Space is, according to all scientific facts, quite vast, as the likes of NASA and Roscosmos have been sending probes to see how far we have seen of the Milky Way over the decades since the end of the Space Wars era. Because maybe one day we get to see our version of a second Earth, maybe it will be like the one in Starfield, sans the frame-rate drop when taking a stroll through the parks.
Starfield in PS5 is both part engaging and part frustrating,as the PS5 version of the game feels like the way to play this incredible game, but the issues of performance, even with parity with its main version, are quite concerning.
Grav-It Up
Starfield still looks incredible, given how the Creation Engine is still being powered by decades of experience, and its typical foibles that one would expect from this sort of engine are synonymous with the team working on it. Like Planets still looks highly detailed with the power we have, and both combat and exploration of these locales we visit don’t really hamper the frame-rate, which is 60fps at all times.
There are, however, some pretty bad instances where the frame rate drops to almost 30 for locations such as Akila City and even some portions of New Atlantis, with how much movement parts have, it’s unsurprising, but a few performance patches could have helped these two examples to be solid 60fps, on their Performance settings.
Barring those issues, it’s still quite a solid version about exploring beyond the stars that I loved way back when it launched a few years ago.
More Action Fix
Gameplay for Starfield consist of a few factors that may be familiar to Bethesda fans by now, with combat encounters that involve guns and/or melee weapons, stealth and even some base building for good measure, now planet-side as you colonise the barren worlds for your own.
But the draw for this game personally has to be the spaceship and its combat, which feels incredibly fun to play. Taking down Space pirates in your array of deathly forces is quite a good sell. Just remember to keep your ship in tip-top shape, or it will crumble.
One other gripe I have with this edition, in the gameplay department, is perhaps how its control scheme works on the DualSense, where it’s a bit too finicky, where the now smaller upper trackpad portion makes me accidentally push the map button a few times during said Ship combat, which could be rebind without a doubt, but it is a bit distracting during tougher moments.
And while I won’t spoil the Starfield story, it’s quite comforting to be playing one of my all-time favourites a few years on, just the hook of being on a team that’s about to discover something extraordinary, during the same few weeks the actual NASA did a new mission to the Moon, is part surreal and exciting.
And nothing really comes close to that sort of synergy, even unintentionally.
Verdict
Starfield wows me still, even with the finicky nature of this version. It’s a game that I would highly recommend going in blind and then coming out being more hopeful for the future, perhaps with a more open mind about what a game needs to succeed nowadays, too. They really don’t make sprawling RPGs like this one,with little restraint.
But a more practical way to enjoy this one is when it gets into a sale,since I am noting how polarising it is still to this day by fans of Bethesda, but once you play it, it might surprise you.
Played on PS5 Slim, Review copy provided by Bethesda. You can read our original review here.