Starfield is finally out in early access for some on PC, Xbox Series X|S, which means reviews are sprouting up online. A spectacularly massive RPG, the game boasts a thousand planets and hundreds of hours of content. Meanwhile, reviews of Starfield paint a picture of a game that shot for stars but only mostly stuck the landing.
Reviews say Starfield is good despite some issues
Review aggregate site Metacritic gives Starfield a score of 88 on PC and 87 on Xbox Series X. Looking over reviews from PC Gamer, IGN, Game Informer, Wired, The Verge, NPR, Forbes, and GameSpot reveals a few interesting patterns. One common but not universal opinion was that Starfield, ironically, takes several hours to get off the ground. The early missions and planets are reportedly underwhelming, and the main questline leaves a lot to be desired.
As is almost a tradition for Bethesda games, Starfield’s main story is one of its weaker aspects. The main plot isn’t bad, but it’s not particularly memorable either and doesn’t leave much room for player choice. However, this was not the case for Starfield’s side quests, which overshadowed the main storyline. According to IGN, some side questlines could have been their own games, and they mostly succeed where the main story fails. The game’s character and dialogue writing are also a step up from Skyrim and Fallout 4.
There is also plenty to do outside of formal quests, including trade, piracy, smuggling, colony building, and more. However, while Starfield’s weapons are highly varied, opinions on ground combat were mixed. Some reviews saw it as a significant improvement on Fallout 4, while others found the gunplay flashy but dry and mechanical.
Starfield’s exploration and spaceflight are similarly divisive. The controls are intuitive, and the game teaches the player to use them well. However, Game Informer found Starfield’s space combat unbalanced, with every battle either too easy or frustratingly hard. Flying from planet to planet for missions can also reportedly get tedious after a while.
Still, most reviews are positive, and the game offers enough variety that most players will probably find something that interests them. Some critics loved the game more than others, but Starfield is a solid start for Xbox’s multi-year relay of first-party games.
