Bethesda Game Studios’ highly anticipated game Starfield has finally been released after years of anticipation. The game’s story has been one of the most intriguing aspects, as players were curious to see how realistic the sci-fi universe would be and whether they would encounter intelligent aliens or other peculiar sci-fi concepts.
The game begins with players mining resources on the planet Vectera, where they stumble upon a strange artifact. After touching it, they experience a vision that takes them on a trippy journey through the entire universe. This catches the attention of Barrett, who directs players to The Lodge in New Atlantis and an organization called Constellation.
Constellation’s main objective is to explore new frontiers and the universe itself. They have been particularly interested in the artifacts that the player touched. Constellation leader Sarah Morgan inducts the player into the organization and sends them on a quest to find more artifacts and bring them back to base. This becomes a significant part of the game, as players explore various cities, meet other members of Constellation, and even obtain mystical powers.
While on their artifact chase, players encounter a member of a race called Starborn, known as The Emissary. The Starborn demand the artifacts from Constellation, leading to the realization that alien life exists. Despite the fear this encounter instills, Constellation and the player continue their search for artifacts.
As players collect more artifacts, they uncover shocking twists in the game. The Hunter, another Starborn, attacks The Eye, a Constellation Base, and seriously injures a member of the organization. The player is then faced with the choice to defend The Lodge or help the injured members at The Eye. Regardless of the choice made, defeating The Hunter is impossible, resulting in the death of a Constellation member.
Constellation mourns the loss of their fallen comrade and deciphers a message related to a concept called “The Unity” to locate the Starborn. During this encounter, it is revealed that the Starborn are people reborn in The Unity, sent to different universes to fight over artifacts and repeat the process. The Hunter is revealed to be Keeper Aquilus, a religious figure who helps players discover the secrets of The Unity, and The Emissary is the deceased Constellation member from the player’s run.
The player continues collecting artifacts, including one that takes them on a mission through multiple multiverses. They eventually visit Earth and its moon, where they learn that humanity’s ambition led to the creation of technology that weakened Earth’s gravitational pull and rendered the planet uninhabitable. The player is then asked to choose between siding with The Hunter or The Emissary, or defying both and pursuing the final artifact independently.
The game concludes with players arriving at Masada III and engaging in a battle with forces aligned with The Emissary, The Hunter, or both. The fight leads to a buried temple where players experience flashbacks and ultimately confront the Starborn they are up against. After defeating the Starborn, players can construct something called The Armillary on their ship and travel to The Unity.
In The Unity, players encounter a figure resembling themselves, representing The Unity. They offer the player the opportunity to become a Starborn and be sent to a different universe. However, this requires leaving everything and everyone behind from their home universe. After a recap of the future of the player’s universe based on faction quests, players can choose to either step into The Unity or continue exploring and building outposts in their starting universe.
Choosing to step into The Unity restarts the game in a “New Game Plus” mode, where players are a Starborn with unique abilities and powers. The story can be repeated or players can focus on collecting artifacts and returning to The Unity for a power boost. In essence, the story of Starfield never truly ends as players continue to explore the infinite possibilities.
Starfield is currently available for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
