Summary
Main quests aren’t often the primary draw of a Bethesda RPG, with many fans finding most of their playtime in each game’s sandbox defined by the side content and moment-to-moment gameplay. That said,Starfieldhas a great main story questline that kills two birds with one stone by acclimating players to each of the game’s many systems while serving an engaging and rewarding tale surrounding the discovery and analysis of some mysterious artifacts. Not only does Constellation’s mission to track down the artifacts helpStarfieldshine as a contender for the Bethesda game with the best main storyline, it’s also a fitting template for the nextMass Effectto use.
The originalMass Effectalmost immediately introduced players to the Protheans and their strange artifacts, causing protagonist Commander Shepard to have a life-altering vision detailing a mass extinction event. Although the first game in the series sees Shepard slowly unravel the meaning of the vision and discover the existence of the Reapers, the next twoMass Effecttitles dive headlong into the actions of Shepard and his crew toward preventing the destruction of galactic civilization.Starfield’s slow-burn mystery exhibits the same spirit of discovery and revelation present in the firstMass Effecttitle, and it’s absolutely something that thenext game in BioWare’sMass Effectseriesshould embrace wholeheartedly.
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Starfield’s Space Is a Frontier Rife With Discoveries
Players enter the world ofStarfieldand its Settled Systems at a time when life in the established galaxy is in full-swing. The United Colonies represent a governmental body maintaining order and peace in the galaxy, there’s several bustling cities and settlements across dozens of star systems, and life (for the most part) doesn’t seem drastically different from that on Earth. However, withinthe world ofStarfieldare several characters who call to mind the spirit of discovery inherent in the historic Age of Exploration.
Principal among these is the Constellation group that the player joins in the game’s opening moments. Despite all the advancements made toward sustaining human life in the galaxy, Constellation is eager to discover what else lies beyond the fringes of Settled Space. This spirit of exploration is what leads to the discovery of the first artifact, and it’s the continued location and analysis of these artifacts that acts as the crux ofStarfield’s main quest. At its core,Starfieldis a game about deciphering not only the mysteries of space but the mysteries of existence itself, and that mystery propels the player forward in a way that makes each new revelation an additional rewarding thread to unravel.
Mass Effect 4 Could Embrace the Unknown Like Starfield
It was almost a given thatStarfieldwould receive its fair share of comparisons withMass Effect,since each game takes the RPG format into a fully-realized sci-fi world. While there’s room for debate regarding which game intheMass Effectseriesstands as the best in the franchise, it’s hard to argue against how the originalMass Effectlays an incredibly compelling narrative foundation for one of the best narrative sagas in an RPG. Whatever revelations lay in store for players inMass Effect 2and3, none of them would carry any weight without the heavy lifting accomplished by the first game.
Perhaps the most important part of the originalMass Effect’s storytelling is its use of mystery and intrigue to dangle the proverbial carrot in front of players, andStarfield’s main story accomplishes something similar by stringing players along to decipher its artifacts. ThenextMass Effectgamemay have the future of the franchise resting on its shoulders. In terms of how the game can both meet and exceed the heights of the original trilogy, perhaps a return to the sense of discovery and mystery at the heart of the first title (andStarfield) is the answer.
Starfieldis available now in early access launch for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
