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Starfield’s opening is a lot of shades of literal greyOne underwhelming step
One underwhelming step
Image credit:Bethesda Game Studios
Image credit:Bethesda Game Studios
Space games are basically ready built for the grand reveal. All you need to do is open a shutter and you can reveal unto the player all thewonders of the universeyou have built, be that a giant, misty blue planet with a neon green dust ring, or purple nebula sweeping accross the sky like a bruise and crackling with lightning.Starfield’s opening (shown off atGamescomthis week, and leaking all over the internet like a collander used for SMG target practice) does not forgo this moment, but it does say “okay but what if the grand reveal was entirely in shades of grey, though”?
After you wake up, you do the “do you even remember your name/background/what you look like?” style of character creation, which is, you know, a bit ‘my first segue into character creation’. But whatever, I’ll even give that leeway. That’s just kind of writing sometimes. One of the most consistent reponses I give to edit notes is “because otherwise the story doesn’t happen.” Starting stuff is hard.
What I’m less forgiving of is a putting a grand orchestral sting and a quest called One Small Step in combination with your majestic reveal being entirely grey. The grey isn’t even applied to any interesting shapes. It’s a cargo bay, and someFalloutwasteland. Oh there are different shades: the landing pad is dark metal grey, the sky is a washed out yellow grey, the planet on the horizon is a kind of white grey. But it’s an underwhelming play for the biggest game of the year, when it’s first big moment compares unfavourably to the view out of my living room window. Bethesda has, with no exaggeration, some of the most talented artists in the entire world. Imagine what they could do if they were allowed to use a second colour.
Like, this is more like it, but it’s still just giving me Mass Effect Andromeda |Image credit:Bethesda Game Studios
I hate to sayI told you so, and some of the screens give me hope that I’ll be able to stuff the I told you so right back in my howling maw. Official screens suggest the game gets a mite more interesting as it goes on - I mean the one up top has brown and red, right? We’ve had a glimpse of a prosperous city with water features and even some trees (a sight we Earthlings cannot begin to imagine).
Iwantit to get more interesting, but I fear that vast swathes of itwill not. This is the mega-hyped game of 2023, so why hold back at the very start, and put your blandest foot forward?
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to ourGamescom 2023 hub. You can also findeverything announced at Opening Night Liveright here.
