Bethesda is a mammoth studio known primarily for The Elder Scrolls, a franchise of first-person open-world games that have had a massive cultural impact and have spawned a vast community of modders. The studio is also responsible for the Fallout series which has always been a reliable source of post-apocalyptic fun. Eyes have been on Bethesda for different reasons recently, as the studio is getting ready to launch its first new IP in over two decades - Starfield.
The gameplay trailer that Bethesda has shared with gamers makes it apparent that Starfield is an unabashedly ambitious game. It will feature over 1000 planets, will be playable in both first-person and third-person, and it will feature vast exploration and mineral mining as well as gunplay. One of the most impressive features shown off thus far is the character creator system which takes inspiration from past Bethesda titles but expands on them while sprinkling in a few new ideas. Compared to contemporary games, Starfield's character creator fares quite well.
Starfield's Character Creator
The gameplay trailer revealed during the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Showcase showed gamers that they can expect a sprawling game filled with plenty of things to do. Players can build outposts to hunker down in, customize a spaceship, and unlock and modify an assortment of weapons. Before gamers jump into that, they will have to create their playable character first.
The range of customization options that have been revealed in Starfield's character creator is jaw-dropping. Players will be able to adjust their character's body type, gait, complexion, hair color, head shape, and plenty of other features. Gamers will also be able to pick a background for their character from a long list of options that includes Professor, Gangster, Chef, and Combat Medic, to name a few, and they all come with a set of three starting skills. There are also optional traits that can be slapped on, such as Introvert, Taskmaster, and Empath, which will help to make every gamer's character feel unique.
Starfield Compared to Saints Row and Elden Ring
Starfield's character creator is impressive, and it raises the bar for character creators in Bethesda's games. Character creators have become quite popular in recent games, and developers have not shied away from letting players have as much freedom as possible. Gamers have risen to the challenge, and some of the creations they have made in contemporary games are occasionally hilarious but always laudable. It seems Starfield will give players just as much, if not more, breadth to unleash their imagination.
FromSoftware's latest game, Elden Ring has been one of the most noteworthy releases of 2022 thanks to its unique approach to open-world design and its challenging yet addictive combat. Like past FromSoftware games, players can create their own character, and pick numerous attributes that will have an impact on how they approach their playthrough. Elden Ring's character creator is the most impressive one yet. Players can alter their playable character's physical characteristics down to fine details. Additionally, players can also choose a Class, which determines what equipment players begin with. Each of the classes has different attributes, and they will appeal to different players depending on what they value.
The most comparable aspect of Elden Ring and Starfield is their ability to alter the playable character's non-physical attributes. The skills and background of Starfield are similar to the Classes of Elden Ring in that they both determine which path players will take and how they will approach gameplay and combat. Starfield appears to not disappoint thanks to the fact that the available backgrounds vastly outnumber the ten Elden Ring Classes.
The upcoming Saints Row game is a reboot of the series that takes gamers to Santo Ileso where they will attempt to topple three gangs that currently control the city. In the lead-up to the game's release, which is scheduled for August, Volition has released Saints Row Boss Factory which lets players try out the character creator. The Saints Row series has always been known for its intricate and sometimes humorous character creators, but the latest one goes above and beyond. Every aspect of the player's Boss can be altered, allowing players to customize the most minor facial features and even finer detail such as scars and wrinkles. The clothing selection is also vast, and the color scheme of clothing items can be changed.
In comparison, Starfield's character creator does not appear to be as in-depth as Saint Row's in terms of crafting physical characteristics. Starfield does have one edge over Saint's Row, however, which is its ability to alter the character's personality thanks to choosing a background and skills. It seems the games have focused their sights on different aspects of character creation, though time will tell how well their strategies complement the other aspects of gameplay.
Starfield Compared to The Sims 4
The Sims series has become synonymous with character creators thanks to its Create-a-Sim mode that is in-depth enough to spend hours on. Upon The Sims 4's release, many games complained that it lacked features that were present in prior titles. However, the game's Create-a-Sim mode is still packed with plenty of ways to create unique Sims. On PC, players can directly manipulate their Sim's features and mold them like a sculptor. There is also a plethora of clothes to pick from, and the range can be extended with expansion packs. While The Sims 4 is not as contemporary as the prior games, it is worth discussing due to its impact on character creators as a whole.
Starfield contains many of the features present in The Sims 4. In both games, it is possible to carefully alter the playable character's body and facial features, and there is also the possibility to choose features that determine the character's personality. However, The Sims 4 appears to do everything on a larger scale. This is not too unexpected because the game set the bar high, and years later, many games struggle to reach that standard.
After a few delays, Starfield will release in 2023, and expectations are exceedingly high. Todd Howard is confident in his product and the space adventures it will bring. While the character creator takes a different approach than most, it is still impressively robust compared to contemporary games, and players should have a blast creating the perfect character to explore the cosmos with.
Starfield is scheduled to release in 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
