Starfield players slam game for its PG-13 take on space exploration
Bethesda SoftworksStarfield players are fed up with the game’s “PG-13” universe and are calling for a grittier take on space exploration.
While many players are enjoying their time exploring the vast universe of Starfield, others are opting to express their disappointment with the game’s “unrealistic” and “PG-13” take on space exploration.
One player took to Reddit to kickstart a discussion around how “Starfield is way too PG-13,” criticizing clothing styles, body types, crime, and the bars found in Starfield.
The player behind the original post stated, “The clothing styles are just awful… there’s no basketball shorts, there’s no guys dressed in hoodies, there’s no one wearing leggings, there’s no style.”
They went on to highlight the absence of morally grey or outright criminal activities in the game, questioning, “How is there no slavery, prostitution, or intersystem drug problems?”
The bars in Starfield, particularly the Astro Lounge, have been a major disappointment as well. As the player put it, “The bars are so terrible. Words cannot express how much of a let down the Astro Lounge was. I get it’s 2023, but really? It’s okay for our character to routinely mass murder mercenaries, pirates, and spacers. But goodness forbid women in a bar.”
The player then went on to draw comparisons to the Mass Effect series, pointing out how even with technical limitations, Mass Effect was able to create immersive bar scenes filled with gangs, dancers, fights.
Players within this thread and others that are trending on Reddit are slamming the game for telling rather than showing, with one stating, “The game tells you so much, and if they showed half of it, the game would feel so much more alive. Pg13 or not, the game really just falls short on showing any of the worldbuilding they’re trying for. Neon is supposed to be the scummiest, hopeless place in the civilized galaxy, and I’ve been to trashier McDonalds than the seediest parts of that city.”
Another player described Neon, a city in the game, as a “PG-13 rave,” noting the lack of visible drug problems, gang violence, and other elements that would contribute to a more gritty and realistic portrayal of a city plagued by crime.
“Neon could have been the coolest city in game but was just annoyingly flat and boring,” they wrote. With another sharing, “This whole game is PG13. Too clean, and everybody is too idealistic and friendly.”
The sanitized nature of the game extends to its combat as well, with players noting, there’s “no blood or dismemberment in shooting fights. This is probably to appeal to a wider and younger audience. Sanitized.”
So while Starfield offers players a vast universe to explore, many are feeling that the game falls short in delivering a gritty, realistic experience, with its “PG-13” take on space exploration leaving much to be desired.
