A Starfield video gives a side-by-side comparison of the game from back in 2022 to how it looks now, with some believing that the newer version of the upcoming RPG has actually had a bit of a downgrade. With fans convinced that Starfield is basically Skyrim in space, it seems that more than a few potential players have already decided that it's going to have all the hallmarks of the studio's past fantasy releases, just with a science fiction theme instead.
Nevertheless, many are looking forward to Starfield. The fact that it was delayed, with it originally supposed to be released in November 2022, has only served to drum up even more hype. Now that the game is due to finally launch in September, it won't be too long until everyone gets a chance to see what Bethesda has been working on these past few years. However, there has been some debate about the current look of the game, and while some are happy with how development is coming along, others are a little more critical.
A video uploaded by YouTuber Cycu1 shows two versions of Starfield, one from 2022 and another from 2023. Using the same scenes and assets, the footage screenwipes between the two builds, showing graphical comparisons. A report from DSO Gaming says that there's possibly been a visual downgrade to the game between 2022 and 2023, evidenced by the fact that character models look "noticeably worse." The report goes on to say that NPCs in the newer version look "flat" and have substandard hair, while the eyes now "lack a lot of detail." However, the video itself does not give an opinion, though others watching may notice some of these changes.
Conversely, not everyone shares this sentiment. Another comparison video by the YouTube channel Light celebrates the changes, specifically when it comes to showing how much the lighting has improved. A recent thread on Reddit echoes this, with user SwinnieThePooh noticing how much "sharper the NPC shadows are." Starfield uses Bethesda's new version of its Creation Engine, a development toolkit that was originally built for Skyrim but has since become rather dated. The studio has worked on the engine to bring it up to speed in this modern gaming era, so it's not too surprising that some people are seeing improvements rather than degradation.
On top of that, Xbox also said that Starfield has the fewest bugs of any Bethesda title. Given the Elder Scrolls developer's reputation for releasing glitchy games, it's hard to say whether this is something to boast about or not.
Starfield releases for PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 6.
Source: DSO Gaming