Starfield Shattered Space review – Almost

After coming out last year, I was between work when I first sat down and really delved into Starfield.

It took me two weeks to interact with things as much as I wanted – this game wasn’t because I had it on my premise, but I was looking forward to how much I dug into the creator’s previous works.

I’ve come out as a whole since the last two weeks, not knowing what to make of damn things. I enjoyed some of it, I thought a lot of it was down considerably on the lofty expectations set, but even more often than either of them, a lot of it felt a bit paralysis.

During that time, and upon arrival, the first bit of Starfield’s Story DLC – the crushed space – my thoughts on the base game, thankfully, crystallized into something vaguely consistent. It’s a game that feels like either a few stages (or a bunch of tomb jumps) that actually separates you from achieving that potential.

Unfortunately, crushed spaces are undoubtedly a real step for creators, and are missing out on the opportunity to make that leap from an impressive — but often soulless — technical feat.

That doesn’t mean you can’t find something to enjoy with it. From the moment I found The Oracle, the space station that sets off an adventure, there was fun in the base game when landing House Va’ruun’s home planet, when I finished everything the amazing little expansion had to offer. They are the problem of feeling like that old Bethesda’s sparkle comet in a vacuum of something similar, a little more depth and original flourishing, and a fresh taste of Bethesda’s sparkle.

House Varun itself sums it all up. Until the original release of Starfield, I don’t think I’m the only one who considers them to sound like the most interesting faction. Without respect for NASA’s white people and grey real-world science, we mixed philosophical questions about the future of Cosmos, so an alien and interesting inclusion that helps balance the slightly dry sci-fi set to bring out.

In the base game, there was little outside Andreja’s quest line. This is a blank filled by enthusiasts who felt like a parade of other boring enemies who have blown up your path because they’re something you should do. That was a shame. But that’s fine, the DLC may come, a chance to make the Varoon home properly! Create a group that actually worships Giant mythical snake It’s wonderful, weird, and interesting. Something memorable. To fully realize all the unique possibilities of these good ideas.

Instead, Va’ruun’kai generally serves as a beautiful canvas, which serves as the main story of a person encountering many of the same pitfalls that have stopped the rest of the Starfield from hitting possible heights. There are some interesting characters, but characters that get screen time must develop into a fully formed personality that can carry the main quest line into the territory that steals the show. There are occasional interesting themes in the stories being told, but they are not developed properly before everything is wrapped up neatly and vigorously.

There are slight reinterpretations of some beats we’ve seen before. This includes not the beloved “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” but the straight Bethesda ratio es, but “aw man” does this again. They treat you like a prophesied hero soon after you arrive. Because you are the only person who can do magic – in this case, listen to the mysterious beings speaking. There are no missing relatives this time, but that’s cool. The people of the house have people that are important to them that you need to track. There are big techno gadgets that you need to help you get up and run, so you can press the big red button above it to pave the way for the big problems to disappear. Spoiler alertbut when you see it does in the end, something becomes a huge boom.

If these were wrapped in stories that otherwise did enough with that fresh element to attract you and attract you, then they wouldn’t matter, but overall, I don’t think it’s macro here. Like the basic game, there are some points about politics and religion in the portrayal of a very traditional Varoon society. Its big best leader is adjacent to an ineffective council that doesn’t agree with how to change the bulb, but there is no message that you really struggle to convince yourself that you really shine, or that you change your reasons, or aside from that, you’re going to show it or find a way to show it.

There are some choices and consequences, but the effects of it feel limited in the short term in that you make us feel like we’ve had a big impact on the world as a whole without literally saying “I’m thinking about this bloodyly.” And even if the exposition is clearly not the ideal endgame, there’s no neat little slideshow. In the individual quest micro, where Starfield has always been a little better, there are some scenarios that I would be gratefully concerned about a little more.

This doesn’t mean there’s no evidence that Bethesda is trying to improve its base game offering in terms of storytelling. The early returns are definitely a bit disappointing, but bugs aside, I ended up preferring the work done by making Andreja – the only House Varner in the base game is worth taking with me as a companion to the DLC set in her hometown world. She has a lot of unique dialogue and reactions, and has the opportunity to choose to cut her and have her speak for you.

She feels she’s invested in what’s going on and offers some good commentary. Even if a starfield companion is a little undermined by the fact that she struggles to feel more than the character in the player’s story, it has the ability to dynamically abilities, except to raid with a huff, if she intentionally conveys that literally everything exists in uncertain terms.

I also appreciated the fact that Bethesda seemed to experiment with the DLC to make Starfield cutscene a little more dynamic. I have explored the size properly – if it’s a bit barren beyond Dazra, the capital of Varoon and its immediate suburbs – it’s Varoon Kai. By focusing on one area, Bethesda has been able to do more with years of environmental craft strengths, especially with large shrine landmarks, much smaller markless things to stumble, and vibrant purple orange color palettes that help the landmarks visit the landscape.

Things are a bit sterile when it comes to new items. Rather, things are a bit sterile when you think about how good Starfield is at turning you into a hoarder. I enjoyed blowing up the dungeons with some of the Varoon guns – those firing big electric bolts that explode into balls of energy give a big thumbs – and while there is decent gear, there is a lack of uniqueness here overall.

Things may have been redeemed a bit with the interesting Va’ruun ship Habs or additions, but the group only uses and stocks the same parts as the rest of the settling system. The previous post base is slightly better as some new va’ruun habs are unlocked at the end of the main quest, but they are the only additions and don’t look different from regular square or circular blocks. Furthermore, it appears that it is not possible to actually place Varunkai itself.

But that’s true. The crushed space was a chance to do something trembling about where Bethesda could spend five hours building a small house surrounded by mineral extractors, which is far less important than the base game. It was a great opportunity to take the great ideas Bethesda had when devising a fact that caught the attention of players, bringing them to life either with the classic Bethesda magic or the new mojos that the studio can bring into a great game that can be added to their future, already-in-house heritage.

Instead, those who return to Starfield after all the time spent on what remains a very Marmite base game will remain almost the same for all time when they play what could have been a home run return to Starform.

Starfield Shattered Space is currently available on PC, Xbox and Game Pass. This review was conducted using PC code provided by the publisher.