Summary
Starfieldoffers players a selection of romance options, but they fail to match up to whatBaldurs Gate 3brings to the table. While the potential romantic partners available inStarfielddo give the game some extra roleplaying opportunities, there are a few areas where they unfortunately fall short. At the very least, players do get a selection of characters to choose from, in addition to the option to keep their protagonist single, should they so desire. However, romance inStarfielddoes have some stumbling blocks that happen to appear in areas whereBaldur’s Gate 3has excelled.
It wasn’t much of a surprise whenStarfield’s romance mechanic was revealed. After all, romance has become something of a trend in Bethesda RPGs.Skyrimhad a large amount of characters that were available for the Dragonborn to marry, and many ofFallout 4’s companions doubled as romance options as well. Romancing a character typically had them speak more affectionately of the protagonist, while inSkyrimthey even offered the chance to get a house together. The fact thatStarfieldended up following the trend of romanceable characters makes it seem like a mechanic that can be expected in Bethesda games to come.
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Starfield’s Romances Are Lacking Something Compared to Baldur’s Gate 3
In total, there are fourromanceable characters inStarfieldthat the player can choose from. They consist of former soldier Sarah Morgan, cultist-turned-astronomer Andreja, cheerful explorer Barrett, and space cowboy Sam Coe. All of them are members of Constellation, so the player should become familiar with each of them over the course of the game. Ironically, this ends up being one of the weaknesses ofStarfield’s romances, since despite their different backstories and personal missions, their goals are ultimately the same. In addition, while players can certainly play a devious, cutthroat type of character, that doesn’t gel with any of the romance options' personalities.
Even before going into the options, one advantage forBaldur’s Gate 3’s romanceable charactersis their variety. There are eight of them, and all are quite different. From the cheerful tiefling barbarian Karlach to dashing human warlock Wyll, there’s bound to be a character for almost anybody. In one notable twist, while all ofStarfield’s romance options are solidly moral people,Baldur’s Gate 3offers more roguish players some valid options with Astarion and Minthara.
Baldur’s Gate 3has a numbers advantage, as well as a greater variety of partners thanStarfield, but where its romances truly shine is the strength of their writing. WhileStarfield’s writing isn’t bad, when it comes to interesting relationships,Baldur’s Gate 3’s romances overshadowStarfield’s. TheStarfieldoptions have their own stories, like Barrett’s lost husband and Sam living as a single father. However,BG3manages to take full advantage of its unique characters when designing their arcs. The best example may be Karlach, whose inability to touch anyone due to her infernal engine makes the scene where she and the player can finally touch incredibly powerful.Starfield’s love interests are nice people with decent stories, but the conclusions to their stories ultimately don’t have much of a punch behind them.
Baldur’s Gate 3releasing shortly beforeStarfieldcreated a contrast between the two, and whileStarfieldhas more recruitable companions, the romances among them don’t measure up. It’s still possible for players to still find a romanceable character that they like, and it helps that all four of them are quite competent, with good skills to offer. The issue is that at the end of the day, the romances aren’t as satisfying as they could have been.Baldur’s Gate 3truly delivered with its romance options, andStarfieldhas not able to reach the same level.
Baldur’s Gate 3is available now for PC and PS5.
