Today’s Xbox Games Showcase was a nice, healthy dose of what’s on the horizon for Team Green (and maybe a few other platforms?). StarfieldBethesda’s huge space RPG with over 1,000 planets has a nice trailer for its upcoming expansion, Shattered Space and from the looks of it, it is clear that this is the style Starfield needs it urgently.
As I said in my review of StarfieldBethesda’s big space RPG was “a galaxy in search of an identity”. Impressive in its scope and certainly capable of offering some very beautiful space vistas, Starfield doesn’t really manage to overcome its boring, by-the-numbers approach to predicting humanity’s future among the stars. Sometimes a science fiction story with little fantasy works well, but as I said last year, Starfield
[Starfield] draws more on the “grounded” science fiction of materials such as Star Trek And The wide than the grandiose space fantasy of war of stars And Determination, which isn’t inherently a bad thing, of course. However, it does so in a way that emphasizes its utilitarian view of the future while largely neglecting the elements that make it so compelling. Even a dash of space opera fun would have gone a long way to liven up the tone of the game.
One of the factions that did not get much love in Starfield was the very creepy, reclusive, and religiously zealous faction of House Va’ruun. While they appeared here and there in the main story and in side quests, it was rare enough – especially since they were one of the few interesting factions in the game. Teleporting to a new star system and hearing Va’ruun ships openly sending a prayer to the enigmatic “Great Serpent” was not only creepy, it also offered a secret that unfortunately cannot be uncovered in the base game.
Thank God, Shattered Space looks like it will Let us uncover this mystery and Empty room or Event horizon vibes to its otherwise very vanilla lore. The new trailer has a lot more color, with views that are better in determination than what we saw in Starfield. But the voiceovers in the trailer also create a satisfying level of creepiness that makes me want to know more about these people and what awaits us in this expansion:
Speaker 1: Be still and choose your words carefully. They will determine how long you live. You are entering the home of House Va’ruun. The Great Serpent will decide your fate.
Speaker 2: Do you feel it encircling your heart? It constricts until you are no longer there… Only us.
As anyone who has played a Dark Brotherhood quest, The Elder Scrolls can tell you that Bethesda RPGs are often particularly engaging when they delve into the scary side of things. Stand outIt also had its part in this with “The Family”, a group of people who live as vampires under the surface of Fallout3map. Like the Dark Brotherhood, it was a lot of fun to have some darkness to roleplay with and immerse yourself in. Hopefully the same will be true for Starfield as well as.
Shattered Space launches later in 2024, so time will tell if this expansion gives Starfield a serious personality in her colossal, sometimes too empty and dreary galaxy.
.
