As the first new IP for Bethesda Game Studios in 25 years, Starfield has become one of the most anticipated games of 2023. Conceived in the early 2010s, Starfield was officially trademarked in 2013, and active development has been ongoing since the release of Fallout 4 in 2015. It was initially scheduled for a November 2022 release before being pushed back to early 2023 to allow further work on the project.
With gameplay footage unveiled at the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase on June 12, fans eagerly got their first true insight into what Starfield is about and how the gameplay looks. While reveling in top-notch graphics that capture the look and feel of space technology and where it may lead in a realistic future, comparisons were immediately drawn to No Man's Sky, a 2016 open-universe sandbox survival game from Hello Games. One of the first similarities that fans noticed was the mining features Starfield presented, which showcased the player character using a mining gun to laser nearby rocks for iron. With such resemblances in place, there are some hints that Starfield could take from No Man's Sky to avoid that game's pitfalls and embrace its successes.
Mining In No Man's Sky
When No Man's Sky first launched in 2016, its mining was rudimentary and tedious, with fans voicing their dissatisfaction with the repetitious qualities, lack of clarity for resources, and inventory availability. In the game, players started with a handheld mining gun that shot a laser designed to hit rocks and plants for mining supplies. Items mined with the laser broke apart, floated in the air for a moment, and then disappeared as they were automatically added to the player's inventory - which was limited on space with no way to increase. Game instructions provided scarce information on any particular mineral or plant, increasing difficulty in deciphering what was essential to keep.
This process followed a very rinse and repeat scenario. With No Man's Sky lacking a main narrative story to explain why and what these elements would be used for besides basic survival, many people became disinterested in the game. However, over the years, Hello Games has released update after update which has widely expanded No Man's Sky in every way, from a cohesive story to updated graphics to increased inventory options. Even its mining has become fast, graphically and visually enhanced, and now has multilayered purposes from survival to base building. Hello Games even added the ability to build massive supply depots to mine minerals and elements so that players could create advanced trading products to sell at high prices within their universe.
Hints for Starfield
Since there are comparisons to No Man's Sky, and since it's hard to create a genuinely brand-new mining experience within the space game genre, Starfield could find ways to visually switch up the point, shoot, and collect supply factors involved with mining. No Man's Sky, in its inception, offered little danger or planetary variety to the player besides environmental hazards, which created a sense of boredom while mining and collecting supplies.
With players enjoying a challenge when needing to obtain some element, product, or supply, Starfield should add these dangerous survival elements to increase tension and variety within the game. Todd Howard has ensured fans that Starfield will have over 1000 planets to explore, from habitable planets in the Goldilocks zone to barren, resource-heavy ones. This number is vastly smaller than the explorable planets in No Man's Sky and presents the opportunity for more story-driven elements that require mining and collecting resources. With starship and base building already promised, the possibilities could be endless.
Starfield has drawn initial comparisons to Hello Games No Man's Sky, which also focused heavily on space mining, exploration, and base building. Despite this, Starfield has established elements that set it apart from No Man's Sky, such as its combat mechanics and RPG-driven story. With the initial issues and future successes of No Man's Sky's mining and resource management, Starfield has the unique opportunity to avoid the same initial pitfalls by adding dangers and planetary variety to enhance resource collection.
Starfield is scheduled to release in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.