Mud crabs in space! Even more spikes and weirder colours!
Finally! The gameplay of Starfield, Bethesda’s space-themed RPG FPS behemoth, is gifted to the world after all these years of painful, soul-destroying waiting. And what a load of footage it was! So what did we learn, and was it worth the wait? Yes, celestial friends. Yes, it bloody was.
Space
Details are still pretty thin on details for the world, or rather worlds, of Starfield. The trailer showcased several rocky deserts and some weird alien creatures, much like reskinned mud crabs and dragons—also some claustrophobic, cyberpunk-inspired urban environments.
Generally speaking, Bethesda has gone for a ‘not too distant space travel future’ aesthetic. Most of the environments are based on current knowledge of what space equipment looks like, just pushed further to space bases on various planets. Think a more realistic Fallout 4, and you’re just about there.
Bases
Nothing too impressive, certainly not the focus of the trailer. The facial animations of NPCs are very flat, as one would expect from Bethesda.
Lighting and textures fall in line with Fallout 4. However, the game remains in its early stages so a lot may change before release.
Worlds and worlds
Starting with combat, Starfield looks similar to Fallout 4 regarding weapons, just minus the wackiness. However, there are a few new ones on offer. The Equinox seems different from what we have had before.
It appears to be a unique weapon, but unlike the ketchup gun or any other weird armaments from Fallout 4, the Equinox looks much more grounded in reality, fitting in with the ‘not too distant future’ feel that Starfield appears to cultivate.
As for movement between worlds, travelling to “hundreds of different systems” containing “thousands of planets” is a significant feature of the presentation. Whether these planets will have much on them if they are so prominent in quantity and size remains to be seen.
But we remain excitedly hopeful that there will be enough to talk to, kill and harvest from each planet to make for some fun, free, and easy planet cruising. Ah yes, cruising…
Can you fly spacecraft in Starfield? Yes, space cowboys and cowgirls, you sure can!
Howard confirmed in the presentation that spacecraft could be custom crafted, using modules from different space brands available on other planets. Presumably, this will be unlocked using space currency and aligning with various factions. If factions are a thing, let’s see!
One thing’s for sure, spacecraft combat and flight look enthralling and in a very finished state, with mini guns demonstrated in the trailer. Hopefully, there will a range of different rocket launchers and other special weapons available in the full game, but none of this is confirmed yet.
Research and harvesting were also mentioned by Howard and presented in the trailer. Harvesting some rock from a desert wall using a laser cutting device was shown in the trailer, and crafting using research was also demonstrated.
A skill tree showing many skills similar to those in Skyrim or Fallout 4 is shown and traits, giving positive and negative buffs. These traits look to give your character a more grounded and convincing personality, closer to reality, increasing immersion.
Conclusion
Due to Bethesda’s history as such a colossal dev and publisher, it is impossible not to compare Starfield to Skyrim and Fallout 4.
Many environments have a different aesthetic but similar feel to Fallout 4 settings. Much of the fauna look like re-imagined Elder Scrolls critters, of similar size and behaviour to modded giant mud crabs and the dragons of Skyrim in terms of size and ferocity, though they may not fly.
It will be interesting to see later down the line how the other dynamics, such as character creation, world travelling, harvesting, combat, and different dynamics, add to the overall experience. Hopefully, these dynamics and features will coalesce to make that fantastic Bethesda open-world feel we have been craving afresh for so long.
The scope for Starfield is potentially mind-splitting due to its vastness alone. But the question is whether the detail will be there in the quests and worlds to flesh it all out and make you want to come back again and again.
At least now we know roughly how long we have to wait to find out if all promises will be kept! As for what month Starfield will release next year, that’s anyone’s guess. Though we think someone may know… Mister H, we’re looking at you!
