These past couple of weeks, every day, all I’ve wanted to do is play Starfield. There aren’t many games that make me feel this way, but when something as grand, something as important to gaming as Starfield comes along — and I’m given the chance to play it ahead of millions around the world — it’s near impossible to focus on anything else.
To get you in the right space for the journey I’ve placed ahead of you, hit the play button below and scroll and listen.
I’m 60 hours in, which doesn’t really tell you anything. In the scheme of it all it isn’t that much. Starfield offers hundreds, if not thousands, of gameplay hours.
I completed the main story days ago, having played for hours every night since, and I still feel like my journey into the Starfield has only just begun.
We’ve all grown so much since Fallout 4, but looking back there were many signs of things to come from Bethesda Game Studios.
Penned by many as Skyrim in space, I’d say this is more Fallout in space. I also agree with Phil Spencer’s statement that Starfield is less Skyrim, more Oblivion.
Starfield is the first new IP from Bethesda Game Studios in 25 years — it’s bold, it’s grand and it’s generational.
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What Bethesda has achieved is beyond the gaming limits of old. This isn’t a sandbox like No Man Sky; Starfield is a beautifully voice-acted Space Opera RPG. Its limitations, if you call them that, don’t hold the player back, they steer them in a direction of purpose.
A small group of loud, entitled gamers online seemingly feel attacked when game companies like Bethesda don’t offer a feature they deem essential in this era of gaming, to them I say; You’re wrong. Go to bed. You’re clearly tired and need a sleep. I’m sick of tantrums over silly things.
In Starfield you’re going to five planets an hour in some cases, I understand the want for more freedom but good luck walking 40,000 kilometres around a planet in one go.
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The main controversy surrounds the distance the player can travel on foot after landing on a planet. I’ve explored planetary areas for long periods of time and have never hit an invisible wall (that’s not to say they aren’t there), but surely we all have a limit as to how valuable our time is. If you’re looking to spend literal months walking around the entire equator of a large planet – you clearly have too much time on your hands.
There are also cutscenes for taking off and landing on a planet, as well as docking your ship, and I’m here for them. Oh, and for the record, I think the title screen looks cool (end rant).
The Beginning – Character Creation and Gaining Experience
The game begins on a planetary mining facility before ‘something’ happens and you’re knocked out cold. (It’s clear what happens, I’m just not saying for spoiler’s sake).
When you wake, you’re asked if you remember who you are and to check that all your information is in order – this is where character creation begins.
Designing your ideal self is far from Fallout 4 and Skyrim. It feels much more approachable and customisable than previous Bethesda titles.
There’s quite a bit to do here. It’s all about shaping your Biometric ID, adjusting your body shape, facial features, hair colour, and other unique features.
Background
Your background selection is where you begin shaping your character’s origin story and starting perks.
I went the Han Solo route; Space Scoundrel. My choice essentially made me great with a pistol and I can talk myself out of sticky situations — oh, and have a slight advantage when flying ships.
There are many paths to take, scoundrel or space pirate, perhaps you have aspirations to be a space chef?
Or, if you’re into the mystery of it all, simply choose “Unknown”.
Traits
This next part is totally optional; the choice of three bonus perks.
Should you be inclined, you can start the game with a number of perks, each with their own pros and cons. From a bounty on your head to starting your journey being hounded by the infamous “Adoring Fan”.
Some perks offer stat boosts in certain areas, but also come with a downside. The trait Terra Firma will boost your health and oxygen levels while on the surface of a planet, but lower it in space. Trait Spaced is the opposite, but the two can’t be paired together.
Many of these traits give you the choice of receiving a physical in game item in exchange of not receiving another, I found most of these traits quite overwhelming — especially for a first play-through. How could I choose between two things which I know nothing about? Well, I did. I chose Dream Home. Because who doesn’t love a mortgage?
Dream Home saw me slapped with a $120k mortgage, with weekly repayments, in exchange for a luxurious pad on a peaceful, distant planet.
I made my way through the depths of space to the planet I supposedly called home, but I was a bit out of my orbit. This is certainly something for later in the game, a great place to store your goodies and host a luxurious outpost for your crew.
Gaining Experience
Don’t expect to be able to do everything immediately. You need to learn to earn your way in the galaxy.
As you complete missions, defeat enemies and discover new areas you’ll gain experience points. Earn enough experience points and you’ll level up, gaining you a skill point. Standard RPG practice.
These points can be pumped into five categories; Physical, Social, Combat, Science and Tech.
Each applied skill can be improved by completing associated skill challenges, greatly improving your abilities. For example, you need to destroy five ships to be able to unlock the next Piloting skill rank.
There’s so much more to discover when it comes to skills and levelling your character, but to say as much would be entering spoiler territory.
The whole character creation process was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.
The Journey – Story and Characters
After you’ve created your character, it’s full speed ahead.
From here you’re up and off to another planet within moments. After a brief shootout with space pirates, you’re handed the keys to a shiny new ship, meet your new bestie Vasco, and launch up into the clouds.
This is where the journey really begins.
The main quest line is mysterious, full of twists and turns, and despite a guided outcome at play, it felt like my actions and choices significantly impacted the way the story was heading.
While NPCs often feel stiff (I think it’s a Bethesda thing), there are many intense battles and moments along the way that gave me a rush.
One particular moment in the story sees you make a run for it, escaping absolute chaos unfolding around you with people screaming and explosions galore — this entire sequence, and the subsequent scene that followed, was incredibly moving and powerful.
Companions
Your choices also significantly impact the way ahead. Whether that’s the relationship with your chosen companion or the overall storyline.
Yep, companions. There’s a few that can join you along the way.
Each companion is impacted by the decisions you make; Like, dislike or love. Treat your companion right and you might just strike up a romantic relationship. I went on a journey with Andreja, a mystifying member of Constellation. When I first met her, I knew little about who she was and where she was from, but the longer we stayed together in the cosmos the more I learned. I found my gameplay decisions were impacted while she was around, I didn’t want to let her down. After many hours together, Andreja launched a character-specific questline to unravel her past — do recommend.
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In addition to companions, you can also hire crew mates to help lighten the load; each one able to be assigned to a particular ship or outpost. Every member of your crew has their own perks, some better than others. I assigned a few members to my ship and my one and only outpost along the way, this feature is detailed and can benefit your gameplay greatly when done right.
Story
The main objective is to join forces with the explorer group Constellation and unlock the secrets of the galaxy. This group knows their stuff, and they’re about to put all their faith into you to help them.
The overarching story is one of adventure, love, loss, and discovery. There are also multiple ways it can play out — so choose wisely.
It’s one of the greatest RPG storylines I’ve ever experienced, and it doesn’t end when the credits roll.
I won’t go into the finer details.
To break down the facts of the story here is a disservice — play this game.
The Galaxy – World, Graphics and Performance
World
Earth exists in Starfield, as does our entire solar system; Sol. It’s hundreds of years in the future, but it’s all there, down to the many moons of Jupiter. In fact, it’s incredibly accurate and detailed.
I noted in the game’s opening title sequence, as well as the end credits, Bethesda attributed NASA and others for a stack of real-life data.
Landing on a planet generates key locations around you, but whether you explore them all is up to you.
When it comes to aliens, don’t expect little green men. There aren’t any alien humanoids in the Starfield galaxy, but that’s not to say there aren’t aliens. Many creatures roam the cosmos, some friendly… Others not.
One thing I wish there was more of is hidden gems or something greater to reward exploration.
I painstakingly climbed buildings and towers in New Atlantis, among other key locations, and all I was left with was a sweet view. A hidden weapon or Easter egg wouldn’t go astray – that’s not to say there aren’t secrets in Starfield, I’ve found my fair share.
Graphics
I’ll preface this by highlighting that every image in this article was snapped by me in game, either as a standard screenshot or in photo mode.
Visually, Starfield is a knockout.
After inputting my coordinates and powering up my ship’s grav drive, the countdown begins. A crack of light bursts open out of nowhere and swallows you whole, with a swirl of stars and the blink of an eye you’re transported to another world — literally.
The first time I saw the rings of a gas giant peeking over the horizon of an abandoned moon base I was captivated. Then setting foot on my first green planet, filled with trees and life, put it all into perspective. These planets, while rare, are truly beautiful.
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One thing I did note, is that characters you can interact with have significantly better facial animation and details than general zombie-like NPCs. Thankfully there are plenty of people to chat with.
Performance
The first thing I noticed, coming straight off the back of a higher frame rate game, it was evident that this looked different.
But after a minute, I forgot all about the frame rate and settled in for a solid gaming session. Yes, it’d be nice to experience Starfield at a higher frame rate, but it’s not a deal breaker.
I had some slight jitters and drops here and there, but it was mostly smooth sailing. Minimal bugs or glitches. The one glitch I did have, I reported to Bethesda and it’s already been patched.
There’s also a big day one patch to address any further outstanding issues, not that there are many to see. This was refreshing.
The Fight – Gameplay, Gun Fights and Traversal
Gunfights and Violence
Combat feels great. It’s more Fallout 4 than anything else – minus VATs. It’s certainly more animated than a typical Fallout fight, but it’s by no means Doom Eternal.
One thing I would recommend is working towards unlocking the combat slide ability under Physical. There’s nothing more satisfying than sliding into a room full of enemies… “So anyway, I started blasting!”
Low-grav battles are supreme. On one occasion I was fighting a tough enemy on a low gravity moon, while floating around with my Boostpack, shooting away, I just couldn’t get close enough without almost dying. I had no grenades – just a single Cryo Mine. I unintentionally threw it like a frisbee towards the baddie and it exploded over his head, freezing him and allowing me to leap over some rocks and shotgun him to death. The satisfaction levels were high.
If you want something to help illustrate the damage you’re causing, there’s an interface setting to display damage counters on screen. Just head to the game’s settings.
Shooting someone or blowing them up will splatter a bit of blood, but don’t expect limbs to come off.
I’m actually not sure if decapitation or limb severing is even a feature in Starfield – maybe it’s a skill you can unlock – but I couldn’t find anything on it.
You could point-blank shoot an enemy in the face and they’ll keep their head. This is fine, I’m not searching for gore porn — we’ve had plenty of that lately. But it makes me further question this game’s R18+ rating.
Traversal
The general movement in Starfield is a great improvement over Bethesda’s previous open-world titles. Character control feels a lot more natural and fluid.
Your boost pack is your new best friend. I picked up a “Basic Boost Pack” quite early on in the game, essentially granting a slightly bigger jump. From there you can upgrade your Boost Pack, or find a better one, and before you know it you’ll be flying, albeit slowly, across low-gravity planets and moons.
Mantling ledges is also something we haven’t seen from this studio before. It makes traversing rooftops and scaling mountains so much easier. Never did I think we’d have parkour in a Bethesda game, but mantling ledges has never felt so good.
Can you swim in Starfield? Yes, but you can’t dive underwater. So feel free to pursue the cool waters of Pardisio, but forever wonder what lurks below.
Piloting ships and ship travel
Piloting your very own space ship is unsurprisingly a huge part of Starfield. But god damn does it feel good.
Space battles do offer a familiar feel, they’re not too dissimilar to the Star Wars Battlefront and Rogue Squadron games. Like Rogue Squadron, you’ll need to make sure your ship’s power is moved to the right places to take advantage of your ship’s build.
Going head-to-head in a space battle while dodging city sized asteroids and flurries of lasers is intense. Make sure you’re prepared when jumping, you don’t want to be caught with your shields down.
You’re able to fully customise the look of your ship, and while this sounds like something you’d want to jump straight into… You can’t. You need to be cashed up to start building.
I had a few moments of frustration trying to get to certain planets in the galaxy. Your Gravdrive is limited by distance, meaning you’ll need to upgrade it to pursue distant space. Gravdrives aren’t cheap, they’re also heavy – so make sure your ship build is balanced.
Inventory
As with most other Bethesda RPGs, your inventory is managed by weight – and you can get over-encumbered.
Reaching your carrying limit won’t slow you down too much, rather greatly reduce your stamina and oxygen levels. It’ll also be accompanied by your companion making a quip about how you don’t need to carry the world on your shoulders – I often had a good chuckle here.
Quests
They pile up fast! If you’re like me and love to tick boxes, Starfield has plenty.
Completing quests is a great way to earn cash. You can always pick up new quests at a Mission Board located in most cities.
Mission variety is at a new high. You could be delivering a package one moment, assassinating someone the next, then doing a Mission Impossible and pulling off a high-security heist. The missions that I found myself avoiding tended to revolve around scanning a planet for resources – I had no time for this. A dangerous mission to capture a fugitive however, sign me up.
Quests, especially main and faction quests, reward the player with valuable items like weapons and armour, creds, and of course… The much needs and highly valued ‘experience points’.
The End – Conclusion and Score
I went into Starfield with an open mind, allowing myself to absorb as much as possible. Now that I’ve rolled credits, I’m comforted knowing that I still have so much more to see and do.
The game has so much more potential to grow, whether it’s with future DLC (there’s already one on the way) or through mods — I can’t wait to see what the modding community can do.
Starfield is the Xbox Series X|S defining game, it’s fresh icing on top of an otherwise dry cake. Bethesda has been truly redeemed after their last blood-sucking venture, launching back to pole position and further cementing themselves as some of the best storytellers in gaming.
Starfield only truly begins at the end.
Quest Daily scores Starfield:
9.5/10
Quest Daily was granted early access to Starfield by Bethesda.
