I can't recall the last time a game consumed every minute of my life, but Starfield did it for me. I picked it up on Game Pass, and it genuinely sneaked up on me, becoming not only my favorite game of the year but potentially of all time.
I love media where it explores the idea of a sublime and showing humanity subsumed in contrast, ie human condition and what it is to be human, topics like this is only as consuming as you allow it to be, so I think my fondness of the game was because it's a perfect set up to this thought experiment.
I believe it's best to view this game as an RPG with space as the backdrop, rather than a space simulator. Aligning oneself with the story demands a considerable amount of emotional and mental labor, but the payoff is unquestionably worth it.
The environments are like a delicate dance between handcrafted beauty and randomly generated wonders, giving the game a unique flavor that blends No Man's Sky's vastness with Mass Effect's immersive storytelling. Adding a dash of horror transforms each exploration into a suspenseful, thrilling expedition.
And oh my god the soundtrack. SWELLING. BREATHTAKING. GORGEOUS. NO NOTES. While walking in the emptiness of space, the orchestral masterpiece playing in the background perfectly encapsulates the beauty, vastness, and occasional loneliness, and there were moments when I had to pause just to let it all sink in.
The horror elements are also exceptionally well done. I accidentally landed on a planet to explore an abandoned mine and had my encounter with Coralbug Scavengers. It's not about cheap jump scares; it's the tension built around each corner, the fear of seeing the dead spacers’ bodies decomposing as you uncover mysteries in these underground structures.
The handcrafted cities and points of interest are also meticulously designed with their own charms. The game takes you from bustling, advanced cities to desolate, haunting landscapes. The contrast you experience as you travel through space starts to feel like a commentary on the sacrifices we make in the name of exploration.
The companionship in the game is flawed with characters that are a bit flat, but the stories and the undertone of the game force you to bond with these characters in a profoundly emotional way. I would never go anywhere alone without my Sam, and he has become my emotional support human, making some of the decisions I had to make later in the game extremely difficult. I think this is where the game truly clicked with me. It forces me to think about the consequences of my actions, and I started to see myself in the game.
The question the game sets out to investigate is a simple one: do you choose power over the people and life you’ve built, or is life enough and more important than chasing power? The implementation feels very powerful. I can understand why some people find the ending disappointing, but I have always loved a sci-fi story that lands on a question rather than a resolution, almost perfect in its own style. It’s not a good and happy ending but perfect in terms of the philosophical context it creates.
I believe the last 5 hours of the main story were the best story arc Bethesda has ever created. It broke my heart learning that Earth was lost because of the selfish desire of a single man, and the game lets it marinate with the player, making the player face the same moral dilemma in the end.
Now, I'm on my way to watch some 4-hour video essay on this.
I love media where it explores the idea of a sublime and showing humanity subsumed in contrast, ie human condition and what it is to be human, topics like this is only as consuming as you allow it to be, so I think my fondness of the game was because it's a perfect set up to this thought experiment.
I believe it's best to view this game as an RPG with space as the backdrop, rather than a space simulator. Aligning oneself with the story demands a considerable amount of emotional and mental labor, but the payoff is unquestionably worth it.
The environments are like a delicate dance between handcrafted beauty and randomly generated wonders, giving the game a unique flavor that blends No Man's Sky's vastness with Mass Effect's immersive storytelling. Adding a dash of horror transforms each exploration into a suspenseful, thrilling expedition.
And oh my god the soundtrack. SWELLING. BREATHTAKING. GORGEOUS. NO NOTES. While walking in the emptiness of space, the orchestral masterpiece playing in the background perfectly encapsulates the beauty, vastness, and occasional loneliness, and there were moments when I had to pause just to let it all sink in.
The horror elements are also exceptionally well done. I accidentally landed on a planet to explore an abandoned mine and had my encounter with Coralbug Scavengers. It's not about cheap jump scares; it's the tension built around each corner, the fear of seeing the dead spacers’ bodies decomposing as you uncover mysteries in these underground structures.
The handcrafted cities and points of interest are also meticulously designed with their own charms. The game takes you from bustling, advanced cities to desolate, haunting landscapes. The contrast you experience as you travel through space starts to feel like a commentary on the sacrifices we make in the name of exploration.
The companionship in the game is flawed with characters that are a bit flat, but the stories and the undertone of the game force you to bond with these characters in a profoundly emotional way. I would never go anywhere alone without my Sam, and he has become my emotional support human, making some of the decisions I had to make later in the game extremely difficult. I think this is where the game truly clicked with me. It forces me to think about the consequences of my actions, and I started to see myself in the game.
The question the game sets out to investigate is a simple one: do you choose power over the people and life you’ve built, or is life enough and more important than chasing power? The implementation feels very powerful. I can understand why some people find the ending disappointing, but I have always loved a sci-fi story that lands on a question rather than a resolution, almost perfect in its own style. It’s not a good and happy ending but perfect in terms of the philosophical context it creates.
I believe the last 5 hours of the main story were the best story arc Bethesda has ever created. It broke my heart learning that Earth was lost because of the selfish desire of a single man, and the game lets it marinate with the player, making the player face the same moral dilemma in the end.
Now, I'm on my way to watch some 4-hour video essay on this.