore, players can look forward to ample space exploration.
The game will feature over 100 solar systems and thousands of planets. Exactly how this will be factored into the game’s quest design is unknown, however Lead Quest Designer Will Shen previously said that quests in Starfield will go back to “old-school RPG roots”.
Its main quest will reportedly be around 20% bigger than Skyrim and Fallout 4‘s main quests.
Is Starfield like No Man’s Sky?
While the similarities between Starfield, Fallout, and Skyrim are fairly obvious, gamers may also want to know if it’s like No Man’s Sky.
As mentioned, Starfield features approximately 100 planets. This is far, far less than No Man’s Sky‘s 18 quintillion planets.
With that being said, it stands to reason that Starfield‘s planets – while fewer in number – will be more interesting to explore.
Aside from both game’s being set in space, the only other similarities appear to be the ability to fly spaceships and mine for resources. So, don’t go into Starfield expecting it to be like No Man’s Sky. After all, it’s a totally different genre of game.
Starfield release date and platforms
Starfield is set for release on 06 September 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S. It will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks’ parent company) was acquired by Microsoft in March 2021. This brought Bethesda Game Studios under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella. Since then, Starfield has been confirmed as an Xbox and PC exclusive. It will not be released on PlayStation consoles.
With the hype now getting very real, the next Starfield Direct event is scheduled for 11 June 2023. Microsoft is promising that viewers will “learn much, much more about Starfield, with tons of new gameplay, developer interviews, and behind-the-scenes insider information.”
Do you think Starfield will cement itself among the best RPGs of all time? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
