Bethesda’s highly anticipated sci-fi role-playing game “Starfield” was showcased in a live stream on Sunday. Developer Todd Howard led the presentation, which featured longer gameplay excerpts for the first time since the trailer release a year ago. The game appears to be a mix of “Fallout” and “No Man’s Sky”, and players will be able to freely explore a vast world of thousands of planets with realistic moons and lighting.
Exploring planets is particularly worthwhile at designated landing zones, as players will have access to handmade content instead of randomly placed raw materials. Gravity will also affect gameplay and mechanics differently depending on the planet. The game features a dialogue system like Bethesda’s previous titles, where players can convince characters of their own viewpoint based on their character’s statistics.
The game’s graphic style is described as “Nasa-Punk,” with a down-to-earth and analog twist compared to other sci-fi role-playing games. The largest city Bethesda has designed to date, “New Atlantis,” serves as the main point of contact for players, where they can pick up quests, meet NPCs, and join mysterious organizations.
Players can also recruit companions, who can be sent on the spaceship as a crew and accompany players on field missions. The Collector’s Edition includes a story expansion called “Shattered Space,” indicating that Bethesda is already planning the game’s DLC future. “Starfield” is set to release on September 6, 2023, for Xbox Series X/S and PC, with no Playstation version available.
