Summary
The role-playing genre is still one of the most popular in all of gaming, and it has been since its conception all the way back in the early 1970s. Though there are countless features and elements that makethe RPG genreso enrapturing, one of the most compelling aspects is that they provide entire worlds, and sometimes even universes that the player can immerse themselves in. And Bethesda’sStarfieldcertainly does that.
If there’s one thing that Bethesda’s RPGs accomplish, it’s immersing players in a vast and compelling open-world setting. From the wastelands ofFallout, to the wintry cities ofSkyrim, to the hundreds of varied planets and locales inStarfield, each and every Bethesda game puts immersion and exploration at the very forefront of the experience. But that doesn’t mean that Bethesda’s RPGs don’t have engaging story modes, and bothSkyrimandStarfieldfeature some of the developer’s best - though one is certainly a bit meatier than the other.
RELATED:Starfield Takes One Oblivion Feature That Skyrim Skipped to the Next Level
How Starfield’s Story Length Compares to Skyrim’s
Skyrimis still one of the most beloved Western RPGs of all time, with fans still sinking in hours of playtime well over a decade after its original release. And whileSkyrim’s main draw is its expansive and immersive fantasy open-world and its thrilling side missions, it does have a really good main story quest filled with iconic moments that have become worthy of gaming’s hall of fame. Missions likeinfiltrating the Thalmor Embassyor the final battle against Alduin in Sovngarde makeSkyrim’s story one worth experiencing at least a few times.
Skyrim’s story mode also does a great job of slowly introducing players to new locations, characters, factions, and mechanics, ensuring that those who are just mainlining the campaign still get to see a variety ofSkyrim’s alluring locales, and get to have a basic understanding of the series' greater narrative and political landscape. On the whole,Skyrim’s main questlineusually takes around 20-35 hours to complete, which is quite a broad spectrum. This playtime usually depends greatly on how players approach certain missions. For instance, if players try to stealth their way through the Thalmor Embassy, then it’ll probably take them a bit longer than those who just run-and-gun their way through it.
Though many players are still working their way gradually through it,Starfield’s own main story quest has gotten quite a good critical reception as well. After a bit of a jarring start,Starfield’s main story questquickly gets very intriguing, and though it’s then sidetracked by a multi-hour fetch quest that never really offers anything new to see or do, it picks back up again and features a strong ending. However, whileStarfield’s story quality is probably on par withSkyrim’s, its length is not.
Before launch, Bethesda stated thatStarfield’s main story quest would probably take players around 30-40 hours to complete, claiming it to be the biggest campaign in Bethesda history. However, since the game’s release, this has been proven to be a tad untrue, with most players finishing the main questline in around 15-20 hours. Of course, while the main quest is an integral part of Bethesda’s RPGs, they aren’t the real meat and potatoes of the experience, andStarfieldfeatures more than enough side content to fill a player’s schedule. Along with a ton of side missions, multiple lengthy faction questlines, countless activities, companion quests, an intricate ship-builder, and a thousand planets to explore,Starfieldalso encourages multiple playthroughs with its New Game Plus mode, which adds some new content to the game. On the whole,Starfieldis just as much of a complete experience asSkyrim, even if it does technically have the shorter story.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
