The Digital Foundry verdict on Bethesda's massively anticipated sci-fi RPG.
Space - the final frontier - an infinite playground shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, mankind has yearned to deepen our understanding of the cosmos - to explore the outer reaches of space. This infatuation with interstellar travel would manifest throughout literature and film in the years that followed but it is arguably the video game that shares the deepest connection with outer space.
This ties into one of the game's notable limitations - planets and outer space are separate entities divided by loading screens - Bethesda was up-front about this in previews, but it is not a seamless experience. You can, at least, observe the exterior of a planet or open space from within the ship but transitioning to the surface requires a short loading screen.
Then there's Neon - a cyberpunk-esque city decked out with blinding signage, huge crowds and nightmarish, metallic structures choked by cables. The entire city is built on an otherwise deserted planet of water held high on sturdy pylons. It's a location quite unlike anything else ever featured in a Bethesda game and fills the role of an underground criminal paradise.
Within these cities, you'll engage with a wide range of characters. This has always been an area of weakness for Bethesda Game Studios but improvements have certainly been made. When engaged in conversation, the camera focuses on the speaking character while background elements appear out of focus using a gorgeous bokeh depth of field effect. Facial animation is fairly basic but it gets the job done.
When visiting these settlements, however, you are not confined to the city itself - it's possible to leave the city limits and explore the surrounding planet, but by dividing up these zones, most of each planet remains relatively sparse which is a shift in design from prior Bethesda games. You may uncover additional locations ranging from research stations, abandoned factories or any number of other places.
In addition to the global illumination solution, the resolution of the textures is also excellent for the most part, and materials work is largely well done. I would say metals, leather and stone fare best in this regard. More natural materials are perhaps a little less realistic to the eye, though, and the quality can vary per environment to some degree.
Of course, while Starfield generally looks impressive, it isn't always pristine. Much of this comes down to the scope of the game: with so many planets and a heavy reliance on procedural generation, it's no surprise that you can poke holes in the presentation from time to time. And there are areas near major cities that feels slightly undercooked.
Once on the ground level, we find our ship and upon arrival, another brief loading screen awaits us as we transition to the ship interior. From here, we can jump behind the controls and take off. After another loading screen, we find ourselves suspended above the planet from which we departed and an objective marker. This is the first reality of space travel in Starfield.
One last thing I should mention is the limitations on exploration. No, you cannot walk around an entire planet. When you land, the game seems to generate a large area for the player to explore but if you walk too far in any direction, you're stopped in your tracks. It's a little jarring at first but, honestly, there isn't much of a reason to venture out across planets - that's just not what Starfield is about.
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