Despite huge pre-release hype and generally positive reviews,Starfield’s reception has been somewhat mixed. The game has fallen short of the universal acclaim that Bethesda likely hoped for. While praised for its scope, ambition, and Bethesda’s signature charm, several key aspects have drawn criticism, significantly impacting its overall perception. It’s not hard to see the flaws, even as a fan. However, there is one major point of contention in particular that is holding the game back.
While most games try to look seamless,Starfielddoesn’t seem to have gotten the memo. Compared to other modern games,there’s a surplus of loading screens. The unfortunate part is that sometimes players get reminded of this outdated loading system every few minutes if not several times every half-hour. This constant interruption, which is especially jarring given the game’s purported focus on space exploration, makes it feel far more outdated than any other flaw.
What is Holding Starfield Back?
Loading Screens Are A Problem
WhileStarfieldhas a vast universe and impressive scope thanks to procedural generation, several factors hold it back from achieving its full potential. The most prominent issue is the pervasive and frequent loading screens.These interruptions shatter immersion, transforming exploration into a series of teleports rather than a seamless journey. Entering buildings, boarding a ship, and even moving between rooms within a structure often triggers a loading screen, which goes against expectations for a modern open-world game, especially one leveraging next-gen hardware.
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After a lengthy wait, Starfield developer Bethesda has added a feature allowing mods to be achievement-friendly for the first time since launch.
In games likeNo Man’s SkyandStar Citizen, the ship is a vehicle that feels like it takes players where they want to go.Starfieldlocks the travel behind loading screens. Consequently, the player’s ship feels mostly cosmetic, like avessel for fast travel, rather than a tool for exploration and adventure. These technical limitations significantly hold back the promised sense of wonder and freedom.
There are also technical issues, the repetitive quest design, and the lack of depth compared to other games updated and released recently, likeCyberpunk 2077orBaldur’s Gate 3. While the sheer volume of content is impressive, the quality varies considerably; some quests feel uninspired or overly simplistic. While functional, the character creation and dialogue systems fail to offer the same level of depth and player agency as other RPGs. Many players could let those issues slide if they didn’t have to wait minutes to get anywhere.
Why Starfield Has So Many Loading Screens
Bethesda’s Engine Has Its Limitations
The loading screens might just seem like a consequence of having a game world that’s both huge and detailed, but it’s not that simple.Starfieldhas an abundance of loading screens because of Bethesda’s Creation Engine 2, which isn’t designed for a completely open world of this scale with seamless exploration.It’s segmented into distinct zones, each requiring a load screen to transition. These loading screens are shorter with a high-end PC, but that shouldn’t be a requirement today.
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Despite using an earlier iteration of the Creation Engine,Fallout 4andSkyrimdidn’t have as many loading screens. Both of those games have a larger focus on time spent outside or inside large areas, so places to load didn’t appear as frequently.Starfieldsections off space, planet, city, and so forth, soit works like a bunch of different rooms to go to. It’s basically the same concept as other Bethesda games; players just have to go through it more often.
Unfortunately, Bethesda makes games in a way that requires this engine, so they reworked it and made it better forStarfield. Not every game can work on Unreal Engine 5, and not every company wants to give royalties when they have an engine that works well. It would take a lot of work and money without a guarantee of success, so the reliance on the Creation Engine platform makes sense despite this frustrating limitation.
Starfield’s Competition Has A Seamless Open Universe
No Man’s Sky Sets The Standard
Starfield’s much-discussed loading screens highlight a key difference between its closest competitors in the open-world space exploration genre. For example, games likeNo Man’s Skyhave a procedurally generated universe where players cantransition between planets and systems with minimal interruption. This seamlessness is a core element of theNo Man’s Skyexperience, giving it a much better sense of exploration and discovery.
The lack of loading times contributes significantly to the feeling of vastness and freedom that defines theNo Man’s Skyappeal. WhileNo Man’s Sky’s universe is fully procedurally generated, resulting in less detailed environments compared toStarfield’s handcrafted elements, thetrade-off provides more immersion, which feels fair. The ability to fly continuously from planet to planet, seamlessly transitioning through space and atmospheric entry, fosters a sense of unbroken adventure rarely matched by games with distinct loading zones.
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Starfield players looking to cruise around planets in style will want to download this slick mod that transforms the REV-8 into a slick hovercar.
Traveling to a boring planet is something both games face. However,Starfieldasks players to sit, wait to get to that planet, and then wait to leave.No Man’s Skylets players fly to the planet and then away again. It makesStarfieldfeel very outdated, which hurts the overall experience, and evenupdates show how obvious blunders are.
At This Point, Loading Screens Are Outdated
Modern Open-World Games Have Minimized This Problem
At this point in gaming’s evolution, the prevalence of loading screens, especially those as frequent and jarring as those seen inStarfield, feels unacceptable.Spider-Man 2for the PS5 no longer needs loading screens while fast traveling; compare that with a loading screen just to enter a ship inStarfield. The technology exists to mitigate,if not entirely eliminate, these disruptive interruptions to gameplay.
There are somemods that remove loading screens, but they’re not perfect and don’t take them all away.
While some level of loading is understandable in extremely large and detailed open worlds, the sheer number and seemingly arbitrary placement of loading screens in many modern games, includingStarfield, indicate a failure of design and optimization, not a hardware limitation. The excuse of loading handcrafted content versus procedural generation rings hollow when considering the graphical fidelity and scale achievable in other modern games without intrusive loading breaks, likeStar CitizenandNo Man’s Sky.
Bethesda needs to work onridding the game of this constant nuisance. If the studio can move past this pain point, some of the other flaws will start to seem less distracting. While rough in some areas,Starfieldhas enough content to keep players focused on the gameplay. All these breaks and pauses in content give players a reason to think about why the game is bad, and without them,Starfieldcould show players all the ways it’s great. If anything, these constant pauses in gameplay are the biggest flaw holding the game back.
