In what’s really been years since Bethesda Game Studios last new single player RPG (Fallout 4 in 2015) we finally have Starfield arrive, fully waving an Xbox banner in the process. While it is still 100% a Bethesda style game, with its vast open areas and ability to allow players to choose their own path almost from the outset, it feels like it also draws from a number of other sci-fi games in all the best ways making it an exciting change up from the developer.

When it comes to inspirations that the game proudly wears, the biggest might actually be Mass Effect. The world that’s been created feels similar to Bioware’s games with a well developed lore and visual design that is incredibly solid. The first hub world you encounter in New Atlantis really does fit that design aesthetic but the further you progress you start seeing other worlds adopting inspiration from other sources. What works is that everything I’ve seen so far looks like it should be there. Building habitats in hostile (to human) environments operate as you’d expect with double doors, ships are constructed in a way that looks like they follow a set of fictional design principles (even if they do have artificial gravity) and the planets you visit have enough variety to give you plenty of new sights to see but also enough of the “rocks in space” to remind you that not every planet is green trees and blue skies.

While the game is still very much an RPG in the fashion of previous open world sandbox games that Bethesda produces the biggest change that you will notice right away is the combat. While the Fallout games had more than its fair share of gunplay, the shooting itself felt a little loose and unpredictable which might have been tied to the VATS system and other random factors. With Starfield, the guns feel a lot more like those from first person shooters and while there is still a level of randomness (it’s still an RPG) the feedback you get when firing away at enemies does wonders for making it come across it’s more about your skill in the fight and less about the random numbers in the background.

There’s been some criticism of the world not being truly “open” but considering the scope of it and that it’s running off the latest generation of Bethesda’s own engine they’ve done some impressive work. You can land on almost any part of a planet and while you are limited in travelling only so far from your ship, nothing stops you from taking off and choosing another landing spot for your next bout of exploration. There’s usually at least one or two points of interest in these areas and I’ve not found any location yet that’s been completely desolate. Loading screens can sometimes be lined up one after the other such as when you board your ship and quickly take off but the transitions aren’t dealbreakers. The ships are fascinating in that you can see that they were really close in getting them fully integrated into the world. You can look out the cockpit windows from your landing spot (they’re almost like flying outposts) so they are there to a degree but I imagine that their internal complexity (you can walk around your ship and interact with a lot) and that they also need to move makes it a little harder from a technical perspective. But that’s just me thinking a little too much about it.

Truth is I’ve spent a LOT of hours building and modifying ships. Initially you’re probably going to be more interested in upgrades to your starting ship but as you progress you will eventually get the means (lots of credits) to build out something that is truly your own. I’m impressed with how the ship being used for so much of Starfield‘s advertising would be the kind of ship games would be built around but here it’s just a taste of what you can create for yourself.

Though there are a lot of unique ships to find in the game my personal favourite was one that I rebuilt myself from a captured pirate vessel that I squashed down from three levels to two and tossed in bigger engines and a cooler paint job. There’s a lot of trial and error dealing with the habitation modules in a ship if you are trying to have the doors and ladders line up sensibly but when you get it right it’s a great feeling. Working through that made me feel a little more confident in trying to build outposts which carry on from what was previously done in Fallout 4‘s settlements but they can be used for generating resources, income and even for XP depending on the missions you pick up during play.

The time that can be spent pursuing these interests in game or picking up some of the faction related story lines means that it’s very easy to be distracted from the main quest and that’s one of the big appeals of this game. While it can lead to a lack of focus during play, the game will try to redirect you back to your quests as soon as you complete your current objectives. However, that doesn’t stop you from choosing your own path again and find something else to do from the numerous side quests, mission boards and bounties that are available. As for playing through the main quest, while I won’t say anything more, one of the more fascinating aspects is how the developers handled the endgame and the “new game plus” mode which is a clever spin that adds a lot of replay value in unexpected ways. I’m onto my third playthrough now and am keen to do things a little differently and perhaps work on my own little “Starfleet”.

I’m a big fan of the look of the game and the environments really sell the world with some impressive vistas, flora and fauna that are screenshot worthy. I could go on further about how much I like the ships but I won’t add anymore except say they also explode pretty convincingly too Character models in general look pretty good and emote well, especially the main characters you encounter. With how much there is to see and do the audio has to keep up and it does but the star is the soundtrack and it’s main theme which varies depending on what you are doing at the time. Completing a mission or leveling up rewards you with a more triumphant version while taking off from a planet gives you a more subdued version. It’s a cool touch.

Fans of Bethesda’s style of RPG are going to feel quite at home here with Starfield and the game pulls some very interesting tricks to further extend its replay value. People new to this kind of game may feel a little intimidated at first with how open it is but if you are willing to go with the flow you might just find your own stories to tell out there. 🙂

Starfield is out now for PC and Xbox. Played on an Xbox Series X via Game Pass.