Since it was first teased in 2018, fans of Bethesda games have eagerly awaited a glimpse of Starfield gameplay. Luckily, the Xbox Games Show 2022 treated player to an extended gameplay preview after a nearly four-year wait.
Legendary game creators behind the Fallout and Skyrim series are taking their ground-breaking RPGs to space with Starfield. The new IP was teased in 2018, and Bethesda finally gave players an extended look at gameplay during the Xbox Games Show 2022.
Head of Bethesda Todd Howard introduced the game as the studio’s “most ambitious game to date.” He also claimed that players can “be who they want and go where they want” but this time, in space.
The first look at gameplay featured gunplay, story elements, character creation, and a few of the nasty space creatures you’ll find during your adventure.
Starfield gameplay shows off combat on foot and in space
The Starfield gameplay reveal started off with the player touching down on the moon of Crete in the year 2330. Players exited their ship alongside a droid into a desolate environment sparsely populated by plants and unsettling alien lifeforms.
A few moments later, the player approached a research lab drawing their weapon before facing the space pirates inside. This sequence showcased Starfield’s gunplay as the player easily took down the pirates with an SMG and a few grenades.
But the real gem of the trailer was the space combat. Players can freely pilot their ships in space picking fights with other galactic travelers. But there’s more to these interstellar dogfights than dealing blindly firing at spacecraft.
Players can focus their fire on different parts of their opponent’s ship taking out specific systems like thrusters or weapons. There are also different weapons that can be equipped to spice up these dog fights.
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Character creation and custom ships
Bethesda is often known for its limitless character creators, and Howard claims Starfield contains the studio’s most flexible character creation system yet. It allows players to customize every element of their character from their facial structure, body shape, and even the way they walk.
There’s also a long list of character backgrounds to choose from, each one granting three starting skills. These backgrounds also open new dialogue options in certain scenarios.
As well, players can build their own bases, modify weapons, and don clothing that outwardly expresses the player’s personality. But a focal point of the creativity Starfield allots its players was the ability to build your own spaceship.
This system allows the player to completely customize the look and layout of the ship, both inside and out. And players even have the ability to handpick their own crew to run their ship.
The world of Starfield is massive
To end the show, Todd Howard showed players just how big Starfield actually is. He showed the planet Jemison which features a large city called New Atlantis. But he also explained how players could land anywhere on the planet to freely explore its surface.
He explained that players can land on and explore every planet in every system that Starfield has to offer. How many planets are in Starfield you might ask? Players can explore over 1,000 planets across 100 different systems.
These aren’t all going to be highly-populated planets, however. Some will be barren, resource-heavy ice balls while others flourish with both flora and fauna.
Despite the extensive look at gameplay, players won’t be able to explore the galaxy until 2023. Starfield launches on Xbox consoles and PC next year and will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
