Starfield Shattered Space Review: Evaluating the Cost of Bethesda’s Journey to Its Roots

2024/10/31

Shattered Space doesn’t represent a significant advancement for Starfield. On the planet Varuunkai, gravitational limitations restrict jump heights, which accounts for the tiny space shelters scattered about. This characteristic contributes to a sense of coherence in the environment, even if the overall world is not particularly vast—unless you plan to traverse its sweeping purple dunes. At best, it offers a similar experience to some of Starfield’s more engaging segments, while at worst, it resembles a polished Creation Club mod, complete with a handful of voice actors to elevate its lengthy exposition sequences.

Before I share my perspective on Shattered Space, it’s important to clarify my views on the original Starfield game. I found the procedural generation to be a significant misstep, diminishing Bethesda’s hallmark of creating beautifully handcrafted worlds. In this respect, Shattered Space attempts to revisit the traditional approach of Bethesda, featuring intentionally designed landscapes and strategically placed villages. Regrettably, the execution feels off, as if the developers have lost their touch.

Starfield Shattered Space: A Lesson in Following the Rails

Bethesda’s titles have long adhered to a power-fantasy narrative, sometimes to their detriment. In the Elder Scrolls series, players assume the role of a legendary figure tasked with resolving monumental crises. For instance, the Nerevarine in Morrowind is said to be the reincarnation of a revered hero, and the Last Dragonborn in Skyrim is believed to be a divine manifestation tasked with thwarting Alduin’s plot. Each protagonist’s journey ultimately leads to their mythologization as iconic figures—in the Shivering Isles, the hero reaches godhood by the end.

Dazra is no Vivec City (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

This narrative approach proved effective before the release of Oblivion, as players enjoyed genuine freedom to reshape the story. You had the option to disrupt the narrative threads of prophecy, such as eliminating crucial characters vital to the main quest. Essentially, the canon could be disregarded as fabrications by zealots, allowing players to carve out their own paths post-main campaign.

However, Shattered Space doesn’t fully embrace this freedom; you still play as the Starborn, with the world anticipating your intervention to restore order. This premise is evident in the disarray of the city of Dazra, recently shaken by an explosion that has displaced its governance into a separate realm.

An intriguing selling point in the Shattered Space trailers was the enigmatic House Varuun—an insular theocracy that remains disconnected from other networks. Surprisingly, the Varuun people quickly accept the player as one of their own. You gain expedited VIP entry to their initiation chambers just after arriving, and all for a mere $30 fee.

The narrative explanation suggests that you can hear the Phantom of Anasko, who serves as a communicator with the Great Serpent, while the rest of Dazra cannot. Such contrivances are expected in any conventional sci-fi narrative that Shattered Space aims to emulate, yet this undermines Dazra’s identity as a covert enclave filled with isolationists and reduces your role to that of an outsider with little need to earn their trust.

This sense of squandered potential became evident throughout my 10-hour playthrough of Starfield: Shattered Space. While it likely can be completed in much less time, I deliberately took a slower approach to weigh the DLC against my disinterest in the base game.

The one or two odd instances of funny dialogue can't overturn its linearity (Image via Bethesda Softworks) — The one or two odd instances of funny dialogue can’t overturn its linearity (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

I entered the game hoping to find echoes of Morrowind’s unique charm. I envisioned a landscape rich with factional conflicts akin to the turmoil among minor houses. However, this atmosphere is entirely absent. You’ll discover that attempting to eliminate members of house Ka’dic (the centrist faction) is futile; you cannot truly create chaos as an independent agent.

Many essential NPCs cannot be killed, providing only a temporary defeat option. This leads to frustration, particularly as your companion Andreja expresses her disapproval, leaving you to reload and conform to the established storyline. To appreciate Shattered Space, one must accept its rigid structure and go along with the flow.

Roleplaying opportunities in this expansion are minimal, relegated to basic character tweaks. The Serpent’s Embrace trait, for example, offers some exclusive dialogue options for certain Starborns, but it fails to yield unique outcomes.

While Fallout 4’s dialogue system allowed players to engage in earnest or sarcastic tones, Starfield supplements this with fanaticism for additional role-playing dimensions. This aligns with occasional companion comments during events, which provide a semblance of immersion but ultimately result in a superficial roleplaying experience.

Roid Rage, Phantom Menace, and Big Creatures

The DLC opens with a gripping space-horror scene showcasing a derelict ship adrift in the void. The Oracle’s predicament is revealed through audio logs, detailing an energy surge in the Varuun Capitol that activated their grave drive and turned part of the crew into Vortex Phantoms.

The opening makes Shattered Space look better than it is (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

This introduces three new enemy types. The first, the Redeemed, serves as a basic melee opponent with enhanced durability due to their voluntarily undergone “genetic experiments.”The second type, Vortex Phantoms, are frantic blue apparitions capable of teleporting, adding chaos to encounters.

He took the STR pill too far (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Lastly, the Vortex Horrors function as a jump scare in some interiors, resembling creatures that might inhabit an SCP vault—akin to Skyrim’s Chaurus, but supercharged and with skulls for kneecaps, making their legs vulnerable spots.

Collectively, these enemy types, while not groundbreaking, add a dash of intrigue to combat scenarios. However, the downside is their limited variety; other foes include rehashed space pirate adversaries.

A Town Too Small for Three Noble Houses

Dazra showcases Bethesda’s struggles to render dynamic, vibrant cities. Even within the scope of Starfield, where locations like New Atlantis have already underwhelmed, Varuunkai falls short as the first “hand-crafted”planet in the game.

However, credit is due for the attempts to create a believable map. Varuunkai exhibits some self-sufficiency, featuring seaweed and Groat farms, refineries, and power stations. The issue lies in the limited number of points of interest—roughly two dozen—which makes exploring off the main path less rewarding. Shattered Space represents a notable downgrade compared to recent standards, such as those established by Fallout 76. Fans of Starfield may find enjoyment in the outskirts of Dazra, but it likely won’t win over anyone who isn’t already captivated by Bethesda’s NASA-punk narrative.

Shattered Space is a looker at times, too bad there's not enough to look into (Image via Bethesda Softworks) — Shattered Space is a looker at times, too bad there’s not enough to look into (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Readers by now should grasp the central issue with Shattered Space: it fails to warrant its $30 price tag. Though high-quality moments exist, they lack consistent execution. Numerous dialogues are presented, yet not all capture attention effectively. Players can complete the main quests in approximately five to six hours, culminating in a somewhat entertaining showdown at the Scaled Citadel, alongside an array of side quests that vary from mildly engaging to unnecessary.

From a narrative standpoint, Shattered Space misses the mark with several missed opportunities. The origins of a Vortex Phantom signify a journey of madness, a point made explicit in The Oracle. Unfortunately, this is yet another aspect left unexplored.

The political tension and power struggles among the three Varuunkai Houses are muddled by the pressing need to unify them during a crisis. The resolution feels rushed, as players are left with a binary choice between a pacifist and a radicalized faction, a decision that bears no real consequences as the story wraps up shortly thereafter—a classic Bethesda way to conclude, where you orchestrate the outcomes for every faction you’ve assisted.

This critique does not aim to belittle the work of Bethesda’s art team. Shattered Space endeavors to present a NASA-punk aesthetic within a retro-futuristic theocracy. While Varuunkai boasts a unique visual identity, many details are overshadowed by the pervasive purple haze. However, the planet does feature monastic ruins scattered across the dunes and the opulent gold interiors of house Ka’dic, which lend charm. Although wildlife and geological diversity may be limited in this DLC, the landscape still holds a reasonable degree of allure.

While opinions on visual appeal differ, it’s difficult to claim that Shattered Space stands as the pinnacle of design within Starfield, given the lack of variety.

The Conclusion: A Craving for Quality Add-ons

It’s clear that Starfield hasn’t proven to be a landmark achievement for Bethesda, and Shattered Space does little to alter that perspective. This return to the principles of handcrafted exploration results in a barely adequate environment meant for a fleeting experience. Its pricing, exceeding that of Fallout 4’s Far Harbor, feels unjustifiable, especially in light of comparisons to Cyberpunk’s Phantom Liberty that only highlight its shortcomings.