Summary
Science Fiction is an incredibly varied genre in terms of style, substance, and most certainly tone. While some pieces of Sci-Fi media can revolve around post-apocalyptic futures and the desolation of humanity, other projects can highlight the joy and wonder that comes from exploring the vast unknown that is space, andsome Sci-Fi franchisesmanage to strike the perfect balance between the two.Starfield, surprisingly, is one such Sci-Fi property, managing to balance some darker subject matter with a refreshingly light-hearted tone that runs through the entire game.
More than anything else,Starfieldis an adventure game, just like any otherprevious Bethesda RPG. While players can run into hordes of horrifying Terrormorphs, intimidating fleets of pirate marauders, or Va’ruun zealots bent on cleansing the galaxy of heretics, the theme of exploration and adventure remains at the very core ofStarfield, and that theme is cemented by the game’s humor, which runs consistently throughout just about anything the player does inStarfield.
RELATED:How Starfield’s Exploration Compares to No Man’s Sky
Starfield’s Humor Is One of its Greatest Unsung Heroes
Bethesda has always put humor at the forefront of its games. Even thoughFalloutrevolves around the horrors of nuclear war and humanity’s unwillingness to learn from its past mistakes, Bethesda’s entries in the franchise use dark humor quite frequently to keep things a bit on the lighter, more enjoyable side. Whether it’s a vault filled with murderous clones that can only shout their name, or tongue-in-cheek references to movies and fellow video games,Bethesda’sFalloutserieshas plenty of moments of levity to balance things out, and the same is true forStarfield.
From the momentStarfieldstarts, the game’s overarching light-hearted tone is firmly set, with the player’s NPC companions taking humorous jabs at one another. This tone then carries through to the vast majority ofStarfield’s runtime.Starfield’s moment-to-moment gameplay will see NPCs mock a situation, or how the player reacted to it. Enemy encounters will often lead to some quirky dialogue options and interactions. And a good deal ofStarfield’s mega-corporationsand military outfits feel as though they’ve been ripped right out ofStarship Troopers, adding a surprisingly complex layer of satire to the game and its factions.
Of course, not all ofStarfield’s humor hits. Some characters go a bit over the top with their penchant for mockery, making an otherwise intense situation instead feel a bit anticlimactic or even silly. Some satire is also so blatant that it leaves absolutely no room for interpretation at all, though it still comes across as if it was meant to be a super subtle, clever wink to the player. These moments can pull players right out of their immersion, but thankfully, for the most part,Starfield’s humor fits the action on screen very well.
As mentioned up top,Starfield’s light-hearted tone serves a greater purpose. While it’s enjoyable to hear some witty back-and-forths between crewmates, or see a poster with an absurdly on-the-nose tagline, all of these seemingly small moments combine to giveStarfieldan overarching feeling of pure fun and adventure. While it’s great to have spookiermissions inspired by Ridley Scott’sAlien, or more thematically mature missions that ask players to ponder humanity’s place in the universe, it’s important for a gigantic RPG likeStarfieldto keep enticing players to come back, and maintaining a light-hearted, easy tone is definitely a great way to do that. Players know that when they boot upStarfield, a jovial, fun adventure is waiting for them, and the game’s humor plays an integral role in that.
Starfieldis available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
