As a long-time fan of the Starfield universe, I must say that the Shattered Space expansion was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I was thrilled to embark on new quests and explore the mysterious Va’ruun’kai. But on the other, I found myself frustrated by the occasional progression-halting bugs and the odd graphical hiccups that occasionally broke my immersion.
Although it didn’t quite match the popularity of titles like Fallout or The Elder Scrolls, Starfield was still an incredibly enjoyable game for me in 2023. In fact, I found Bethesda’s open-world sci-fi RPG to be among my top favorites that year. I immersed myself in it, finishing every faction quest and spending countless hours exploring the cosmos with my team aboard my customized spaceship. To me, Starfield beautifully encapsulated the magic of science fiction, a feat few other games have managed. Naturally, I’ve been eager to revisit its universe since the release of the Shattered Space expansion. However, it must be said that Shattered Space didn’t quite reach the heights of Starfield’s greatness.
In Starfield, I delved deeply, experiencing numerous technical glitches, yet it stood out as Bethesda’s most refined game at launch. Unlike Starfield, Shattered Space had its share of issues. During my playthrough, I encountered several bugs that prevented crucial events from unfolding, compelling me to vacate areas and return for quest progression. A particular bug caused an essential character to refuse dialogue with me, resulting in an unresponsive NPC. Every time I attempted to start a conversation for the quest resolution, the camera would focus on her face, she’d begin speaking her first line, but nothing more would happen.
Adventures often encounter multiple hurdles as well. In one particular adventure, I was assigned to scrutinize a campsite for hints. The predicament was that some of the objects required to examine the location weren’t showing up. Fortunately, I could still “inspect” these missing items and finish the quest, although they were invisible. However, this necessitated searching for a YouTube video to learn where these things should have been located. While minor bugs and glitches can be overlooked, issues that slow progress are troublesome, and it’s disheartening to notice them more frequently in Shattered Space than in the original game.
In the game Shattered Space, there are some peculiarities worth noting. Whenever I ventured into a fresh location, my companion would dash at top speed until an obstacle halted them, which often resulted in comical interactions. Additionally, one of the merchants in Dazra, the primary city for players to explore in Shattered Space, found humor in their unconventional behavior. Instead of standing behind the counter, they stood a few feet back, hidden by a plastic sheet. Whether intentional or not, it created an odd situation that led to many humorous conversations where I communicated with them through the barrier.
In Dazra city and the expansive Va’ruun’kai landscape, the gameplay is often disrupted by stuttering and performance issues, particularly when playing Starfield at 60 fps. However, the game performs flawlessly within interior settings. Unfortunately, navigating open areas can be tedious due to these performance problems. Despite being impressed with the overall polish of the base game, I was left feeling let down by Shattered Space’s performance.
Shattered Space’s Opening Has Serious Alien Vibes
Too bad, as Shattered Space starts out intriguingly. Players find a distress signal and navigate to a deserted space station known as the Oracle. As they delve into the investigation, players eventually uncover House Va’ruun’s enigmatic home planet Va’ruun’kai. The space station portion stands out in Shattered Space, and is one of the few regions in the DLC that effectively leverages the cosmic terror atmosphere hinted at in the trailers. Investigating the Oracle evokes feelings reminiscent of an Alien film, and it’s executed skillfully.
In summary, the primary missions in “Shattered Space” are generally well-crafted, featuring exciting plot developments and challenging choices for players. Setting aside any technical issues, the main storyline in this game is engaging when it unfolds. However, the main issue lies in its brevity – there are only eight quests, which means I completed the entire main quest of “Shattered Space” in about four hours. Although additional side missions offer more content to explore, it’s unfortunate that the central storyline doesn’t span a longer duration.
On a positive note, exploring the main quest in Shattered Space leads players to intriguing locations and offers opportunities to gather useful new items, weapons, and even craft grenades. In addition to expanding Starfield’s already extensive weapon collection with some nifty new guns, combat in Shattered Space plays much like it does in the original game. However, players are encouraged to strategically use their unique abilities to gain an edge in any firefight. The fights in Shattered Space can be quite challenging, rivaling the base game’s most difficult battles, so it’s essential for players to gear up before venturing into Va’ruun’kai.
Shattered Space Phantoms Are Not a Great Addition to the Enemy Roster
In the game “Shattered Space“, new adversaries are presented for players to handle, with the standout ones being the Phantoms. These enigmatic, luminescent entities transport hither and thither, and truth be told, they aren’t all that enjoyable to battle against. They occasionally regenerate their shields and health following a teleportation, yet they also teleport so swiftly that it sometimes seems like no headway is being made on their health meters. This critique primarily pertains to the “boss” Phantoms rather than the common ones, but regardless, there are numerous battles in “Shattered Space” that feel tedious.
The combat in Shattered Space can be hit or miss, but the visuals are undeniably stunning during gameplay. The graphics of Shattered Space are breathtaking, with exceptional lighting that creates a photo-realistic effect in certain areas. Planet Va’ruun’kai emits a soft pink radiance, setting it apart from other planets in the Starfield universe, and there are numerous awe-inspiring vistas to take in.
In the Shattered Space expansion, I chose to have Andreja from House Va’ruun as my spouse. This decision opened up some exclusive dialogue options for me. Therefore, fans of Starfield might find it beneficial to include Andreja in their party during this DLC.
Occasionally, I was astonished by the visually stunning new regions in Starfield: Shattered Space, but at other moments, my engagement was marred by frustrating quest glitches that halted progression and peculiar graphical anomalies. The DLC is certainly unpredictable to put it mildly, and this is something Starfield enthusiasts should ponder over before investing $30 in the expansion.
A four-hour main quest priced at $30 seems quite expensive initially, however, the addition of new weapons and side quests might justify the expense for passionate Starfield enthusiasts who crave more content – provided that the technical issues are resolved, of course. It’s anticipated that future updates will make Shattered Space much easier to suggest, but until its major bugs and flaws are fixed, fans might be better off waiting.
Final Score: 5/10
The game titled “Starfield: Shattered Space” is currently accessible on PCs and Xbox Series X consoles. For the purpose of this review, Game Rant received an Xbox Series X access code.
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2024-10-03 00:35