SinceStarfield’s review embargo lifted, I’ve seen the sentiment thatBaldur’s Gate 3ruinedBethesda’s long-awaitedRPGfor some players. My colleague Ben Sledge wrotean article expressing that sentiment for TheGamer, and it’s a good piece you should go read.
That feeling is understandable and reminds me of the reactionThe Outer Worldsreceived when it released in the same month asDisco Elysium. One was groundbreaking, the other was mostly comfortable. The same dynamic seems to be playing out with Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is an incredibly impressive game. It’s ridiculously dense, with consequences snowballing from seemingly unimportant decisions. you may speak to every animal you come across and corpses aplenty, too. Every combat encounter feels unique. The characters are complex and well written. I’m only in act two, but what I’ve seen so far is as good as any RPG I’ve ever played.
I’m still early into Starfield, but it’s a different beast. Its sheer scope means that it can’t go nearly as deep as Baldur’s Gate 3. I only have one companion so far, Sarah, and the conversations I’ve had with her don’t feel nearly as interesting as the ones I can have offhandedly with Shadowheart and Astarion. But, on the other hand, I can hop on a spaceship and fly over to Mars (or any of the other 1000 planets in its galaxy). It’s a different experience and I can see why someone would find it lacking in comparison.
But to me, having both games available at the same time is the perfect gift as an RPG fan. After playing a ton of Baldur’s Gate 3, loading up Starfield instantly reminded me of how much more atmosphere developers can deliver in first-person. Even though Starfield starts in an unglamorous mining cave and Baldur’s Gate 3 starts on a spaceship covered in tentacles, Starfield was the game that, through its perspective, made me feel like I wanted to see all it had to offer.
I also want to see all that Baldur’s Gate 3 has to offer, but I’m using the word “see” in a looser sense. It’s a good looking game and certainly the most graphically impressive and cinematic isometric RPG ever made. But its world is designed to be viewed from the sky above your character, unless you play with a controller. I feel distanced, not immersed. I’m drawn in by other things, like the excellent quest design, character writing, combat, and multitude of choices, but that’s always been the trade off that isometric RPGs have asked players to make. In exchange for less graphical immersion, you get a treasure trove of good writing and roleplay opportunities. It’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make.
Especially when Starfield offers such an expansive world to get lost in. I’m just beginning to explore all that it has to offer, but the promise of tackling quests in Neon has me salivating. I don’t expect those quests to be as interesting or deep as Baldur’s Gate 3’s, but I’ll be pursuing them in the kind of setting that’s near and dear to my heart. I love sci-fi, and especiallysci-fi cities, so Starfield’s environments are worth just as much to me as a really great character arc or nail biting combat encounters.
At least, that’s how I feel with plenty of game left to go. We’ll see if what I find out there at the edges of the universe is half as interesting as Shadowheart pressing the edge of her blade against Lae’zel’s neck. For now, I’m grateful to have both.
