As a seasoned space explorer with countless interstellar voyages under my belt, I must admit that my excitement for Starfield’s first expansion, Shattered Space, was high. I had hoped it would be a grandiose leap forward, transforming the base game into an unforgettable cosmic odyssey. Alas, it seems I may have set my expectations among the stars.
Last year, when I tried and critiqued Starfield, I developed a deep affection for it. While it’s clear that Starfield, Bethesda’s role-playing game set in space, is a game that divides opinions, even its most ardent supporters (such as myself) acknowledge that it has significant imperfections. However, despite these flaws, I found the experience to be nothing short of enchanting for me personally. From its expansive scale to the intriguing lore, from the ship construction mechanics to the intense combat, from the rewarding progression systems to many other aspects, there were numerous elements that resonated deeply with my fondness for Bethesda’s style of gameplay.
Clearly, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the debut of the game’s first expansion, Shattered Space, given its claim to merge the setting and mechanics of Starfield with the thoughtful design elements of previous Bethesda games. Despite my enjoyment of Shattered Space, I must admit that it seems like a partial step rather than the substantial advance many might have expected. Indeed, it offers a substantial amount of new content, much of which has been enjoyable- but does it bring about the significant improvements and upgrades on the core formula as many would have wished? Regrettably, it does not, no.
In simpler terms, while “Shattered Space” certainly provides a good amount of fresh content that I’ve enjoyed, it doesn’t seem to offer the substantial upgrades or advancements on its original formula that many might have expected.
The game Starfield: Shattered Space commences with a distress signal guiding you and your team towards an unforeseen space station named Oracle. Upon entry, it’s evident that something catastrophic happened – bodies, teleporting adversaries, eerie vortexes, and distorted surroundings that genuinely send shivers down the spine. A brief mission within the space station follows, leading to Va’ruun’kai, the home planet of House Va’ruun. An experiment gone awry has resulted in chaos, with space-time rifts, peculiar abnormalities, and bizarre creatures cropping up all over the planet. As always, it falls upon you to restore order.
As a dedicated Starfield gamer, I must say that the fresh campaign titled “Shattered Space” is quite decent. It may not reach the heights of Bethesda’s most exceptional offerings, but it certainly delivers on its promises. The narrative isn’t mind-blowing, but it does flesh out a lot of the House Va’ruun lore that was left tantalizingly obscure in the original game. Diving deeper into the mysteries of this elusive faction, uncovering their origins and homeworld, is undeniably one of the main attractions of the expansion. However, I can understand if someone less enamored with the base game’s setting and lore might not find much to invest in here.
In contrast to Starfield, which received criticism for its excessive use of procedural generation, Va’ruun’kai stands out as a meticulously crafted world. Unlike many planets in Starfield, each element of Va’ruun’kai – every point of interest, base, cave, and location on the map – has been intentionally positioned. This includes Dazre city and its surroundings.
This content is richly detailed from its game design to the vast array of content it provides. It’s sure to keep you engaged and entertained, particularly if you are a fan of Starfield to start with.
In Shattered Space, exploration is more engaging and satisfying compared to most experiences in Starfield. Bethesda’s RPGs are known for their unique approach to leading players from one diversion to another, and the way it all feels so naturally integrated. Many were let down by the absence of this style in Starfield, making the return of such exploration in Shattered Space a pleasant surprise. The discoveries made during your planetary explorations in Shattered Space aren’t exceptionally unique, but they maintain an enjoyable level of fun, providing enough motivation to keep you engaged in the gameplay.
In essence, while Shattered Space seems like an expansive upgrade for Starfield, offering approximately 10-20 hours of fresh content and a substantial map, it falls slightly short in other areas. Regrettably, there are no unique new weapons or gear to utilize, and the additions made are rather ordinary and unimpressive. It’s possible that you might not even find yourself using any of these new elements beyond a minimal extent. There’s no new companion character introduced, no significant new gameplay mechanics have been implemented, and most of the new adversaries you encounter are essentially repainted versions of familiar foes, with a few additional abilities such as teleportation (which can be rather frustrating).
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the base game of Starfield, I believed that with its first expansion, it had a golden chance to make a bold move and possibly win over doubters, transforming them into enthusiasts. Comparing it to Cyberpunk 2077’s transformation with Phantom Liberty might have been unrealistic, but I was definitely anticipating the overall Shattered Space experience to surpass that of Starfield. However, while the inclusion of a new, custom-made map does provide a slight improvement, for the most part, the expansion seems more like a side step rather than an advancement, making it something of a missed opportunity.
Although adding a custom-made map contributes somewhat, overall, the growth appears to be more of a sideways move rather than a significant advancement, making it somewhat of a wasted chance.
Despite some technical aspects, Shattered Space hasn’t seen significant advancements. Issues like prolonged loading screens, static dialogues with the camera focused on NPCs, and other persistent problems seem deeply ingrained within Starfield at this stage, making them unlikely to be addressed through an expansion. However, there are numerous technical issues that I would have anticipated being resolved. For instance, NPCs often collide with each other, enemy AI can be surprisingly unintelligent during battles, animations frequently glitch, textures fail to load smoothly, and most frustratingly, the game’s performance can degrade significantly when exploring beyond Dazra city or using vehicles like the rover or jetpack.
Despite abandoning Starfield’s procedural generation for a more manual approach, Shattered Space still feels familiar – it’s more of the same, but with its own strengths and weaknesses. If you enjoyed the original game like I did, you’ll likely find enjoyment in its first expansion. On the other hand, if Starfield left you wanting more and hoping for an improved experience with Shattered Space, I’m afraid it may disappoint again. As of now, Shattered Space is a secure and entertaining, though unremarkable, addition to Starfield, but whether Bethesda will be more daring with future expansions for its sci-fi RPG remains to be seen.
This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.
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2024-10-07 08:41