Bethesda’s ‘Starfield’ Shows Planetary Exploration and Combat, Gives Off Strong ‘No Man’s Sky’ Vibes

It might still be 2022, but we are only six short months away before 2023 officially rolls around. For gamers, that will mean plenty more exciting titles to look forward to, with Bethesda‘s Starfield being one of the blockbusters to watch out for. Despite its delay to the first half of 2023, Starfield made an extensive appearance at the Microsoft X Bethesda showcase, showing off gameplay, story, and customisation options.

Starfield Gameplay

With combat being the focus for the first part, we see the player character exploring the surface of the planet before coming upon a pirate outpost. Gunplay seems competent enough, although there were no aiming down sights shown, or something similar to the VATs system found in the Fallout series. There is switching to a third-person over-the-shoulder view, however.

Then we come to the customisation system in Starfield, which is way more comprehensive than what we have come to expect from Bethesda. From creating your look and body, choosing a background that determines your starting skills, to optional traits that can grant bonuses alongside debuffs, there is much more flexibility at play. Even for skills, which can be chosen when levelling up, they can be ranked up further through use and completing challenges, which adds another gameplay layer to Starfield.

Crafting is also an integral part of the Starfield gameplay experience, ranging from weapon mods to bigger projects that can change how you play. And if you want to make a mark, building your own outpost can be a start. These can help generate resources, be a sanctuary from unknown dangers, and you can even hire other characters to keep things running smooth.

Should you want to head out into space, spaceship construction is also a possibility. Full customisation is yours to fiddle with, and crew members can be picked to fulfil different functions. Engines, shields, and weapon systems matter when you are flying in space, and when things get heated, space combat is something players will have to master. With over 100 solar systems and potentially thousands of planets to explore, space will be a familiar sight during your hours of gameplay in Starfield.

As for the story, Bethesda is definitely keeping things closer to their chest, but this trailer also touched more on what players will be doing. Throughout Starfield, we will be hunting down galaxy-changing alien artefacts, and naturally, everyone that comes between you and the objects of interest. Between fighting, exploring, and just discovering, it seems like Starfield will be larger than we anticipated, here’s hoping it delivers on all its promises.

While Starfield is set in 2330, we won’t have to wait too long to get our hands on it. The game is slated for release in the first half of 2023, and will be launching on Xbox Series X|S and PC, together with a day one release on Game Pass.