As a fan of Bethesda’s latest work, Here’s the First Look at Starfield’s Gameplay. Bethesda announce that back in 2018, and since then it has been the subject of a lot of delays and rampant speculation. Players initially were going to be able to get their hands on the game starting on November 22nd, 2022 but that has since been pushed back to the first half of 2023.
Still, the game delays did not hit us as a surprise given the task that Bethesda’s “most ambitious game ever”, and if the claims that the Xbox and Bethesda game showcase made were true, it may be the most ambitious game anyone has tried to make.
Starfield’s Gameplay
Howard’s presentation has offered fans their first real look at “Starfield” gameplay. Combat, weaponry character customization, and space flight were all on display during the 15-minute segment. While there still remain tons of unknown details, the showcase offered fans a far clearer idea of what they should be expecting when the game is launched in the following year.
Character Customization is Emphasized
Howard stated that the “Starfield” skill system is a combination of skill systems from the previous Bethesda games. The skills that the player starts with depends on the background chosen during character creation.
Classes are expected to include things like bounty hunter, Ronin, gangster, and professor; the starting skills these classes grant tie in with the suggested background. For example, a cyberneticist who appears to be a kind of cyborg possesses skills in medicine (Heals 10% More), Robotics, and laser weapons.
Things would get a bit more fanciful with classes like chef where gastronomy and wellness might actually make more sense, but dueling might require some suspension of disbelief when it comes to the character’s knife skills.
The aesthetic side of character creation has also been further expanded into what Howard claims to be the company’s “Most Flexible Yet.” Players get to customize their very own character’s body type, shape, and composition, alongside the hairstyle, color skin tone, and other visual elements. There is no suggestion concerning alien races that would be available to play or even exist beyond strange, mindless creatures that are on the planet that wants nothing but to kill you.
About The Plot
Just like most Bethesda games, tons of freedom seem to be available on offer with the plot. From the details shown in the showcase, the main quest seems to revolve around scouring the very large map and attempting to locate an alien artifact.
A group of space explorers that goes by the name constellation seems to place players on this path, but all the evidence points to just being allowed to do what they want aside from that. Just as stated by Todd Howard, this game allows you “Be who you want, go where you want.”
The presentation opens with a player that is landing on kreet, which is more like a moon of anselon, right before sending a droid out from their ship. The player would land on the Moon in search of an abandoned research facility, and the gameplay would soon switch to a third-person view of the player in a space suit.
Unfortunately, the Facility is not abandoned and the player might actually end up in a shoot-out with a band of space pirates. Also, there are two major factions that were previously mentioned, they include the United Colonies and the Free Star Collective.
Several other factions could actually contribute to playing a part cropped up in the preview, including the aforementioned constellation alongside some kind of peacekeeping faction and a band of space pirates given the name the crimson fleet.
Although a confrontation with members of the crimson fleet was shown suggesting that they would be able to serve as the game’s main antagonists, the dialogue was displayed suggesting that the player could join them if they want to. Once you are in, you are in it for life.
Your Ship
Just as expected from a game that is based on the exploration of space, emphasis is put on the ship that you would be piloting. The ships would be heavily customizable with the ability to switch out individual parts like the cockpit or engines. Also, there is the ability for you to assemble a crew from the people that you would meet while exploring the vast “Starfield” universe.
The ship is heavily featured in the presentation as a major part of both what appeared to be cutscenes and some gameplay. Earlier on, the ship landed on a kreet and opens up so that the droid can exit the rear of the craft. Towards the end of the presentation, Howard stated that the ship can be flown manually and it is seen navigating its way through an asteroid field and engaging in several combat sequences.
The dogfights shown in the combat sequence look quite intense, as the ship has shown destroying several enemy vessels. Also, there is a third-person viewpoint where the camera follows the ship and a first-person view straight from the cockpit available when flying and fighting.
