The gameplay experience showcased in Starfield during the Xbox Showcase goes beyond being a mere shooter or flight simulator. This new world offers an immersive simulation that has the potential to capture the essence of the Star Wars franchise through its ship customization and space combat.
Unlike the numerous Star Wars licensed games available in the market, which focus on specific aspects of the established world and follow a predetermined storyline, Starfield distinguishes itself by providing an open world with 1,000 planets to explore freely. Instead of assuming the role of a character, players are placed directly into the vast galaxy to embark on their own exploration journey.
Starfield's Personalized Millennium Falcon
Star Wars: Squadrons may have provided an exhilarating experience by allowing players to pilot X-Wing fighters through asteroid fields and space stations, but there is more to the grounded essence of Star Wars than just these dogfights. The true charm of the original trilogy lies in the intricate details of life aboard a ship like the Millennium Falcon, a quality that Starfield's NASA-punk style successfully captures.
In Starfield, the customizable spaceship goes beyond simply equipping players with generic fighters and weapons. Each module serves a specific purpose, influencing space combat and providing players with a range of options for their activities while living alongside their diverse crew. This comprehensive combination of elements creates a gameplay experience that encompasses the entire Star Wars franchise, going beyond the conventional focus on lightsaber duels or blaster rifles.
Complex and Layered Space Combat
Starfield offers players the opportunity to transform their ship into a personalized living space before engaging in intense space combat. This combat system allows players the freedom to choose between destroying, disabling, or even boarding enemy ships. If the task at hand feels too overwhelming, players have the option to escape by boosting their engines and maneuvering through an asteroid belt or warping to a different system altogether. Every ship encounter presents players with numerous decisions to make, putting their piloting skills to the test.
The combat in Starfield revolves around a power allocation system, reminiscent of games like We Need To Go Deeper, granting players complete control over their ship. Skilled pilots can temporarily divert power from weapon damage or shield defense to gain an advantage by catching enemies off-guard. Alternatively, allocating all power to guns and shields turns Starfield's ships into formidable flying tanks capable of swiftly breaching an enemy's defenses.
The inclusion of precise strikes that can disable specific ship systems draws inspiration from popular science fiction franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek. This feature allows players to halt enemy ships and watch them drift through the vastness of space. By combining these various elements, the game provides an immersive and controlled ship combat experience, allowing players to fulfill their fantasies of becoming a sci-fi captain from their favorite media series. Director Todd Howard has hinted that Starfield is akin to five or six games in one, and the recent demonstration of its extensive content seems to support this claim by offering players the opportunity to live out a rich and diverse life within a vast system. Scheduled for release on September 6, Starfield will be available for PC and Xbox Series X/S.