Bethesda’s upcoming titleStarfielddons a visual style that is distinct from past series. WhileThe Elder Scrollsdraws inspiration from medieval fantasy andFallouthas a unique post-apocalyptic feel,Starfieldwill reportedly have a “NASA-punk” aesthetic. According to the developer, NASA-punk is a type of sci-fi visual style grounded in reality, especially in comparison to other, more outlandish takes on the genre.
Recent snapshots and trailers forStarfieldcertainly showcase Bethesda’s creative direction. The buildings, machines, and even spaceships are sleek without being too futuristic. In-game character models are decked out in normal clothes, space suits, and sometimes what looks to be a mix of both. However, the game environments seem to be under a filter that makes the colors appear muted and less vivid, which could pose a problem for its visuals.
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The Filters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas
The supposed use of filters inStarfieldisn’t a first for Bethesda as some olderFalloutgames also make use of it.Fallout 3has a filter that gives the Capital Wasteland a greenish tint, meanwhileFallout: New Vegashas a similar filter that makes the Mojave look yellowish. These tinged filters were removed inFallout 4, which was noticeably more vibrant. Admittedly, the community is of two minds when it comes toFallout’scolored filters. Some detest how much it affected the game environments, believing the green and/or yellow tints were overdone, but others say they made the atmosphere more unique and set the post-apocalyptic vibe.
While there’s certainly no problem with sticking to a visual theme, issues arise when different environments become too similar. This is arguably thecase withFallout 3andFallout: New Vegas, where nearly everything on the map was affected by a colored tinge. To an extent it makes the game too samey, which causes exploration to be less fun than it could be. Based on the recentStarfieldtrailers, the upcoming title could end up with a similar problem.
Starfield’s Visuals and NASA-punk Aesthetic
Starfieldis no doubt more graphically impressive than bothFallout 3andFallout: New Vegas- that advancement comes with the times. However, it seems to have the same sort of filter that affects the rest of the game environment. There’s no overbearing green or yellow for the most part, but scenes inStarfield’sofficial gameplay revealappear with to have muted colors as if there’s a gray filter. This is most apparent with the settlement of New Atlantis. Its bright blue buildings and urban forests add pops of color, but the vibrancy is held back by the filter.
This seems to fit the NASA-punk visual style that Bethesda is going for, though it likely wouldn’t be smart to implement it across the game’s promised 1,000 planets.Starfieldis a game that reportedly focuses on exploration, and visually appealing landscapes are part of the incentive to explore. A visually monotonous journey doesn’t encourage exploration the same way, especially if Bethesda struggles to populate the many planets in the game with interesting elements.
For now, the point is that a feature as trivial as a filter over the player’s view could take away from the overall experience. This isn’t to say that Bethesda should do away with the filter entirely. Using it in the right places could elevate the game’s visuals as long as it doesn’t put it over everything. Vibrancy doesn’t have to detract from a game’s realism factor, and players would love to explore verdant green space forests or bright blue ice planets. Then again, even if Bethesda falls short there will undoubtedly bemods for it and any otherStarfieldbugs.
Starfieldreleases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
