KOCHI: Starfield did not make the best first impression on me. The vastness of this space-faring epic doesn’t really come through in the first three hours of gameplay – which involve wading through a few tutorials, slowly walking around, and some truly dull but necessary cutscenes to set the story up. But this is all to be expected in RPGs of the scale which Bethesda, the developer of Starfield, specialises in.
My character started the game as a humble miner on a distant resource-heavy planet. However, as rags to riches stories go, I found an ‘Artifact’ that would soon change my life forever. The universe has a flair for dramatics. This strange Artifact that I touched turned out to be some sort of cosmic jukebox that played Windows Media Player-esque animations with music. This immediately caught the attention of a shady organisation called the ‘Constellation’, who then recruited me to help them find more such ‘Artifacts’. There was a purpose to all of this, they believed.
It does sound like a dreary process to find these Artifacts — looking for tiny stones that could be anywhere in the universe? This is not the Marvel movies, and my character doesn’t have a handy gauntlet tailored for the collectibles. With Starfield boasting a single-player campaign stretching beyond 200 hours, I had to wonder… was it worth turning over planets to find these Artifacts? However, Constellation managed to seduce my character into this hunt, convincing me to follow a breadcrumb trail across star systems with the promise of a cushy bedroom, untold riches, thrilling adventures, and a free spaceship. About eight different menus.
That’s the initial hurdle that every Starfield player must grapple with. From juggling skill points to swapping out weapons, managing a limited inventory, and navigating an immense galaxy-sized map – the game doesn’t ease you in gently. If you’re expecting a quick pick-up-and-play experience, this isn’t it. Starfield demands your time, and it’s insistent.
All of a sudden you find yourself 20 hours in. And that’s the beauty of it – the trove of adventures, story, politics, and drama on the different planets keep you playing without realising it. More than the Artifact hunt, it was the micro adventures that felt the most rewarding. Helping an elderly widow uncover the mysteries behind the death of her husband.
Plastering posters around the city for a young kid determined to keep everyone’s spirits high. Racing across galaxies to deliver a comic book to a die-hard fan. I even found myself negotiating a bank heist! Interestingly enough, these smaller events weave into the foundational stories of Starfield itself. The smaller stories signify that not all is well under the famed ‘United Colonies’ framework, and may even have you questioning the motives for your employers quests.
Ironically, for a game that hinges on space exploration, piloting my spaceship and engaging in aerial combat felt more rudimentary than riveting. Don’t get me wrong, Starfield is stellar. But it’s not without its quirks. That said, these imperfections somehow contribute to the game’s unique charm. While the game sells at `5,000 in retail, it is free if you have the Xbox/PC Game Pass subscription.
(The writers’ views are their own)