It was a simple day at work...

In Starfield you play as a space miner (created at the beginning of the journey), who on the first day in the mines finds a mysterious and shiny artifact trapped in some rocks, which when touched generates an incredible and lysergic vision of the cosmos with music playing in the background along the way, making a clear reference to the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey. After fainting due to the effect created, it is revealed by the Constellation organization that there is more than one artifact like the one found, and that you have just been recruited to go in search of answers about what these objects are capable of doing and providing. 

Once the game actually starts, the first missions are very simple, working perfectly as a way to introduce you to the game's universe, as well as introducing some important characters who will be with you throughout the journey. But here, don't expect clearer answers as to why you were summoned, or what has already been discovered about the artifacts, beyond the real reasons the Constellation is looking for them. Just accept the burden of carrying this task and be happy with it.

In fact, this certain “disdain” may end up bothering some players who are not used to RPGs, as the game really does not have a clear proposal of what the real objectives are behind this backdrop created for space exploration. The answers are offered in a more concrete way only at the end of the adventure, so disinterest can happen before the story even gets going.

You will be guided by intergalactic companions for introductory missions for around six hours, a period that between one dialogue and another ends up making you know better the past and present of the crew, which means that a certain interest may end up arising for a partner for the next space routes. Of course, it's possible to do everything alone, but certainly having a colleague and another alongside you on this magnificent exploration will make the hours much more interesting.



The arduous path to glory

If you were wondering when you would actually be able to explore the promised vast universe of Starfield, with the immensity of planets and galaxies, that moment, well... that moment may still be a while away, even after the brief insight into some companions and carrying out missions main tasks, such as invading some bases, meeting possible allies and enemies, among other common tasks. Not only that, but as a good RPG says, to progress in the main story, it is necessary to accomplish some secondary objectives. Once again a point can generate disagreement among players, because if your focus is only on completing the main missions, you will certainly be irritated by the impossibility of progressing. But in a very well-created way, the objectives in the background are interesting and generate extra motivation to complete them.

As the story progresses, towards the end of the campaign we are introduced to what the artifacts can give our character, which to absolutely no one's surprise are special powers, which will be very useful after the conclusion of the main story, since during the campaign I confess that I didn't think they could make much of a difference in the challenges offered.

“But how to acquire the powers? ”, I imagine you are asking. You just need to find the location of each temple and it will be unlocked, but first you will need to face bosses specific to each skill. I confess that getting new advantages can make the experience more rewarding throughout the new game +, but the sequence is always the same, even the cutscenes of different temples.

Glass half full

As already highlighted throughout this analysis, Starfield is a monumental and gigantic RPG, capable of keeping you hooked for hours, but it all depends on how it is approached. Initially I was only focused on finishing the main campaign, which I confess left me feeling frustrated, as it is clearly not designed to play that way.

Certainly if your intention is just to complete the artifacts arc without having your curiosity piqued about equipment improvements, exploration of other planets, combat in spaceships, romances with beings from other galaxies, among other aspects that the game offers, Starfield is not for you.

What makes the game a great intergalactic epic is the exploration of the immense world created 25 years after Skyrim. And really everything that was promised is done in a way that can be seen as risky, since at first, first-time players in this type of game may feel exhausted with the repetition of missions and little information about what is happening and it may happen.


If you don't let yourself be carried away by the thirst of finishing another game from the famous and endless list of games to complete, I can guarantee that the experience of enjoying Starfield will be something very pleasurable and enjoyed for long hours of gameplay.

Different views

As promised, Starfield offers a vast map to be explored, divided into planets and galaxies, in which absolutely everything that is visible, you can disembark and scan the area. And it is noteworthy that each planet has a different atmosphere, which may require a special suit, as well as special oxygen and solar radiation conditions. What makes everything even grander is the fact that the scenarios are generated procedurally, creating a different charm for what can be found there.

Offering the option to play in three types of cameras (first person, over-the-shoulder camera and third person), Starfield leaves nothing to be desired in any of them. Of course, each of them has its own peculiarities, but there is no rule as to which is the best way to play, depending solely on the personal taste of each player.

Starfield has a lot of types of missions, in which the main missions of the story take a backseat in terms of attention. Perhaps if I had alternated between making one of each type, my impression might have been different. Not only that, but as you explore the different planets, new characters are encountered and ask for some favors from you. These, which do not have any impact on the story, of course. But this is where the game shines the most.

Here are faction missions, which are those old disputes over territories and who is in charge of the area, companion missions, in which the past of each crew member can be explored, in addition to delivering cargo and passengers to different planets and hunting specific targets. In other words, there is no shortage of variety in what they do in the game.



Locomotion

You've probably noticed that I always praise the game's exploration, right? And to disembark at the designated destinations, just have the ship in orbit and the content will be created. Unlike other games, navigation allows you to leave it, meaning that the only way to get to know the created world is with the help of the jet-pack. It works very well, but it wouldn't hurt to have a land vehicle.

In the game it is possible to travel from one planet to another, which makes getting to the desired places much easier. But unfortunately there is a possibility that this will not be possible, forcing you to teleport to your ship, choose your destination and perform the gravity jump. Upon arriving in orbit, you will need to open the map again, choose the landing location and finally disembark.

The worst part of all this is the number of loading screens that are triggered stage after stage of the journey, which at certain times becomes irritating. This moment is also quite noticeable when entering city stores, which curiously are not all stores where loads are loaded.

Resolving conflicts

There is no doubt that combat in Starfield is not even close to the focus of the gameplay, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't have been developed in a more enjoyable way. In addition to the limited variety of enemies, they are practically static targets waiting for you to get closer. This is due to the fact that the sight is not as well calibrated and suffers, while on the other side it is impeccable. Prepare to take a lot of damage.

Even the monsters in the areas do not offer greater dynamism and differentiation to the gameplay, which becomes a little frustrating. Of course, there are creatures that have more movement and different attacks, but it's nothing that makes the confrontation something you expect to happen during the journey.

Relying on firearms and melee weapons, the most effective way to defeat enemies is to get closer (especially when teleporting), to deal the greatest amount of damage possible.



Since not all conflicts are resolved with brute force (thankfully), you can try to convince your enemy that combat is not necessary. Persuasion is obtained by filling in a bar, which when completed you avoid confusion, but if the result is negative, prepare for the inevitable.

Although ground combat is not Starfield's best, spaceship combat is one of the game's many cherries. You will face different types of threats that, when damaged by your machine guns and rockets, release parts of the machines that function as a type of cure for the damage received on your ship. And believe me that this is essential, especially because opponents don't miss a single shot. It is worth mentioning that even here the conflict can be resolved through a good conversation.

Graphically speaking

Analyzed on an Xbox Series S, Starfield's diverse environments are graphically exquisite, offering a lot of life to the scenarios and differentiation between the game's countless planets. But it is worth mentioning that the same cannot be said about the modeling of the characters who really do not show any type of emotion, which means that the conversations lose some of what is being discussed.

Maintaining 30 frames per second throughout much of the gameplay, the performance is quite satisfactory, although the lighting effect seems to be blown out in some dialogues, but it's nothing that would cause me any kind of discomfort.
What really caught my attention is the lack of cutscenes during the journey. Apart from the part about acquiring powers, Starfield doesn’t present a cinematic moment, which was expected by this writer.

The game's sound is quite satisfactory, but I missed a striking soundtrack, the kind that you keep humming, as happens in the Halo franchise, for example. It is also noteworthy that some characters have a much higher tone of voice than others, but nothing that is not justified by what the character is like.



After more than 25 years of hard work on Bethesda's part, Starfield is without a doubt the game that everyone should try and give themselves the time to enjoy. But as previously stated, it is not a game for every type of player.

The Starfield review was made at Xbox Series S, especial thanks to Bethesda for make this content possible.