Over this last weekend we got to experience the Xbox + Bethesda Showcase 2022. The showcase focused on games coming to Xbox platforms and Game Pass over the next 12 months, so there were a lot of announced Xbox Game Studios projects that were absent from the showcase. The highly anticipated new IP from Bethesda, Starfield, was present and gave us our first looks at the gameplay players will be able to enjoy in early 2023.
At the end of the event we were treated to 15 minutes of Starfield gameplay and Todd Howard doing his thing, nerding out about all the mechanics of the game. We were able to get looks at several elements of the game: the setting and environments, combat mechanics, what kind of crafting and modding we will be doing, and exactly how expansive the game is in its entirety. Let’s dive in and dissect what was presented in this extended gameplay demo.
Setting and Environment
The demo gave us a look at two very different environments. First, we start off on a Kreet, a moon of a planet named Anselon. From what we can see, Kreet seems to be a very desolate moon set in very gray tones. The perfect sort of place for harvesting crafting materials, which we’ll get into later. There are alien creatures along our path who look a bit like crabs, but don’t seem to be hostile so the player just lets them move along. The final environment we see on Kreet is a research lab that seems to be abandoned and is now either being looted by pirates, or used as a sort of outpost.
The second major area we are treated to is the capital city of New Atlantis on the planet Jemison. New Atlantis stands in stark contrast to the desolate aesthetic of Kreet. It is colorful, heavily populated, and appears to be a major hub for the player during their journey through the game. There are ships flying in and out, and people busily going about their days throughout the entirety of the city.
This is also the place that gives us our first insight into the story of Starfield. On New Atlantis, the player meets with a group calling themselves Constellation who claim the be the last remaining group of space explorers. During some dialogue, it’s revealed that they’ve uncovered some artifacts that raise questions about who left them there, what were they building, and what do they do? This seems to be the core premise for the story, and will likely unfold into an epic journey that Bethesda games are known for.
Aside from Constellation, we got a look at some of the other factions as well. Another factions that was highlighted quite a bit throughout the demo was the Crimson Fleet: an organization of space pirates who their leader claims that once you join, the only way out is death. We also got brief looks at the United Colonies, who seem hellbent on shutting down the Crimson Fleet, and the Free Star Collective, a confederation of star systems who want to live free from the United Colonies.
Combat Mechanics
Heading back to our time on Kreet, we get a glimpse into the combat of Starfield. While exploring a research lab on the moon, the player comes across some pirates looting the facility. A firefight ensues showcasing the gunplay, which looks much better than previous Bethesda titles. It looks much more controllable as opposed to past games like Fallout where it was much easier to just use VATS instead of the actual aiming mechanics. We see several typical weapon types such as an SMG, shotgun, pistol, and grenades.
You can also target “weak points” on enemies, such as an enemy jetpack. During the demo, the player was able to destroy the jetpack on one of the pirates, sending them flying away due to its malfunction. It also seemed as if the player tried to slide at one point during the gameplay, but came to an abrupt halt. That would be an interesting new mechanic for a Bethesda game, but don’t expect to out there on skates slide-canceling away like you are playing Call of Duty.
One thing that stood out in the combat system is the use of a jetpack to traverse the terrain and close the distance between you and enemy combatants. As the player is dispatching some pirates on the roof of the facility, an enemy pirate ship comes into view and lands close by, disembarking several more pirates to engage the player. Through use of the jetpack, the player is able to go straight from the roof of the research lab over to the enemy ship and engage the pirates in close quarters combat. Overall, the combat looks decent enough to account for the loss of VATS from Fallout, but I hope that with VATS’ omission they focus on making the gunplay as smooth as possible before launch.
Character Creation and Skills
In typical fashion, the character creator makes its return in what Todd says is Bethesda’s “most flexible yet” creator tool. You get to fully customize your character’s features, including their body, face, and everything associated with the two.
Two elements you get to choose alongside customizing your look are your character’s background and traits. This seems to be reminiscent of the Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and perks system. Your background in Starfield determines your starting skills. In the demo we see a couple of the backgrounds. Diplomat gives the character the starting skills of persuasion, diplomacy, and bargaining. This will help the player decide exactly how they may want to play through the game, whether that’s as a gun toting, loud mouth space captain, or a level headed diplomat who would rather talk themselves out of a situation than starting blasting away.
The player can also choose up to three optional traits which seem to be pretty varied as well. Some of the ones listed are introvert, extrovert, neon street rat, and starter home, but there are plenty more. They range from practical: the neon street rate perk gives you special dialogue options and rewards from some mission on Neon; to comical: the kid stuff perk tells you that your parents are alive and well, and you can even go visit them, but 10% of all money you earn is deducted and sent to them.
The skill system in Starfield looks robust. As you level up you can unlock new skills in one of the many skill trees, which consist of physical, social, combat, science, and tech. Once unlocked, you can then hone and rank up that skill by using it frequently to increase the effect of the skill. With the mixture of backgrounds, traits, and skill, there is the opportunity for players to have vastly different experiences when playing through Starfield.
Crafting, Base Building, and Harvesting
Crafting, mods, and base building make their debut in the gameplay showcase, detailing the depth players can take to enhance their experience. You can craft mods for your weapons, facilities for your very own outpost, and even hire characters throughout the game to help run your outpost while at home or away. A big surprise is the detail in which you can modify your ship. It seems you can craft and place a plethora of ship components wherever you want to build a vast variety of ship configurations suiting your aesthetic or playstyle.
All of this crafting will need resources, of course. During the demo, we received a glimpse into the harvesting system of Starfield. It felt very reminiscent of No Man’s Sky in that the player uses what looks like a mining laser to harvest iron from a nearby cave wall. It was only a brief glimpse, so we’ll have to wait for more information before getting a full understanding of how the harvesting works in the game.
Along with the reveal of ship customization, Todd went on to confirm that you can personally fly your spaceship and you can indeed take part in space ship-to-ship combat. We didn’t get an in-depth explanation, but it looked like your typical space dog-fighting, looking quite similar to the recent Star Wars: Squadrons.
Expansive
Todd ended his demonstration by sharing just how big Starfield actually is. He says there are “over 100 systems, over 1000 planets all open for you to explore.” He does explain that there are resource laden planets with little to no fauna, as well as goldilocks planets that may be teeming with life. Most of the barren, resource rich planets will most likely be procedurally generated, whereas the planets that are full of life may be handcrafted experiences.
The gameplay reveal of Starfield answered a lot of questions players had about the game, but also left us with some new ones to ponder until we get another information dump on the game. Starfield seems set to be another epic RPG in the repertoire of Bethesda, but we’ll just have to wait and see when Starfield releases early next year day one on Game Pass.
What did you think about Starfield and Bethesda’s presentation? What questions do you have after seeing it?
Here is our coverage of the Best of the Xbox + Bethesda Showcase 2022.
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