Starfield reviews have gone live as the embargo drops, and so far the critic consensus appears to be generally positive, with praise levied for the expansive nature of the game and for the mostly bug-free launch – although this all depends on which outlet you ask. While some reviews have rated Bethesda’s newest RPG with a perfect score of ten, IGN gave a slightly more muted 7/10, with critiques ranging from a lack of depth in the storyline and characters, to the time taken to get into the thick of gameplay.
Starfield is Bethesda’s first new IP in around 25 years and has been exponentially building in hype since it was announced in 2018, with many excited at the prospect of Skyrim in space. Based on reviews, it does seem like the space adventure takes a lot of what made previous Bethesda titles like Skyrim and Fallout 4 great, and smoothes over the rough edges (including those well-memed Bethesda RPG bugs) for a polished experience that is as enormous and expansive as deep space itself.
At the time of writing, early access has been live for mere hours. Currently, the Metacritic score for Starfield sits at a pretty high 88, although this has chopped and changed a number of times as more reviews flood in from outlets around the globe. The OpenCritic aggregate review score is also sitting at 88 – although where these scores will fall once more outlets have had time with the game (as well as players, who have already begun diving in to the title via early access as of this morning) is anyone’s guess.
For now, it looks like Starfield has managed to hit the mark when it comes to providing a sandbox space RPG that delivers all of the hallmarks of a Bethesda RPG in a totally new setting, and at least this far doesn’t seem to crumble under the weight of lofty player and outlet expectations after promises of a gargantuan title with more to see, do, steal, and explore than ever before.
Let’s take a look at what critics are saying about the game, both locally and around the world.
The Aussies
GamesHub’s Edmond Tran rated the game 4/5 stars, saying, “It’s the static and mechanical elements of Starfield that shine the brightest – the art, the environments, the combat systems. They make up the strong foundations of a playset with a very intriguing scenario. But you need to mentally meet Starfield partway to complete its vision of a vast, living universe. You need to stretch out the expanse and envision the journey. You need to look past the menus and form the fantasy. You need to help breathe life into its paper dolls. You need to add your own dash of wonder, and imagine your own unknowns. Truly, Starfield is a role-playing game, through and through.”
Press Start gave it a 9, saying “If what you’re hoping for is The Elder Scrolls or Fallout in space, then Starfield is that. Not only does it have countless stories begging to be sought out against a vast and beckoning star chart, it’s also the most polished Bethesda Game Studios title we’ve ever had.”
Stevivor gave the game an 8 out of 10, saying “Bethesda’s latest offering is by no means perfect, and may not be for everyone. But for the sheer size of it, the beauty of the hundreds of different landscapes you can explore and the always engaging missions, Starfield is a massive technical achievement.”
Player 2 gave it an A rating, and said it was, “A bold technical marvel that celebrates science and exploration, propelling you into the unknown and letting you forge your own path among the stars. Starfield is Bethesda at its best.”
CheckPoint Gaming’s Elliot Attard gave it a 9, saying, “Starfield may not be the seamless and faultless persistent open world some may be craving. Though what it does provide is still certainly worthy of elation. Give the title some time to warm up and you’ll uncover a vastly refined and picturesque journey of otherworldly proportions. A game of size, scope, and quality all wrapped into one—the beauty of discovery is but a warp drive away.”
The Rest of The World
IGN gave it a slightly more muted 7, saying “Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”
VideoGamesChronicle awarded it 5 stars, saying “Starfield is undoubtedly an experience that players will stick with for years to come. It’s content-rich in a way that’s rare in modern gaming, and exactly the experience that people who’ve been hoovering up different versions of Skyrim for years have wanted. It doesn’t truly reinvent the wheel with its mechanics, but almost everything it does, it does so well, that it’s a truly engrossing experience.”
The Verge didn’t score its review, but called Starfield “another huge experience with an almost overwhelming amount of things to do and see, coupled with some great character development, role-playing features, and so-so action. But it also smooths over many of the rough edges that have defined past releases from the studio while introducing a new theme and narrative that match the grand ambitions that Bethesda has always strived for. War never changes — but it’s a lot more thrilling in space.”
PC Gamer’s Christopher gave the game a 75 out of 100, and said “I don’t love Starfield, but I’m happy to say that I do like it. Those first 90 hours I played were far from perfect, but I’ve got plenty of reasons to play 90 more.”
GamesRadar gave Starfield a perfect 5 stars, although touched on how overwhelming the title can be and issues with encumbrance. In their review, they said “Starfield is an expansive and beautifully crafted open world experience full of endless discovery and opportunities.”
Forbes gave it a 9.5, saying “Starfield excels at the things Bethesda usually excels at; sprawling worlds which you can exist in for anywhere from 50 to 500 hours or more. Multiple ways to take on missions, unforeseen effects of your choices that circle back around in ways you don’t expect. It is also sometimes weak at the things Bethesda is weak at. Character modeling, while improved, still feels very dated. And the main story is…questionable, with the best stories being many of the sidequests or even just random things that happen to you in the world.”
PCGamesN awarded it a 7, saying “Starfield is a true behemoth of an RPG, and in many ways it’s the logical endpoint of Bethesda Game Studios’ well-worn formula. However, its massive scope pushes this formula to the absolute limit and the cracks begin to show, from feature creep to the stop-start nature of its exploration. Dedicated Bethesda fans are sure to get their fill, but this interstellar adventure never leaves the atmosphere.”
Gaming Nexus gave it a 9.5, saying “Starfield is an amazingly huge and detailed playground that offers who-knows-how many hours of gameplay and exploration in an exciting new world that drips with interesting history and lore. It stuns with its scope and depth, and even after 50 hours of play I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. Forget a review, there is enough here to write books. I’m going to be playing this game for years to come, and I’m perfectly happy with that. Starfield is a new classic, and it does indeed raise the bar in terms of what is possible, if not what is expected.”
Destructoid praised the game and gave it a 10 out of 10, saying “I wasn’t sure if it could be done, but Bethesda has managed to raise the bar for sandbox games even higher. In the end, Starfield is an epic sandbox open-world RPG with a beautifully immersive universe, a captivating story, and fun and compelling gameplay the whole way. I’m so happy to have experienced Starfield organically, and I really hope you get to as well.”
While there’s some parts of Starfield dividing critics, the general consensus is that Bethesda has mostly knocked it out of the park and delivered a clean, expansive title on a grand scale, dialling up all of the best RPG elements and doing what they do best, but in space. Players are getting stuck into early access now, so whether these scores align with how the community finds it is up in the air (or in the cosmos) for now, but based on these reviews – it looks like we may well just have a new classic RPG on our hands.
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