Summary
- Starfield's lack of graphic violence was an intentional choice, driven by both technical issues and the game's intended tone.
- Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked at Bethesda on Starfield and Fallout 4, highlighted these reasons in a recent interview.
Starfield, Bethesda's latest sci-fi RPG, was initially envisioned to include more violent elements, such as decapitations and detailed kill animations. However, these features were ultimately removed due to technical challenges and a desire to maintain the game's tone.
Despite the absence of graphic violence, Starfield still incorporates significant gunplay and melee combat, which many players feel is an improvement over the combat in Fallout 4. The decision to tone down the violence was influenced by the game's extensive array of suits and helmets, which complicated the animation of realistic violent scenes without introducing bugs or unrealistic visuals.
In an interview with the Kiwi Talkz podcast on YouTube, Dennis Mejillones, who contributed to both Starfield and Fallout 4, explained that the technical difficulties were a major factor. He noted that Starfield's ongoing technical issues, even after several updates, supported the decision to avoid adding more graphical complexity.
Starfield Cut Decapitations for Technical and Tonal Reasons
Beyond technical challenges, the decision to reduce graphic violence was also driven by the game's intended tone. Mejillones pointed out that while Fallout's gore contributes to its humor, such elements do not align well with Starfield's more serious and realistic sci-fi atmosphere. Although Starfield includes nods to Bethesda's more violent games, like the recent addition of Doom-inspired content, it maintains a more subdued approach overall.
The choice to limit graphic violence has sparked discussions among fans, some of whom desire greater realism in the game. Comparisons have been made to other sci-fi titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect, which feature more gritty and immersive environments. Adding over-the-top violence might have detracted from Starfield's immersion and exacerbated concerns about the game's less convincing settings, such as its nightclubs.
Ultimately, Bethesda's decision to tone down the gore in Starfield, while diverging from the studio's tradition of more violent shooters, appears to have been the right move for preserving the game's intended atmosphere and avoiding technical complications.
