A lot of pressure is on Bethesda's upcoming RPG Starfield to deliver. Not only is it the developer's first new IP in over two decades, but with the wait only increasing for other entries in some of Bethesda's beloved franchises like The Elder Scrolls, fans are eager to experience another epic adventure from the studio. Not much has been revealed of Starfield so far, but Bethesda and Xbox have already set fairly high expectations thanks to some recent comments regarding the game's scope and ambitions.
It's difficult for player expectations not to get a little out of hand when not much is revealed about a game, while developers still talk about how it will undoubtedly blow fans away. In these cases, gamers are forced to fill in the gaps themselves, and this may lead to some unrealistic hopes regarding what the new title actually has to offer. With Starfield's November launch fast approaching, it's likely that Bethesda will reveal more about the mysterious game in the coming months, as well as at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. The developer did recently dive a little deeper into some of Starfield's features, however, including some of the ways players will be able to create their characters and really make them their own.
Characters In Starfield
Bethesda hasn't held back when it comes to talking about how it wants Starfield to look and feel. Alongside its NASA-punk aesthetic, Bethesda wants Starfield to feel authentic and undeniably next-gen, with huge amounts of detail put into the design to make everything from NPCs to ships feel as real as possible. The developer is really amping up the AI, with companions that can accompany players on their various missions and journeys into the unknown making off-the-cuff comments and engaging with player characters in ways that hopefully feel naturalistic. This will help to give the game atmosphere, but character interactions will also be vital to giving Starfield heart and in some cases humor.
Only one companion character has been revealed so far, and that is the robot Vasco. While a robot may not seem like the most obvious choice for a character to provide nuance and complex character-to-character interactions, it is certainly in keeping with Starfield's sci-fi setting. The game will undoubtedly have a vast in-game world for players to explore, and while the thrill of discovery and the beauty of diverse environments will probably be a part of the experience, the galaxy will feel very empty if there are not at least a handful of interesting characters to populate it. Not much has been revealed about whom these characters might be, but Bethesda has revealed a few interesting details about the ways the player will have a hand in creating their own.
Customization Is Key
The "Made for Wanders" video on Bethesda's YouTube channel did a good job of introducing some of the elements that players will be able to utilize when it comes to creating their character. With a variety of backgrounds to choose from, gamers will get the chance to pick their initial faction affiliation, as well as tailor the start of their Starfield experience based on the group they choose to align themselves with. Bethesda has spoken about a few of the in-game factions found in Starfield, from the unified United Colonies to the ragtag Freestar Collective that exists more on the peripheries. There will even be a megacorp called Ryujin Industries that apparently gives players a fairly interesting corporate-focused start.
While it seems like players will be picking one of these groups (as well as potentially some others) at the start of the game much like Cyberpunk 2077's Lifepaths, they can also choose to join other factions throughout their playthrough. There is a group called the Crimson Fleet, who are essentially space pirates that players can team up with if they fancy a less law-abiding life, or they could decide to act as informants and live a double life. These various affiliations and warring factions will not only provide depth to the world and make Starfield feel like a truly dynamic and complex society, but it also helps to add more role-playing aspects to the game as well.
The actual character creator segment of Starfield hasn't really been revealed, but with Bethesda's commitment to realistic designs and next-gen graphics in the upcoming game, it will probably be quite impressive. Both the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series have given fans a glimpse of a Bethesda character creator, so players might know a little of what to expect. While it's looking increasingly unlikely that Starfield will have playable aliens, that doesn't mean that its humans should be any less diverse. There is also apparently an option for players to pick their pronouns, which is a good step for inclusivity in video games.
Creating A Unique Story
Crafting a unique character background through the choices of an origin story and having the chance to create a truly original protagonist in a complex and well-designed character creator are good steps, but there is more that Starfield will need to do to provide players with a gripping and engaging RPG experience. By all accounts, the world of Starfield is massive, and considering the point of the game appears to be exploration, players may very well be in charge of forging their own story as they progress through the game. Including aspects like the character backgrounds that let gamers have a significant hand in shaping their character and their story will be vital, and will also give players a certain amount of freedom while still providing them with plenty of options.
The central point of a game of this genre is the authenticity of its role-playing. This requires a thoughtfully constructed and enjoyably elaborate world, but it also needs to give players effective tools to create their protagonist. So much of the story and the way that gamers experience the world will rest on their playable character's shoulders after all, so it's so important that Bethesda get this aspect right. While Starfield has revealed at least of a few of its mysteries and detailed some of its character creation methods, so much still remains unknown. Hopefully, after the Bethesda and Xbox online showcase this June, players will have a better idea of what they might be in for.
Starfield releases November 11 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.