>>725653173
Starfield feels like they were hedging their bets on making an outright space sim. Even with how many loading screens there are, it wouldn't have been so egregious if you didn't pass through like 5 consecutive loading screens any time you go anywhere. And the reason for that is because you have to interact with this space layer that your standard RPG with a space aesthetic just wouldn't have or would abstract as some kind of minigame. Whereas Starfield went through all the effort of building a real deal space sim and then like halfway through development were like "nah, let's just make a typical RPG in a space setting."

So what you're left with is the sensation of playing some kid's Minecraft story mod where instead of leaning into all the cool freeform mechanics, they just become an impediment to the presentation of the story content. Starfield is a bizarre game where the player is given no incentive to engage with any of the game's most novel and technically ambitious mechanics.