Just one day before the game's early access launch, reviews have dropped online, with most of them seeming very positive about 's first new universe in 25 years.
Without a doubt, Starfield is the biggest game that Xbox has released in some time and one that's incredibly important to the company following its pending acquisition of Bethesda. We haven't seen a game that's as big of a deal for since , which means that there's undeniably a lot of pressure for it to do well.
Thankfully, so far it seems that Starfield is mostly living up to a lot of people's expectations. Reviews just dropped for the game and, while there's a range of scores, almost all of them seem to be positive. It's still very early days all things considered (especially with some sites getting late access to code) but, as of the time of writing, , with 96 percent of critics recommending the game.
Let's start out with our own first, which comes from TheGamer's Features Editor, Ben Sledge. In his review, Ben gives Starfield a 4/5, citing it as simultaneously being an "evolution of the class Bethesda formula and a subversion of my every expectation, for better and for worse". Ben specifically highlights the story and characters as the game's strongest elements, while noting that the exploration brings it down a bit.
Following our own review, let's start off positively with some of the high scores. , Jordan Middler gave Starfield a 5/5, citing it as "Bethesda's very best game and the best Xbox exclusive in 15 years". Meanwhile, , calling Starfield, "the best thing Bethesda has done since Oblivion". , who said Starfield "delivers on all its promises" and offered a "Skyrim-level experience that will be played for years to come".
Similarly positive reviews can be found from sites such as , noting that it was "a universe well worth exploring". Meanwhile, RPG Site's Alex Donaldson scored Starfield a 9/10, citing it as "the best game of this type Bethesda has delivered". , calling it, "truly something special that delivers a new standard for space RPGs sure to be talked about for the next decade".
On the slightly꧅ lower end of the spectrum, , celebrating its roleplaying mechanics, quests, and rich sci-fi universe as its strongest features, while criticising the "disjointed space travel, nonexistent maps, aggravating inventory management, and a slow rollout of essential abilities". , noting that it, "shares plenty of DNA with Skyrim and Fallout 4, but ultimately falls short of both".