Starfield fans are eagerly waiting for more news on Bethesda's new science fiction RPG. While there are some features that fans can likely expect to carry over from other Bethesda titles into its newest IP, there are still many questions about how certain elements will work in Starfield. There is a lot of mystery around how players will interact with NPCs, how combat will work, or how spaceships will function in Starfield that many excited fans are eager to learn about.
Fans are looking at other popular science fiction games for possible inspirations for Starfield, such as Star Citizen. However, Bethesda and the team working on Starfield should also take some inspiration from No Man's Sky. While No Man's Sky received a negative reaction when it was originally released in 2016, since then it has received a number of patches and large updates that have brought it closer to the original promises made by Hello Games. With how successful the game now is, it is No Man's Sky's original promises that Starfield should borrow from in its development.
Starfield Should Borrow From No Man's Sky's Detailed Planets
One of the most enticing aspects of No Man's Sky is visiting its immense number of planets, and exploring their ecosystems and species. Of course, Starfield will likely not include the sheer vastness of No Man's Sky's universe, but it should definitely borrow from the game's level of detail for each planet. There is still not much known about Starfield's galaxy, but there is a lot of potential for the game to define itself with the planets that players will visit. Having each planet distinct from the others, with its own plant life, ecosystems, and animals for players to interact with would help the game's world feel larger and more alive.
It also would help exploring in Starfield feel better, as players would be more interested in exploring each individual planet if they are distinct enough from one another. Starfield also has the opportunity to be even better at this than No Man's Sky promised since it will have a more limited number of hand-made planets. Since planets in No Man's Sky are procedurally generated there can be some repetition between them if players visit enough.
Starfield, however, can handcraft each planet to feel completely different from the others, and can give each planet more detailed touches like unique areas, interactions, or even events that players can witness. All of this could help Starfield keep its players engaged for much longer than they otherwise would if the planets are all made of the same assets.
Starfield Should Borrow No Man's Sky's Promise of a Living Universe
Another part of No Man's Sky's promises that had fans so excited for its launch was its living universe. Players expected to be able to have an impact on things in the game. They expected to be able to blow up space stations, work with different factions, or stumble on battles going on in space and join in for some dogfighting. Running across events or being able to truly leave an impact on the galaxy would fit great in Starfield. Not only could it have a significant impact on the player's relationships with Starfield's various factions, but it also would help make the galaxy feel more alive and give the player more to do than just play through quests.
The events and living aspects of the world could also easily be expanded on in Starfield. A player's actions could have sprawling impacts and consequences on the world and characters more than is possible in No Man's Sky. A player intervening in a space battle could tip the tides of a galactic war while stopping to help a stranded NPC could give players a unique spaceship part or weapon. These options would all help reward players for exploring the world while allowing them to get personal upgrades to their gear or spaceships in Starfield.
Starfield Still Needs to Differentiate Itself from No Man's Sky
With as much as Starfield should borrow from No Man's Sky's promises, it should also take steps to ensure that it maintains its own identity and sets itself apart from No Man's Sky. One major way to do this is for Starfield to embrace roleplaying and give players numerous choices and different approaches to the game. Expanding features like dialogue trees with skill-based options, a variety of approaches to combat, and branching questlines will help Starfield stand out and become something really special. It also would greatly help players want to replay the game more so that they can explore all the options and see how differently the game can be played.
Another way that Starfield can differentiate itself from No Man's Sky is by introducing new features as well. To do this Starfield could pull from other Bethesda titles to draw inspiration for mechanics like followers, faction questlines, and filling its world with a painstakingly detailed universe and lore. These features will likely make it into Starfield as the features have been so popular in previous Bethesda titles. Starfield focusing on satisfying Bethesda fans could also be good to help tide Bethesda fans over while they wait for Elder Scrolls 6 and a new Fallout title.
Of course, there is no knowing what players should expect from Starfield until Bethesda releases more information on its newest RPG. Until then, there are a lot of different sources of inspiration that the developers could pull from. Whether Starfield pulls from Blade Runner or Halo, it will be very interesting to see what the studio does with its new science fiction setting and what other games or properties it takes inspiration from. The game undeniably has a lot of potential, and it could be a very big release for Bethesda and Xbox alike. Hopefully, players will not have to wait much longer to learn more about Starfield ahead of its release later this year.
Starfield releases on November 22, 2022 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.