Starfield on PC
There’s the call to adventure, the introduction of supernatural elements, and the congregation of like-minded individuals and mentors who help shape our protagonist into who they need to be to complete their mission. There are the challenges and temptations, an incredible and unbelievable revelation, the gradual realization of what must be done, the redemption arc, before everything comes full circle and our protagonist is right back where they started — just older and wiser.
In many ways, Starfield doesn’t really do anything new. It’s an open-world game with a tried and true story structure that’s been overused across all forms of media. Truly, the hero’s journey might be the most tiresome and overused narrative formula in TV and movies — and make no mistake, Starfield leans into it pretty hard. This should come as no surprise, considering that the hero’s journey serves as the backbone of most other Bethesda open-world games. And yet, despite Starfield’s unapologetic reuse of narrative tropes and open-world trappings, Bethesda has somehow managed to create something genuinely special here.