Is Starfield value returning to for Shattered Area?

In 2023, Bethesda Game Studios‘ Starfield launched with a lukewarm reception on Xbox and PC. It is the primary new IP developed by Bethesda in 25 years, and acted as a wrench thrown into the machine that created intricate and interesting tales throughout the Elder Scrolls and Fallout collection. Starfield was poised to be bold and bold, and whereas I typically loved the expertise, it is arduous for me to argue that it was the colossal increase for Western RPGs that Skyrim once was. Nevertheless, the new Shattered Space DLC was an opportunity to return to the sport and step right into a world of recent content material and quality-of-life updates.

After 50 or so hours, I walked away from the Milky Means galaxy late final yr. I used to be content material with my time after rolling credit and experiencing a portion of the surprisingly enriching endgame content material. Nevertheless, I by no means took the time to expertise every thing that got here from the most important replace again in Might, which added floor maps, expanded planet boundaries, and extra. In August, Starfield additionally added the Rev-8 land automobile, enhancing planetary traversal. Then got here the Shattered Area story growth — so it felt like the proper storm for me to dive again down the Starfield properly.

So, did I get what I hoped for, or are some stones higher left unturned?

Shattered Area has compelling bones for a 12-hour expertise

With a deal with exploration of a sole planet, deal with the mysteries behind a spiritual cult

Shattered Area was an anticipated content material drop for me, because it was the excuse I wanted to reinstall the sport on my Xbox Collection X. Returning to the sport I genuinely loved final yr, I needed to retrain my mind’s each second for the primary couple of hours. Because the captain of the Starborn Guardian, I acquired a misery name from a big starstation often known as The Oracle. Upon docking and discovering it had no gravity to talk of, I started working via the gauntlet to acclimate myself to the sport.

Shattered Area focuses on one of many recreation’s major spiritual sects, often known as the Va’ruun religion. Worshipping the Nice Serpent, gamers are taken on a quest to find the internal workings of this faith and the way the communities of Va’ruun’kai are managed. All through, Shattered Area finds unusual and haunting anomalies that seem, representing horrors and maddened civilians of Va’ruun’kai. Your entire narrative expertise takes roughly 12 to fifteen hours to finish, and the setting is by and enormous the best feat by Bethesda Recreation Studios’ artwork division within the recreation. With a smattering of heat fuschias and shiny blues portray the sky, I could not assist however be enamored whereas taking part in on my OLED TV.

The story growth takes on a little bit of a horror tone with house ghosts showing all through missions — good timing with Halloween proper across the nook. With a lackluster array of recent weapons at my disposal, I went up in opposition to new horrors within the type of Vortex-powered members of Home Va’ruun and Vortex Horrors. There are some outright scary moments in Shattered Area, particularly in case you’re taking part in with a pleasant pair of headphones, and my time spent on the Oracle felt very claustrophobic at occasions. Sure areas on Va’ruun’kai may really feel such as you’re remoted in a sea the place something can pop up.

Shattered Area goes heavy on lore, however various ranges of participant selection

I may be dangerous, however does it even matter?

Having a wealthy, drawn-out narrative beat going down in Starfield ought to really feel like a bonafide win. At launch, Starfield was criticized for creating 1000’s of procedurally generated planets however missing participating content material.

To keep away from being as huge as an ocean however deep as a puddle, Shattered Area takes place fully on Va’ruun’kai. Over 12 hours or so, Va’ruun’kai turns into way more of a personality throughout the story than another planet within the recreation — it feels distinctive with extra to see and do all through the growth. A lot so that in all the DLC, I by no means as soon as left. Nevertheless, as quickly as I wrapped up the core narrative, Va’ruun’kai would not actually supply a lot else. There are some outlets and a few smaller POIs, however nothing makes me need to exist on the planet as a member of Home Va’ruun.

One of many points of Starfield that I will proceed praising Bethesda Recreation Studios for is its capability to craft deep and interesting lore. The Va’ruun spiritual governance is launched throughout the base recreation, however Shattered Area is an opportunity to discover the theocratic cult. The growth covers numerous fascinating story beats, with typical Bethesda selections peppered all through. There is a critical quantity of participant company in how sure missions play out — to a various diploma.

Nevertheless, all this being stated, you are compelled to make key selections whether or not or not they suit your character. Stripping away the RP from the RPG, Shattered Area principally holds the whole thing of the narrative hostage except you agree to hitch Home Va’ruun. So, in case you’ve spent 100 hours roleplaying as a personality who opts out of any type of religion, you are a bit out of luck in the case of Shattered Area.

Nevertheless, holding in keeping with the darker tone of the narrative, the DLC helps you to be way more evil than the bottom recreation. Serving or disobeying the Nice Serpent deity, there’s an opportunity to both play with the Aristocracy or act as a diabolical jerk. In a single occasion, you are chosen to assist prepare a twin between disputing brothers. I discovered myself with the choice to tranquillize each brothers, successfully disarming them throughout the twin. Nevertheless, I might choose to disregard the pleas to take action or render one motionless, handing victory over to the opposite. Regardless of all of the minor selections all through the storyline, as soon as I used to be requested to align myself with one of many Va’ruun homes, I used to be pretty disinterested as none of them stood out to me in any significant sense.

Starfield feels extra optimized a yr faraway from launch

With high quality of life enhancements and a brand new type of traversal, Starfield feels higher to play

Bethesda Recreation Studios

This may increasingly look like a “no duh” second for anybody who’s caught with Starfield over these previous 12 months. Nevertheless, as a reinstituted fan, I am fairly delighted by the enhancements Bethesda Recreation Studios have made to the sport. In Might, the group dropped its largest replace on the time. Primarily based on an outpour of neighborhood suggestions, Starfield now helps up to date floor maps with present factors of curiosity accessible to see. There have additionally been tweaks made to hold capability, ship stock methods, customization inside ships, and extra. All of this permits for Starfield to really feel extra like a full-fledged Bethesda recreation reasonably than one which hobbled with one leg tied to the opposite as a result of over-ambition.

The Rev-8 land vehicle is a game changer for traversal. Planetary exploration was a chore within the base recreation when exploring exterior metropolis hubs. The Rev-8 handles just like the Halo Warthog, has a mounter turret for fight and a fairly candy booster system to hit jumps. As it’s Bethesda’s first try at making a land automobile, it is nonetheless a bit janky to make use of. Nevertheless, for getting from one facet of a map to the opposite, this can be a step in the best course. The introduction of Rev-8 addresses one of many core ache factors of the sport, which was uninteresting traversal after you land your ship. Starfield’s ambition is spectacular when trying on the star map. However strolling on the floor of every planet, I ask myself “Why am I doing this?” The land automobile makes me overlook to even contemplate it.

From a efficiency standpoint, Starfield runs objectively higher. The sport now provides way more body charge targets, together with 30, 40, 60 and uncapped body choices. Nevertheless, it is the VRR mode that, if accessible, is the most suitable choice. It is comprehensible, given the scope of the sport, that Bethesda needed to make concessions, launching with solely 30fps on console. Nevertheless, the studio has proven a powerful quantity of dedication. This leads to a way more fluid expertise on console.​​​​​​​

Does Shattered Area and updates transfer the needle for Starfield?

Starfield had such huge footwear to fill, it is arduous to position it on the identical pedestal as Elder Scrolls

Bethesda Recreation Studios

I am presently coming as much as the 70-hour mark in Starfield. I have been enraptured by a number of the recreation’s lore, the character tales, and true moments of exploration within the Shattered Area DLC, and it is these sides that make Bethesda Recreation Studios stand out within the western RPG market. Shattered Area is much extra targeted on cohesion, making the DLC a must-play for these wanting extra tales inside this universe. That is even regardless of some concluding occasions falling flat for me.

Aside from that, Starfield’s high quality of life modifications and system updates have improved the moment-to-moment expertise. Nevertheless, in case you’ve been turned off by the barrage of loading screens, restricted distinctive objects and loot, or rewarding exploration — you may possible have the identical opinions in the present day. Starfield: Shattered Area is extra of the identical recreation I performed in 2023. Solely a bit extra refined, however nonetheless imperfect — which is sufficient for me.