While many thoroughly enjoyStarfield, its plethora of issues and missing features are well-documented at this point. Generally, Bethesda and its dedicated team working onStarfieldhave been somewhat open about these issues, explaining why they couldn’t work or were never thought of in the first place. This extends to something that fans may not have realized is missing, but nevertheless plays a huge role in the slight lack of impact inStarfield’scombat: gore.
Recently, it was revealed thatBethesda tonedStarfield’sgore downsignificantly, something that was absolutely present in all of its previous games and many of its first-party developers, such as MachineGames’Wolfensteinand Arkane Studio’sDishonored. Naturally,players are wondering why the gore was toned down so much in the first place and, perhaps more importantly, what impact it has ultimately had onStarfield.
Why Starfield Toned Down Its Gore Before Release
It Was For Technical Reasons
Recently, in an interview withKIWI TALKZ,Starfield’ssenior artist, Dennis Mejillones, spoke about why Bethesda decided to tone down the gore, despite it initially being its intention to add plenty of it.It largely boils down to technical issues, with the developers finding it difficult to implement realistic decapitationforStarfield’smany armor sets, specifically the space suits, as well as adding what Mejillones refers to as “meat caps” or the neck stump that dangles from the decapitated head.
However,Bethesda also decided to remove much of the gore as it didn’t thematically fit with the more grounded vision that it had forStarfield. Mejillones explains that whileFallout, and likely, by extension,Skyrim, are more stylized, Bethesda wantedStarfieldto feel more real. Adding in visceral decapitations and a lot more gore would have, according to Mejillones, gone against that idea. In the interview, he stated:
“Fallout is very stylized in that regard. It’s meant to be. That’s part of the tongue-in-cheek humour […] For Starfield, it was definitely meant to be more lo-fi and realistic. We were inspired a lot by things like The Expanse and Star Trek, so I think it just didn’t fit thematically.”
It’s hard to see the logic here as, while the inspirations cited definitely lack a lot of gore,Starfieldnever really feels like it’s as grounded as those shows.Starfieldhas dark moments, and plenty of them, and a lot of its aesthetic feels grounded and realistic. However, it is also very stylized, at times a little silly and full of the Bethesda charm that makes theFalloutandElder Scrollsgames so beloved.It never really feels like gore wouldn’t fitStarfieldthematically, especially considering just how much violence that players get up to.
Bethesda Games Like Fallout Prove Gore Can Be Successful
Fallout Encourages Blasting Off Limbs
Of course, as aforementioned, Bethesda has a good track record of making not just violent games, but extremely gory ones. From exploding ghouls' heads off in theFalloutseries to plunging a sword into a bandit’s chest inSkyrim, there is no shortage of blood spilling in Bethesda’s catalog of RPGs.It is one of the fundamental tenets of the developer’s combat, as it helps to mask its often simplistic foundations while simultaneously reinforcing the power fantasythat has been the backbone of Bethesda’s games from the start.
I’m Worried Xbox Could Become Known For Its Broken Exclusives Like Starfield & STALKER 2
Xbox has had a number of exclusives brimming with potential, but their buggy launches and unfinished states are giving the publisher a bad name.
Gore has never held a Bethesda game back, and it could easily be argued that its fanbase expects it. Despite the fact that it significantly raises a game’s age rating, which one would imagine could hurt sales, Bethesda RPGs consistently sell well. Of course, gore isn’t going to be a dominating factor in why they sell well, but it certainly isn’t hurting them. Surprisingly,bothStarfieldandFallout 4share the same Mature/18+ age rating, despite the fact that Bethesda toned down the gore.
More Blood & Gore Could’ve Helped Starfield
It Would Have Made Combat More Impactful
The lack of gore inStarfieldis absolutely holding back its combatas it makes it substantially less impactful. While not every action game needs gore to feel brutal, those that do include it feel weightier, with every kill having a more lasting impact. Fortunately, there is amod that fixesStarfieldby adding a lot of blood to the game, finally making killing Crimson Fleet pirates for the umpteenth time an enjoyable act. Unsurprisingly, this mod doesn’t ruinStarfield’srealism as, if anything, it helps make it more believable and improves its darker tone.
Of course, if the real issue behindStarfield’slack of gore was a technical one, then that’s completely understandable. However, it seems a shame if Bethesda did decide to stop attempting to figure out how best to implement it if it went against its thematic intentions for the game, as it would have only helped heighten its vastly improved combat.Starfieldis still a good game without the extra gore, but it could have been so much better had it added in just a little more blood and the ability to blast the adoring fan’s head off.
