Starfield Shattered Space throws out everything we loved about the original game

STARFIELD was expected to be one of the biggest games of 2023, coming from Bethesda, the developer that made Skyrim.

Bethesda had promised fans an expansive open world similar to its previous games but set out in space.

Starfield was fairly well received, but compared to Bethesda’s previous works, fans felt it was a disappointment.

It still found a dedicated fan base, and these people were excited to try out the first major expansion, Shattered Space.

However, it’s been about a week since the DLC’s release and the outlook isn’t good.

Shattered Space takes place entirely on one planet, which fans thought would give them a break from the endless planet-hopping of the base game.

Not only is it on one planet, but also a tiny part of that planet in what feels like a desperate backpedal from Bethesda.

People complained about Starfield’s procedural generation, and so everything in Shattered Space is apparently handcrafted, but only four hours long.

These changes don’t play to Starfield’s strengths, and there was a lot to love about the base game.

There isn’t any space combat or a single piece of customisation for its ship; things that led to Starfield’s most memorable moments.

Shattered Space puts the space to one side to focus on a single faction quest that promises to reveal the secrets behind Starfield’s most mysterious race.

These people worship a giant space snake, but the DLC seems as if it doesn’t want to offend the members of this made-up religion.

This leads to some tedious writing with extremely boring characters. Most scenes are finding a person, listening to them talking at length and then repairing the process.

Missions can only be started after around 20 minutes of preamble, which feels like it should have been cut.

The choices are also very surface-level, and while it seems to follow three branching paths, by the end you’ll notice they didn’t make a difference.

One of the main issues is that it feels self-contained like it doesn’t relate at all to things you do in the base game.

The lack of new loot also means that you’re not incentivised to play more after you finish the main quest.

There are six new weapons, including one that emits explosive electric orbs, and another one that is a handheld plasma minigun.

But with just a few new enemies, they’re not particularly fun to use.

The side quests do feel worth doing, and one rewards you with a legendary armor set, and beyond that there is a wider star system to explore.

However, unlike the effort that has gone into Dazra, these are procedurally generated.

Shattered Space is a very limited expansion that betrays what made Starfield great.

You’re stuck in just a few square miles, and though you can leave at any time, this is the purpose of the DLC.

It takes the wrong lessons from the mistakes of Starfield, and steers rapidly in the opposite direction.

If you want to read more about recent games, check out our Metaphor: ReFantazio review.