Summary
After years of anticipation,Starfieldhas finally hit store shelves, and it seems to have lived up to many expectations so far. It has everything that Bethesda RPG fans could want within a brand-new setting that the studio has never attempted before. However, unlikeFalloutwhich seems to stand on its own,Starfieldhas entered an incredibly crowded market that will see it compared to other space games for years to come.
One such space adventure thatStarfieldwill likely be compared to forever isHello Games’No Man’s Sky. That game’s launch is infamous for failing to deliver on its premise, but the studio has since made the game one of the best sci-fi games around. WhileStarfieldmay be doing its own thing with the genre, it also seems to have many elements that feel extremely similar to Hello Games' outing. Specifically, both games seem to handle space exploration in a similar but also quite different way.
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Starfield and No Man’s Sky Tackle Exploration Very Differently
The essence ofStarfieldandNo Man’s Skyis about exploring a vast galaxy of possibilities.Starfieldsees players join Constellationto explore a massive populated universe in search of artifacts. While not every planet has massive cities on it, players can definitely feel like they are traversing planets that humanity has touched. On the other hand,No Man’s Skythrows players into a vast universe that feels mostly untouched by society, and that leads to a vastly different type of experience.
No Man’s Sky’s galaxyhas pockets of life, but the majority of its planets are rather barren. Players spend most of their time flying to different planets, cataloging the things on it, gathering various resources, and then heading off into space to go to another planet. They will occasionally run into outposts or random scenarios involving different species during their journey. However, the majority of their time is spent making their mark on these barren worlds and discovering all the secrets that these planets have to offer.
Not only are the two galaxies hugely different, but so are the core exploration features.No Man’s Skyputs a much larger emphasis on discovering and scanning the unknown whileStarfieldis more about following countless unique storiesacross the stars. It is much more of an RPG than a simulator, which leads to a different type of gameplay loop. While elements of scanning and cataloging exist, players will spend most of their time inStarfieldinteracting with characters as they embark on a wild sci-fi adventure.
The space gameplay ofStarfieldalso feels a bit more fragmented thanNo Man Sky’sversion.No Man’s Skyplayers are able to soar through the stars, enter and exit atmosphere, and will only encounter loading screens when they jump to new sectors.Starfieldoften interrupts these moments with loading screens and prevents players from actually having full control of their ship during flight. They cannot enter and exit the atmosphere, they are unable to fly through a planet’s skies, and their sector traversal is rather limited.
StarfieldandNo Man’s Skychallenge players to explore the stars but each do the concept a bit differently. Players who want a more freeform simulator space game may want to stick withNo Man’s Sky, while those looking for a Bethesda RPG in space should takeStarfieldfor a spin. WhileNo Man’s Skymay do exploration a bit better,Starfieldis still one of the best sci-fi games in years.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
