With Bethesda Game Studios’ next big game on the horizon, anticipation for the company’s first new IP in 25 years is reaching a fever pitch. To help shed some light on the many worlds fans will be exploring when Starfield launches on Sept. 6, the studio has released a trio of new animated shorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These animated teasers stand in stark contrast with some folks’ concerns<\/a> leading up to the interstellar space RPG’s launch. Namely: Starfield is going to be an empty, lifeless No Man’s Sky<\/a>-esque experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look, for what it’s worth, I didn’t actually hate 2016’s No Man’s Sky. While the first-person explore ’em up was as vast as the ocean of space itself, it was unfortunately marred with tedious survival mechanics, laborious resource-gathering, and an overwhelming feeling of “been there, done that”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, as a narrative, No Man’s Sky’s story was middling at best, and frustratingly threadbare at worst. As a result, this led many to bounce out of the game and move on with their lives and never look back. Indeed, despite the Guildford-based studio squirrelling away for many years to turn the tide of opinion back in their favor \u2014 and largely succeeding in that endeavor<\/a> \u2014 the space sim still remains a point of contention and a lightning rod for negativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, what’s immediately striking about these Starfield teasers is the emphasis on short, sweet human<\/em> stories that are not only relatable and understandable, but are powerfully universal. Instead of complex and overly philosophical sci-fi \u2014 or in No Man’s Sky’s case, stiflingly vague and disconnected lore and plot points \u2014 these animated shorts help to reveal Bethesda’s MO: to tell thought-provoking and relatable narratives in a NASA steampunk sci-fi setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n