Starfield is easily one of the most anticipated games of the year. This is Bethesda's first new IP in 25 years, so naturally, fans are excited to jump into the space epic. Starfield is certainly an ambitious game, and Bethesda has promised the inclusion of a lot of features, including a fully explorable galaxy, players' very own spaceships, and many mysteries to uncover. Outer Wilds was an indie game released in 2019, and it made similar promises to gamers --it allowed players to explore a galaxy, fly a spaceship, and uncover a mystery. Although Outer Wilds did this on a much smaller scale than Starfield, there is a lot that Starfield can learn from Outer Wilds.

In Outer Wilds, players control one of the members of an alien race called Hearthians. They are tasked with taking a ship into space to explore nearby planets, find other Hearthians, and uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization. While it doesn't provide the in-depth customization and countless planets that Starfield promises, it does have seamless space travel between planets and there is a lot of depth in its smaller galaxy. One planet may have perpetual storms that can lift the ground into the sky, and another may be hollow with a black hole in the center. There are timed events that can occur on some planets, which players can miss if they aren't there. All of this works to create a galaxy that feels real.

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Player escaping to ship with Advanced Warp Core.

Starfield is taking this concept and expanding it to a massive level while adding more customization options, more discoveries, and combat mechanics. That means it is imperative that it also borrows some of the more subtle mechanics and ideas from Outer Wilds. For example, Starfield's planets should each feel unique. Each planet should have its own characteristics and secrets. If the same planet that has been carbon copied in a different part of the universe with only minor tweaks, players will get bored. Giving each planet an original twist compared to the others will help players feel like they are the first ones to discover something new on that world.

To accompany the unique mysteries of each planet, Starfield also needs to have timed events. There should be some events or content the player could miss if they aren't in the right area at the right time. While the idea that players should be able to miss content in a game is considered by some to be unfair, such timed events help make game worlds feel more real. That is not to say that the player shouldn't be allowed to ever find the content. The events could be set to loop after an allotted amount of time. This would go a long way to create a sci-fi universe with mysteries players will want to fully explore.

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Starfield Space Exploration Saturn

Outer Wilds does not offer much in terms of customization or combat, but it does require players to monitor their ships' integrity, utilize landing gear, equip space suits, and monitor vitals. Initially, this may seem tedious, but the game streamlines these mechanics in a way that doesn't prevent the player from enjoying the game. Vitals are clearly displayed on the HUD, and they are replenished when the player reenters the ship. If the ship is damaged, the player has to exit the ship to repair it, but they don't need to purchase any special tools to do so.

Starfield needs to make sure the customization and repair options are streamlined to keep players returning to the main parts of the game. While some fans definitely enjoy the customization and crafting parts of Bethesda's games, no one wants to deal with awkward, slow, or difficult menus. The game should be believable, but not so realistic that it is boring.

For an indie game that released four years ago, Outer Wilds is a unique and engaging space game from which future sci-fi games should take inspiration. Likewise, Starfield is a AAA game that looks to redefine the sci-fi genre. They may be radically different in scale, but Outer Wilds has proven that the depth of a game can more than make up for its lack of size. Bethesda would be wise to take a page or two out of Annapurna's book.