Starfield has garnered a lot of exciting attention in the last few days. There's been a lot of back-and-forth about the game leading up to launch day. Talk of invisible boundaries, planets that can't be landed on, and more have invaded the discussion as people who have made up their minds about a game they've never played argue back and forth to pass the time.
I'm here to tell you none of it matters because there is so much to do in Bethesda Game Studios's journey into space that you'll never feel restricted, bogged down (unless you're encumbered), and never feel let down. I've logged a considerable amount of hours into this game, and yet I still feel like there's so much more to do. There's more to explore, but based on where I'm standing right now, about 30 hours in, I dare say Bethesda has done it again.
You play as the newest member of an explorer's group called Constellation, whose only job in the universe is to, well, explore the universe. Hundreds upon hundreds of worlds are at your beck and call, just waiting for you to touch down and see what's happening. However, you're not even limited to planets' surfaces, as you take complete control of a starship and can pilot it anywhere on the star chart you wish. I have yet to have the game tell me, "No, you can't do that," and that's pretty damn cool.
As with other Bethesda adventures, sticking to the main storyline will only scratch the surface, but the story here is fascinating – and more importantly, it encourages exploration. As you take on missions and seek out Artifacts – the nature of which I won't spoil here – you'll find yourself in new and interesting star systems.
By entering the Starmap screen, I can see not only the map of the local area where I am, but I can pan out to see the entire planet, then pan out again to see the system of planets, then pan out again to see the entire map of stars which contain planetary systems. It's marvelous, it's immense, and it's a bit intimidating.
This means that by completing story missions, I'm routinely finding new planets I want to explore, or landmarks on planets I'm currently on that seem worthy of a look. The mission list in the game grows longer with main and side missions, while my written list of "places to go back to" gets just as long, and I'm never at a loss. If anything, there's so much to tackle that I start to feel a paralysis of indecision: "What the heck do I do next?!" I love that feeling; it's like going to a theme park and wanting to ride all the rides simultaneously.
Now, when I say "Wow there's so much to explore," the next question might be something like, "OK, but how much time is spent traveling from one place to another?" That's another point in Starfield's favor, as the fast travel system is one of the most efficient ways to get around I've ever used in a video game. When I finish a main mission, no matter where I am in this universe, I can instantly fast travel to the Constellation stronghold – called The Lodge – in the Alpha Centauri system's New Atlantis. I could be multiple star systems away, and the game will zip me right back with minimal loading time on my launch Xbox Series X console. I found myself astounded every time I did it.
However, my favorite thing about exploring these worlds is how alive this universe feels. The populated areas are obviously bustling with NPCs, most of whom will share a quick one-liner as you pass by. Some of those one-liners turn into Activities, brief side quests that lead to new loot and EXP. Other times, they'll make you laugh, like the one soldier who said, "How do you like your laser gun? PEW PEW!" This is classic Bethesda, and longtime fans will feel right at home.
However, incredibly, this familiar feeling extends to outer space. Only the NPCs are other ships you pass on your journey. Most times, when I'd warp into a new system, I'd be greeted by a message from another ship orbiting a planet with me. One time, it was a fellow explorer telling me to steer clear of a certain system in the midst of a heated battle. Another time, a grade-school teacher needed ship parts to get her class back home. One time, while on a remote planet during a story mission, another ship entered the planet's atmosphere and landed on the surface.
I expected that the ship would produce new enemies for me to fight, but that never happened; the ship's inhabitants kept to themselves and eventually took off again. Sometimes, a massive RPG like this makes me feel like I'm the only adventurer in the game's world, but Starfield does a really good job avoiding that pitfall.
Speaking of fighting, during some of my expeditions, I had to get my hands dirty, and I'm happy to report that blasting my way through bad guys is a lot of fun. Pistols, shotguns, axes, knives, and even a laser cutter used for mining resources are all at my disposal, and there are plenty of rare and unique variants to find as I'm traveling. As with other Bethesda games, you'll find yourself leaning toward specific weapons found in the field. During one mission, I discovered a shotgun-esque weapon that shot powerful explosive rounds, and it became my new best friend.
I wasn't able to stay completely out of harm's way, however, and I soon discovered some of the game's negative side effects. One caused me to have a persistent cough, which would take away a small bit of oxygen – not a huge deal, I recovered it right back – and blew my cover if I tried a stealth approach. Another time, I jumped from a ledge that was too high, and not only did I take damage, but I suffered contusions that taxed my oxygen every time I used a melee attack. They weren't permanent, and I could either heal them instantly with a health item or let them heal on their own, but they did add to the "realism" of the game…even if it's the sort of authenticity that annoys rather than delights.
This is but a small sample of what this game has to offer, and I need more time to take it all in. Starfield is a truly immense game, and I didn't feel comfortable giving it a full score until I've seen all there is to see here. However, I can say for certain that since picking this game up, it's all I've been able to think about. What to explore, what I need to mine, what quests are coming next, where the story will take me by the end…all of these questions and more continue to pop up as I play. In a year already loaded with incredible games, Starfield is on pace to send it to the moon.
Full Disclosure: Review code provided by PR for the purposes of this review. Reviewed on Xbox Series X.
