Starfield to Feature Classic Bethesda Dialogue

I’d argue that my favorite gaming experiences of all time often have one thing in common: they’re developed by Bethesda. It’s not a unique opinion, but it is one that I hold with confidence. There’s something about the infinite possibilities that these worlds possess, and a huge part of that is dialogue options that expand the world with a single conversation. Todd Howard, head of Bethesda, says that “classic Bethesda dialogue” is making a return in Starfield. For major fans of the studio, that’s music to our ears, and here’s why.

In a published interview with Bethesda head Todd Howard and Community Director Jess Finster, Howard said that the “classic Bethesda-style dialogue” is back on the menu for Starfield. It’s a curious phrase because there’s a distinct Bethesda-style dialogue in all of the studio’s games. That said, Howard clarified his wording as integrated into how the characters respond and display non-verbal cues. “You’re looking at the character and how they emote, and you have a series of choices there,” Howard explained.

Say what you will about Bethesda’s game bugs and the issue of Starfield‘s delays and a plethora of auto-generated planets. Those are legitimate reasons to be wary of crowning the title a 2023 GOTY contender before we’re even in the year it’s releasing. That said, if those are reasons to be cautious, the return of dialogue experiences akin to Fallout 3 or The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is a reason to celebrate. Fallout 4 and more recently Fallout 76 didn’t feel like the same experience as their predecessors and a lot of that comes down to dialogue.

If the somewhat clunky mechanics of a Bethesda game aren’t your thing, then dialogue is going to do little to change your mind. That said, fans of Western action RPGs are sure to be happy to hear that Howard is aiming to evoke the golden days of the studio’s games. There’s a drive in Howard’s eyes for a “harkening back to those old role-playing games that we loved and ‘Hey, can we pull off something like this today with today’s computers and consoles, etcetera,” he described.

I’m ready for the release of Starfield now, but we’ll still be waiting for the first half of 2023 to get our hands on it. What’s your opinion of Bethesda dialogue, clunky or creative? Let us know in the comments!