For a game as large as Starfield, it's been difficult for developer Bethesda to showcase all that the upcoming title will encompass. From the very first glimpses of Starfield, it was clear it was going to be a large game. With multiple systems, a multitude of planets, and a diverse society to contend with, Starfield looks like it will have plenty to keep players busy. Even though it will introduce a new sci-fi world to explore, many players hope that Starfield will also let them visit Earth.
As Bethesda's first original IP in over two decades, Starfield already has lots to live up to. The expectations for the new title have been inflated time and again as the scope of the game was revealed, including the fact that there will be over a hundred systems and thousands of planets to explore. This may have caused concern for some gamers who couldn't help but be reminded of No Man's Sky's ill-fated ambitions, but including more familiar locations like Earth could help ground Starfield's exploration.
Starfield's Setting
Starfield is not only looking to introduce players to a new IP, but also distant parts of the galaxy in what the game has called the Settled Systems. This is an area that extends outwards for approximately fifty light years from the Solar System and will encompass numerous planets that gamers will be able to fly to and explore. On and in between these many planets and system is a complex society of space-faring humans who have divided themselves into various factions and groups, each with their own goals and methods of attaining them. Players will even be able to join these factions like the independent Freestar Collective or the powerful United Colonies.
The game takes place two decades after a calamitous war between these two large factions, with each side begrudgingly maintaining peace after the hostilities ended. Starfield will drop players into this fractious and complex galaxy, and there will undoubtedly be plenty of interesting people to meet and societal nuances to discover, in addition to the new landscapes to chart and the planets to claim. Joining Constellation, an organization of space explorers, will set gamers up for their quest to live among the stars, and it's clear Starfield's emphasis is on what's out there rather than on what humans left behind. However, there are advantages to having Earth as a planet that players can also explore.
Adding An Explorable Earth
There's still lots of debate among fans about whether Earth will be a featured planet that players will be able to land on or not. In footage shown during the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, eagle-eyed viewers were able to spot Sol, the system that's home to Earth. If each planet in each system is fully explorable, as reports have suggested, then this will surely mean that players will be able to get boots on the ground and see Bethesda's vision for Earth in the 24th century.
Not only are players hoping that they'll be able to visit humanity's home planet, but also other planets in our Solar System, like Mars or even satellites such as the Moon. Starfield seems to be offering many exciting possibilities for new places and planets, but one of the best ways for players to understand the current society they'll be living in is to see where it came from and just what state it left Earth in. There are still some hefty gaps in the overall narrative for Starfield, and learning about humanity's home and how they started to spread across the galaxy will undoubtedly be an interesting aspect of the title's expansive story.
There are other examples of space-based sci-fi games that have either very conspicuously left out Earth or added it as a location that players can visit. Even though Earth was a major component of Mass Effect 3's story and a pivotal place in the battle against the Reapers, players barely got a chance to properly explore it during the gameplay. In contrast, in Obsidian's anti-corporate satirical RPG The Outer Worlds, Earth is noticeably absent in the game and is also surrounded by mystery and intrigue. Players are yet to see how Starfield will use the protagonist's ancestral planet, but there are probably a fair few who would prefer the chance to explore it.
The Heart Of Starfield's Gameplay
Bethesda has ramped up the Starfield coverage in the past year or so, with the developer eager to show off its newest creation and get fans excited about the title's much-anticipated release. Starfield feels like it's been a long time coming, and there was a period of time after the official 2018 reveal during Bethesda's E3 Press Conference where the game remained shrouded in mystery. As its initial 2022 release date loomed closer, however, players were able to learn more about the ambitious RPG and its many exciting features, like space flight, customizable bases, in-depth character creation, and thoughtful role-playing opportunities.
Although the developer appears to be packing Starfield full of interesting features and designs, it has always kept exploration at the center. Among the quarreling factions, interstellar mysteries, and companion quests, Starfield is concerned first and foremost with humanity's place among the stars and how they can survive and thrive there. This revolves around exploring the galaxy, and gamers will largely be in charge of shaping their own story and deciding where to steer their ship. While some gamers are worried Starfield's many planets may be quantity over quality, others are just excited to get their journey underway.
However, Starfield should keep games like Mass Effect 3 and The Outer Worlds, science fiction titles that were based in the known universe, but that failed to feature Earth satisfyingly, in mind when it comes to humanity's first home. If Starfield is striving for a touch of realism, it needs to give players a chance to explore Earth and see for themselves the fate of the original home planet.
Starfield launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.