Starfield Review

Revue Starfield

To say there's been a lot of hype so far for one of Microsoft/Bethesda's first post-merger games is an understatement. There has been a lot of talk about Starfield, one of the first games of this new era. While media coverage of the game has been largely positive, the same has not always been true of behind-the-scenes discussions.

RELIEF: Sony does not trust Microsoft after the exclusive release of Starfield

One of the interesting aspects of Starfield's release this week is the announcement that Microsoft took part in this merger after learning that the game was originally planned to be a PlayStation exclusive. It is therefore not without irony that it is now an Xbox/PC exclusive.

Coming to the game itself, the journey to get here has been incredible. After spending nearly 20 hours in the game, everything about Starfield's story up to launch day is even more impressive – and continues to grow in that regard with every hour spent flying across the vast expanses of the game. ‘space.

What is worldbuilding?

To be honest, I barely have time to familiarize myself with the vast expanse of the Starfield world. That said, Bethesda is focusing on a larger universe here than just standard world building. There's a lot to take in as you find your feet while trying to find your place in this universe, so to speak.

Players can choose several different paths from the start of the game. However, not knowing the full set of objectives and outcomes, things can just as quickly change or, more likely, veer off course as you progress. progress. There are three main choices available to you. The first is to join the forces of the “good guys” as a ranger or otherwise, among many options, and attempt to maintain peace and order in the galaxy – or galaxies. The second is a little more direct: it involves fulfilling a similar function to that of the Rangers, but this time in the form of a mercenary who works for money. This may be much simpler in the long run, as you're trying to earn resources to upgrade your weapons, gear, and ship. Finally, there is the option of an outlaw or space pirate type. I haven't explored the latter much, as it requires a much higher level of planning, especially regarding which solar systems you can visit, not to mention dealing with flights and such.

The game developers have indicated that it takes between 30 and 40 hours of gameplay to complete the main story. However, while flying through space to collect various clues to complete an objective, I found myself two or three hours behind the main story. I didn't realize that I had inadvertently joined a Ranger position on one of the planets I visited, that I had been put to the test to prove my worth, and that I had been thrust in an investigation. With my goal now being to persevere to completion, the six-hour return did not put an end to what should have been a simple side quest.

In a nutshell, that sums up the depth of the entire game. Even with the 40 hours allotted for completing the main story, it might still take 10-20 hours of gameplay to complete a simple side quest.

Patience, my dear friend

A term used in many reviews of the game is “slow burn”. However, this term does not fully describe the pace of the game. As the player, you decide this pace, as you can quickly complete specific tasks to accumulate the space credits that will allow you to purchase your next upgrade .

However, if you want to play the main campaign or the side quests, things are much easier in that regard. The only aspect that will take time will be to bring your setup to the desired level or equip it as you wish. The skill tree is also quite extensive and it's not enough to reach the next level to unlock a new attribute. Instead, although you can unlock new branches with each skill point earned, each branch has its own progression levels with specific tasks to improve.

The greatest test of your patience is crossing the universe. Whether you're on a single planet or moving between planets, it's not always easy to get to the next place. Getting around also requires a certain level of mapping. Sometimes you need to continue your mission to another galaxy, but if you have never visited the place, you need to plan your route. You will also have to move from one known galaxy to another or from an existing galaxy to its neighbor. And, as you can already see, it takes time to unlock.

Therefore, you start out limited to where you can perform a gravity jump. If you're patient, you can skip the space jumps and fly straight to where you are using the main engine's thrusters. Many players have attempted to do so in just a few days since the early release was unlocked. However, some of the times recorded for these flights have been impressive. A recent Reddit post showed that someone took a seven-hour journey through space to fly between two planets. And since this is a semi-realistic view of the universe, there is almost never anything to encounter between the two points.

RELATED: 12 Years Later, Skyrim Still Surprises Gamers

Gameplay

It is very easy to neglect this aspect of the game, as it works so well without us realizing it.

Starfield is one of those games that is intuitive and easy to pick up almost immediately. With a very short learning curve, the game quickly becomes second nature as you become familiar with the different controls and dynamics of the game.

Unlike many other games where I found the dialogue boring and had to choose the next line of subject or question without much deviation, it's impressive and different here. Each response you give elicits a specific response from the person you're talking to, and what may start as a negative interaction where the person doesn't really want to exchange words can be transformed into a more positive experience with a few chosen words. While all your actions in the game have implications, it's interesting how they can play out almost immediately when you attempt to coerce, gossip, or even threaten someone you're in contact with. Talk smart to the wrong person and you may find yourself in a firefight, while at the same time you may share experiences with some of the worst gangsters on the planet.

Piloting the ship is something I initially thought I would struggle with. While games like Microsoft Flight Simulator are easy to pick up, as they're often a slow-paced procedural approach, flight games like Star Wars Squadrons sometimes made me dizzy. This is largely because there is no up or down in space and being upside down is just a matter of perspective. Luckily, with the ship controls in Starfield, I don't have the same feeling of weightlessness when it comes to finding my bearings, even when I'm in the heat of battle and constantly having to reposition my ship to face the enemy who has just rushed by.

To infinity and beyond

Beyond the standard gameplay elements, the game incorporates many cultural elements and running gags. Most of these elements are added to give a sense of realism, as you would experience in your daily life on earth today, but also to allow you to laugh and joke as you explore the cosmos.

One of these gags is the now dreaded phrase “I want to talk to you about your car's extended warranty”, which appears in-game in the form of a request to purchase an extended warranty. for your spaceship. The first time I encountered this phrase was in a medical laboratory on a distant planet where I came across a supposed NPC who then stopped me to ask me the question.

You're not going to catch every reference to running gags, memes, and pop-culture elements just by walking past every NPC, but there's plenty of nuance embedded in almost every corner of the Starfield universe.

Ultimately, this is how you'll get most side quests, whether you're helping someone in need or just looking for an easy way to earn some credits quickly.

Another aspect of the game is the impressive list of items to add to your inventory. At first, I collected almost every interactive object I could get my hands on. After a while, I realized that the weight was piling up and slowing me down in terms of running speed and energy expended getting from one point to another. I mean, what did I expect when I took 5 10kg dumbbells and put them in the proverbial backpack?

Additionally, you have to be strategic in choosing and when you pick up an item. Despite the fact that they add weight to your player, not all items are meant to be picked up. I learned this the hard way while picking up items at a base, only to be spotted by security and quickly arrested. You can then choose to pay a fine or fight your way out of this situation. Choosing fine is the easiest option, but when you're just starting out, it can mean spending your limited credits. I then attempted to escape my would-be captors by using my ship to leave the planet.

Little did I know that actions have consequences and that in the world of Starfield, they almost always catch up with you. Needing to land on another affiliated planet to continue a mission, I was arrested during the mandatory inspection of your ship for contraband. Unable to pay the fine this time, I was forced to work for the intergalactic police as part of a sort of undercover operation.

RELIEF: The Invisible Axis: A new independent game from the developer of Skyrim and Fallout

Not simple navigation

Starfield

With a game as ambitious as Starfield in terms of size and exploration, it was inevitable that it would be riddled with bugs. Interestingly, Bethesda promised a Day 1 patch for this week, which I haven't had the pleasure of updating yet. There are several issues I encountered on the Early Release as part of the review, and it's not something we can ignore due to its Early Release status.

As with any PC port, having the right configuration is essential. I have two separate setups for my laptop and gaming console: an NVIDIA setup and an AMD setup. In most cases, both work smoothly in different games. However, sometimes the drivers for each graphics card are heavily dependent on one or the other.

Although Starfield is said to favor the AMD Radeon GPU, this is the platform where I experienced most of the issues. The game didn't work for more than five minutes before crashing without any notification or indication of the problem. However, switching to the NVIDIA configuration, the game ran much faster with lower FPS. After about an hour of playing, I almost had to let the game cool down for five minutes and launch it again. Twice, after playing for a fairly long period of time, I came across the dreaded Windows blue screen. Windows wouldn't restart and I was forced to revert to an earlier restore point. The first time this happened, the restore point was before I installed the game, which meant I had to reinstall 100GB of files on Steam.

In addition to the game's many bugs, there's also a lot of nitpicking to be done. Most of them have to do with what the game claims to be and the shortcomings it has in some cases. One of the biggest problems encountered on the web has been the gap in interplanetary travel. Although you can fly between any two planets of your choice, many details are lost due to cut scenes or jumps. An easy example to illustrate is taking off from a planet in space and coming back down to another planet. While I enjoy the sound of rockets exploding as they take off, you are not in control at this point. And, as soon as you go high enough with the cutscene, you find yourself stationary in space, waiting to take charge. The transition between the ground, the clouds, the outer atmosphere and the vastness of space is a missed opportunity. It's missing that necessary touch to feel more connected to your ship, which plays a huge role in the game itself.

Another glaring omission is the use of a detailed map. Yes, it makes sense not to have one when you enter a new galaxy or solar system or even when you land on a new planet, but once you've wandered around and explored enough, being able to Using a map to find your way can be helpful. I have often found myself in the middle of a canyon with several routes, not knowing which path to take. Even with the blue indicator of the next checkpoint, it's not always easy to move around. Things get complicated when you venture into bustling cities and underground caves.

This is not the end

Starfield review

Many games develop even after completing the main story. However, in Starfield, your small contribution after completing the story is comparable to a single planet in a sea of ​​planets scattered across the universe. This is just a small part of what you can accomplish in the game, which is only limited by your imagination.

Players can become space pirates, conquer planets, take down the worst criminals, or simply choose to live a peaceful life. Having explored only a small part of these possibilities on only 50 worlds visited, there is still a long way to go to dive into the cosmos that is Starfield.

While the experience isn't without its flaws, I've really enjoyed the game so far, and with Game Pass releasing on Xbox this week, I can't wait to experience even more.

RELATED: The Definitive List: The 12 Best Video Games of All Time

YouTube video

Review

Star field

PROS

  • Intuitive play
  • An impressive expansive universe
  • Interactive dialogue
  • Different paths to glory

CONS

  • Can be quite buggy
  • A few small touches are missing to be complete

Distribution of comments

  • Gameplay
    0%

  • Chart
    0%

  • Replay value
    0%

  • Sound and music
    0%

  • History
    0%