So, Starfield was a disappointment (in my opinion). The story isn’t interesting. The lore and world-building do not make sense. The game mechanics do not mesh together. (And it doesn’t run well on the Steam Deck.)

But the promise of Starfield? The big space game? The big space RPG where you can play as Captain Reynolds type character? That’s something I can get behind. I want to traverse space, visit different planets, get lost, meet interesting characters, solve their problems, and shoot some stuff. Two games come to my mind when I think of this:

  • No Man’s Sky
  • Mass Effect

I’ve only played a few hours of No Man’s Sky, but I think it does space traversal well. To put it bluntly, flying from planet to planet without interruption is better than fast travel. But the gameplay loop did not

Mass Effect nails the space adventure side of things. You visit multiple interesting places, you meet different people with curious problems, and you solve these problems (mainly by shooting). But it’s a typical Bioware game: The places you visit are small and confined, and there are (comparatively) few of them. The space traversal is done by clicking a few buttons in a menu.

My question is: Are there any “big space games”? Are there any games that deliver on the promise of Starfield? What are your favourite sci-fi RPGs?

  • MojoMcJojo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    Still in early access, and not very pleasant to looking at first glance, but Ostronauts is a start from scratch go anywhere and solve problems space game. On my first play I was pulled over but the cops for salvaging without a license only for the cop to write me a ticket and then start flirting with me. I got his number. Make sure you can cover the cost of the ticket and docking fees before you dock or they won’t let you undock. Flight mechanics are very real and you quickly feel like your piloting a space jalopy. RPG system is great too. You unlock skills that level as you use them and need to repair components as they can break down. Slow development by I think one guy, but a work of love for sure.