Starfield was one of the most anticipated segments during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 live stream, rightfully saved until the end. When it finally arrived at the end, Todd Howard, game designer for Bethesda, took to the stage to provide an extended look at the gameplay of the upcoming RPG. The trailer gave us a brief glimpse at the combat, the extensive character creation options available to players, and the massive world awaiting them once they take to the stars.
The gameplay footage showed off Starfield’s combat. While widely different by replacing Skyrim’s swords and spells with guns and grenades, players can still expect some of the standard RPG elements to remain the same, such as time slowing down when quick-swapping weapons.
The footage also details the comprehensive character creation, showing how much depth players can give their characters and the multiple options available. We also caught a glimpse of starting occupations, giving players a series of perks at the start of the game and the many skills they could level up as they progressed throughout their adventure.
The final bit of the trailer detailed starships, space combat, and the massive worlds players can explore. The space combat looked smooth and heavy, exactly what we’d expect from a science fiction adventure, but exploring these worlds will take quite a bit of time. Not only will players have the chance to explore each planet in a star system, but there will be dozens of star systems for everyone to explore, potentially putting Skyrim’s map size and exploration options to shame a decade later.
The extended gameplay also showed off several more minor details, such as mining, character dialogue, and the many alien wildlife waiting for players to discover as they explore a star system. Finally, the central story of Starfield was shown where the player went to the capital city of Jemison, New Atlantis, to meet with a group of space explorers as they attempt to piece together the mystery surrounding the ancient artifacts they discovered. The main story of an RPG is typically the biggest point to discuss, but for Bethesda players, it’s a fun activity while they commit thousands of hours to exploring and wrapping up side quests.
Although Starfield’s release date has moved from 2022 to early 2023, it looks like the team is taking that time to iron out all of the game’s finer details, providing players a smoother experience on launch day.
