Games you're looking forward to

[Antimatter]

The Game Awards showed a few good games I'm looking forward to (Hades 2, Death Stranding 2, etc), but there is one smaller project that I'd like to highlight here:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden by DONTNOD Entertainment - an action RPG



"The trailer above doesn't show a lot of gameplay footage, but it confirms a third-person perspective, and a baddie that has a similar vibe to Dark Souls' Hollows. There are two playable protagonists in lovers Antea and Red: the former uses "spiritual powers" (note how she can spectrally teleport in the gameplay snippet), while the latter uses good ol' fashioned offensive weaponry.

These lovers were ghost-hunters, which means they once roamed the world protecting "the living from the threat of lingering ghosts and specters". But Antea has fallen afoul of some curse, which has turned her into a spirit. Thus, she and Red go on an adventure to try to reverse her plight."

Life is Strange studio announces action RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

It releases on Steam in 2023.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Antimatter]

Stumbled upon it today and I'm curious how this one will develop:

A cleric and a goblin work together to solve a mystery in an urban weird fantasy world. Uses D&D 5E rules, and has plenty of Planescape: Torment and Disco Elysium in its DNA.

"In ESOTERIC EBB (by Christoffer Bodegård) you're a ridiculous cleric on a divine mission. Unravel a political web of incompetency as you delve deep into this ancient city full of devils, drunk sphinxes, and all manner of fantastical fools."



From the FAQ:

What's the current state of development?

In October of 2022 I finished the so-called 'DEMO' of Esoteric Ebb. This was a broad vertical slice -- a proof of concept -- containing ten unique characters, 50k words of dialog, two short quests, and one encounter. I am currently looking to pursue a full production of Esoteric Ebb.

Who am I?

I'm Chris! I'm a writer and game developer from Sweden. I've worked on a handful of titles in my career and I wrote my master's thesis on the topic of agency in dynamic dialog choices in interactive narratives. Don't look it up, it's terrible.

Why call it a 'Disco-like'?

The development of EBBRPG (as it is known internally) began in 2018 as an attempt to make another spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment actually. When Disco arrived in 2019 with its sexy vertical dialog box, open-ended interactive design, and talking skill system, I knew I wanted this to be a future path for the genre. So I took my old design and merged it with elements of Disco.So then I've been calling Ebb a 'Disco-like'. Will I keep calling it that? Who knows. Using a trendsetting game to codify genres has been a staple of games since... Pong? Doom? I don't know. It's old. But I honestly don't care about labels, Disco-like is just catchier than 'Non-combat focused text-heavy talking skill system RPG'. For now at least.

Isn't that a Point and Click Adventure game?

Oh, yeah! Right, I mean, sure. Esoteric Ebb is a Point and Click adventure game. Or an RPG. Or both. Fun!

 

[Cahir]

The games I'm looking forward to in 2023 are (the order is random) :

• Starfield - I was following the development of Starfield for a long time, and whole the gameplay reveal shared by Bethesda couple of weeks was a little bit underwhelming, I realised that my expectations of this game are very realistic, which is why I was not as disappointed as some of us. I can say simply, without any shame, that I want a Fallout in space. If I get anything beyond that (and I don't loose my hair because of usual Bethesda's, buggy release), I will be one happy panda.
• Hogwarts Legacy - I admit, I am a fan of Harry Potter. Not a fanboy, but a fan. I read the whole HP saga and watched all movies (some even numerous times, since they are often to be watched on TV). Unfortunately my PC may not handle the specs, so I plan to wait for couple of patches, that may or may not optimized potential issues and use a Steam refund option in case my PC won't handle it in satisfactionary performance and graphics.
• Baldur's Gate 3 - I already purchased it, but avoid playing Early Access to not spoil the story. I played a bit of first location (illithid crashed ship), just to see character creation and general look and it looks and feels very promising. It does resemble Divinity Original 2 in quite a few things, but I cannot say it's simply a clone, a Divinity Original Sin 3 set in Forgotten Realms of 5ed era.
• Gothic Remake - I am not sure if this game is planned to be released this year but I realised today, this may my entry point to Gothic franchise. I have never played Gothic game, but Gothic 1 and Gothic 2 is almost revered in my country, which is kind of phenomenon, because it's not that popular worldwide. In current state both games are too dated for me to enjoy it, mostly because of graphics and clumsy, archaic controls, but if this remake improved the gameplay (and this is a perfect occasion to do it) it may be oje of the games I'll try.
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage - mostly because I'm spoiled by Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla. I know Mirage won't be an open world game and it's rather a homage to first AC games (mostly to AC1), but that's completely OK, because I absolutely loved Assassin's Creed II (the whole Ezio's trilogy, in fact).

Here are the games that were not announced and are most definitely not in the works, so treat it more like a dream list:

• Alpha Protocol (remake or sequel) - as I wrote in other thread, I would die to play Alpha's Protocol remake or sequel. Despite it's messy quality state this was a game that cannot be forgotten. Not something that can be played today without losing sanity, I'm afraid.
• Arcanum (remake or sequel) - another underrated game that I remember fondly. Also a buggy (not as buggy as Alpha Protocol), but truly unique experience with memorable characters snd very interesting mix of steampunk and magic.
• Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines 2 - I know it's in development, but it's so messy and full of controversy that I really don't know what to expect from it, thus putting in on the dreamlist category. Original gem was truly a masterpiece (albeit again, buggy mess) that I still remember fondly. Played it with a Malkavian and Nosfetatu clan member and it truly felt like completely different experience.
• Planescape Torment game - I'd like to play a true heir of PST, but in the same Planescape setting. I played Tides of Numenera, and while it felt like PST, I realised the major part of PST's appeal was its setting. Planescape is truly unique place to visit, with its unique characters and style. In my case a good potion of delight was truly masterpiece Polish version, which in 1999 was something that, hasn't been seen yet.

 

[Cahir]

I'm glad for you if you can happily look forward to it, but I disagree with your choice of words, because "realistic" is a very subjective term. If you mean you didn't expect much more than they offered, fair enough.
If I define "realistic" as "what can be expected compared to other games released or to be released in recent times that have been in development for so long and have a similar budget and marketing" and also if you naming your expectations as realistic means mine aren't, then it's a different issue.

Of course, what I meant is totally subjective expectation. I played many Bethesda games (Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and Fallout 4) and only Morrowind managed to surprise me, mainly because it was the first Bethesda game I have played. All other games I could usually describe as "bigger and better (well, not always, but this was developers' goal, I assume). With Starfield, I expect exactly that: "bigger and better", plus in this case "space" which is just cherry on top. I didn't imply anything bad about people who expect this game to be on par (both story and gameplay wise) with the best titles available on the market. This is what I meant about "realistic expectations". I'm perfectly at peace this game would not aspire to GOTY, and that's fine. *To me,* it doesn't need to. If I have more fun than playing Fallout 4, that's perfectly enough for me.

From what I read (not sure if it's true) Starfield testers were impressed by the scale of the game and generally very positive about the game, so despite a little underwhelming gameplay reveal, I still think Howard & co. will deliver.

 

[Antimatter]

Age of Wonders 4 was announced yesterday, with release date of 2 May, 2023 (very soon).

Strategy sequel Age Of Wonders 4 hops out of a magic portal onto PC in May

Magic’s making a comeback when fantasy strategy sequel Age Of Wonders 4 arrives on Steam on May 2nd, devs Triumph Studios have revealed.

www.rockpapershotgun.com

I haven't played previous AoW games for some reason but it looks quite interesting. Did anyone play these? A bit similar to HoMM games where you select a main hero, acquire items/gear, research spells, have turn-based party combat, and kill independents for loot and income buildings.

 

[Cahir]

I haven't played previous AoW games for some reason but it looks quite interesting. Did anyone play these? A bit similar to HoMM games where you select a main hero, acquire items/gear, research spells, have turn-based party combat, and kill independents for loot and income buildings.

I played two AoW games when I was young. I liked them a lot, I think they were more complex than HoMM3, but not as addictive. Actually, AoW4 is going under my radar. I haven't played a strategy game in a long time and I do have Total War: Warhammer 1 & 2 (thanks Epic for sharing it for free!), but AoW4 could be another candidate to go back to this kind of games.

 

[BelgarathMTH]

Age of Wonders 4 was announced yesterday, with release date of 2 May, 2023 (very soon).

Strategy sequel Age Of Wonders 4 hops out of a magic portal onto PC in May

Magic’s making a comeback when fantasy strategy sequel Age Of Wonders 4 arrives on Steam on May 2nd, devs Triumph Studios have revealed.

www.rockpapershotgun.com

I haven't played previous AoW games for some reason but it looks quite interesting. Did anyone play these? A bit similar to HoMM games where you select a main hero, acquire items/gear, research spells, have turn-based party combat, and kill independents for loot and income buildings.

I've played AoW games. They're okay, but I never could get into them all that much. First of all, unlike the HoMM series, each installment radically changes the rules and the gameplay. The first three don't feel like continuing installments in the same game series to me. I'm not talking gradual evolution and complexification as happens with the HoMM series, but rather *completely* changing the entire gameplay from AoW1 to AoW2, to AoW3.

Part of the charm for HoMM to me is the simplicity of the base gameplay. AoW isn't like that. It's a significantly more complicated strategy game. It can be fun for people who are really into complicated strategy. Like most games, the best way to figure out if it's for you is to just try it, especially if you can get it on sale.

 

[Antimatter]

Stumbled upon this interview today:

Wayfinder Games and the ex-DICE devs trying to shake up RPGs

A few years ago, after a long day of working on Star Wars Battlefront or Battlefield, a group of EA DICE developers wou…

www.gamesindustry.biz

That's the first time I learned about Wayfinder Games, a studio founded in 2020 by Dennis Brännvall, previously creative director at DICE, and his partner Fia Tjernberg, previously studio director at DICE - as well as their joint friends Manne Ederyd and Adam Clark, who were also DICE alumni.

"We felt there are really good RPGs [made] in Eastern Europe and some are now popping up in the UK, but no one really in Northern Europe or Scandinavia [are making them]. We want to build the next great RPG studio in Northern Europe."

After years of working on shooters, the Wayfinder Games team veering into RPG territory seems more jarring, but Tjernberg emphasises the opportunity they see in this space.

"We have chosen to go into a genre that hasn't maybe seen as much innovation as we would hope," she says. "Pretty much all of us have worked at AAA, where the fanbase doesn't really want innovation. They want familiar, they want what they are used to from other games.

"Innovation is difficult because it's slow. It means we will test things and we will fail a lot and we need to learn from those failures and build something that's great out of that. Getting everyone into a mental state where failing is fun and part of the job, part of our success, I think, is the biggest challenge. But it's really fun."

Brännvall adds: "It's hard to look at our track record and know what to expect. It feels like a fresh canvas. I love playing isometric RPGs like Baldur's Gate and what have you, but I'm not sure whether loving a specific piece of a subgenre is enough to say 'I want to make something that's better than that.' They're already making Baldur's Gate 3. There isn't [a case] where I want to make more of the thing that I love."

"There's a lot of games that take inspiration from tabletop RPGs and D&D, but they try to translate either the ruleset or almost the exact feeling of putting a D20 animation into a video game because in D&D you'd resolve something with a D20 dice roll," Brännvall explains. "We want to make games where you feel that within your small community, you have your own version of our fictional universe that you are enjoying playing. [Two groups] might buy the same D&D adventure, but the nature of one group versus the other means that experience is going to be different.

"We are interested in persistent worlds and MMOs, but with private servers, where it's just you and your community enjoying this. It's not a massive thing with 10,000 people on a shard; it's your own personal Minecraft or Valheim server, game-structure wise."

This sounds like a new NWN-like product, but not strictly DnD-based.

 

[WarChiefZeke]

"We are interested in persistent worlds and MMOs, but with private servers, where it's just you and your community enjoying this. It's not a massive thing with 10,000 people on a shard; it's your own personal Minecraft or Valheim server, game-structure wise."

This sounds like a new NWN-like product, but not strictly DnD-based.

I like the idea of this a lot, if you can create the game world with an easy to use toolset in the same vein as NWN. Don't see the same appeal, necessarily, otherwise.

MMOs have a lot of underexplored narrative potential. My favorite questline in any gave ever made is from the original Everquest, revolving around the story of a prismatic dragon known as Kerafyrm the Sleeper. Prismatic dragons in Everquest lore are a cross between dragons of different colors, and much more powerful than any other forms of dragon. The creation of one was against draconic law and Kerafyrm, though tolerated for a time, was ultimately too aggressive and proud for his own good and was locked in eternal sleep by the draconic council. Kerafyrm's parents were the original two raid bosses of Everquest, a red male dragon and a blue female dragon (forget their names.)

The awakening of Kerafyrm was a one-time deal. If awoken, he would charge across the lands, killing everything in his path, until he reaches the one who imprisoned him, kills him, and leaves the game forever. Once this is done he can never be found again and his dungeon, full of incredibly powerful artifacts found nowhere else, can never be seen again. It is also technically possible to kill Kerafyrm before he reaches his goal if you have a small army.

If you want to do this questline yourself as close to the original as possible Project 1999 has a new server that, as of yet, I don't think has completed the task. Otherwise you can create a private server and run multiple characters at a time. Invite me if you do this!

I want something that really pushes this to the maximum possible extent. Towns wiped off the game map. Events that change the lands forever. World shaking events that are actually permanent and real. You have to be there or you just miss it. Time moves on.

 

[shmity72]

OK. Thanks a lot! lol

I just installed AoW III and now I have to give it a go. I recall the old age of wonders from forever ago. Should be fun.

 

[Antimatter]

A new game has been announced with the following tags: RPG; Isometric. Excited? EXCITED!



"The Thaumaturge is a story-driven RPG with morally ambiguous choices, taking place in the culturally diverse world of early 20th century Warsaw. In this world, Salutors exist: esoteric beings that only Thaumaturges can truly perceive and use for their needs."

The Steam page.

 

[Antimatter]

A new open-world game has arrived! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1496590/Tchia/

An upcoming game from the small studio Awaceb, Tchia, is getting tremendous praise from media outlets.

Tchia review

Explore a beautiful tropical island as a little kid with magic powers.

www.pcgamer.com

"How can I convince you to play Tchia? By telling you it has a lush, startling beauty comparable to Sea of Thieves and a more satisfying treasure map sidequest than Red Dead Redemption 2? How about the open world exploration and stronghold invasions of Far Cry 3 but with Breath of the Wild's glider and a protagonist you'll actually love? Maybe by telling you the world is full of collectibles and trophies and highly original minigames that all serve a real purpose besides simply making a number on a menu screen go up?

Tell you what: I'll even throw in one of the most enjoyable in-game cameras and photo modes I've ever seen, plus a ukulele that can be used to summon creatures, change the weather and time of day, and, oh yeah, play real music. Do we have a deal?...

The island itself is beautifully and convincingly brought to life. The developers, Awaceb, are from New Caledonia, and the voice acting and music—the game is entirely in the languages of French and Drehu—are performed by New Caledonian locals as well. I knew very little about New Caledonia before playing Tchia, and I'm sure I still don't know all that much, but I can't think of the last time I played a game made with so much obvious love for a real place and its community.

Tchia (the game) is a delight, an enchanting world filled with adventure, excitement, beauty, physics-driven fun, and lots of charming characters, none moreso than Tchia (the kid) herself. She may throw her soul haphazardly into crabs, birds, fish, and coconuts, but her heart always stays right where it is."

Most Open-World Games Feel Samey, But This One's Got Heart

Tchia can sometimes feel rough around the edges, but it’s got a lot of love at its center

kotaku.com

"More often than not, open-world games grind against my own gaming sensibilities. I’m the type of person who’s very goal- and narrative-oriented, so the simple act of existing in a world can sometimes feel meandering—no amount of clearing dots off a giant map will hit the same as a crafted, linear experience.

But Tchia is one of the rare exceptions where, just as I’m about to get annoyed at how long it’s taking to traverse its tropical island world, the sunset’s light hits the water just right as my raft is passing over it, forcing me to stop and take in the view. In this moment of clarity, I realize that, despite some ongoing friction, I’m happy to be in this world."

Tchia Review - A heartfelt adventure on the high seas

Tchia is here, providing a good and joyous open-world to explore along with a story of plenty of heart and brilliant vibes.

checkpointgaming.net

"Tchia provides a vibrant and enjoyable world to explore. Soul jumping into an animal or object to move about is an incredible mechanic that allows for creativity, experimentation, and improvisation. Sailing among the waves is mesmerising in colour and imagery, as is the thick jungle and wildlife that also awaits. What’s more refreshing is the open-world formula the game offers that doesn’t daunt you, only rewarding you for however much you choose to engage with it. Tchia may have the occasional bug on PC and a rocky and overly accelerated last quarter of a story, but remaining throughout is a narrative and world with heart, love, and a feeling of home. For that alone, this is a game well worth taking to the high seas for."

 

[Antimatter]

Wartales by Shiro Games received a full release date: April 12th, marking the end of the Early Access period.



It's an open-world RPG in which you lead a group of mercenaries in their search for wealth across a massive medieval universe. Here is one of its numerous positive Steam user reviews:

"I am a fan of this genre. I have played Divinty series, Solasta and on. But this game has so many original ideas. Some of them really works for me. You don't have initiative of the characters in the fight that means you can arrange the order of the turns of your characters. With this mechanic you have a countless number of strategies with your fights (con: fights takes much more time).

The thing is you can not decide if you need to recruit new members to your team or not. You can add up tens of characters to your team and you have to decide when or who. Kill cams are such a nice touch!"

 

[MisterBobbyPin]

I've got a few this year alone:
Starfield- It
Alan Wake 2
Lies Of P
Ravenlock
Stalker 2

That's all the ones I can think of right now.

 

[MisterBobbyPin]

I have to admit I had to google Alan Wake 2 (and Stalker 2). I have very little experience with shooters, and none with survival horror games.
What's the experience like, the feeling of what you need to do, when you drop into a survival horror game? Are there patterns that are similar in different games of that type?

I know that's not very specific questions...

Alan Wake was more of a acid trip than a horror game tbh. It's a really weird game, but it was a good game. Survival horror is far too wide a genre for me to really say anything about patterns, but Alan Wake isn't really like any other game I know off. Stalker 2 is basically just like Dead Island, or Dying Light.

 

[Antimatter]

I got hooked by Control, the previous game by Remedy. It has an expansion related to Alan Wake (and nicely done), so I was really interested to check Alan Wake 1 one day. As for Alan Wake 2, I'm still unsure. Remedy is one of the companies I follow closely now, but Alan Wake 2 will be a full horror game, and I usually don't play those (and don't watch horror movies as instead of scaring me they make me laugh).

I'm not sure Stalker 2 will be released this year though due to the geopolitical situation and war.

 

[Antimatter]

Stray Gods. After their trailer release last week, and having watched the VOD of their live show (posted in the Music thread), I'm sold.

That's what David Gaider has to say: "Back when I worked at BioWare, the marketing team once thought it would be a grand idea to show off some of the romance dialogues with Morrigan, also without context, in order to sell the “new” romance features in Dragon Age: Origins. It landed much as you’d expect: like a lead balloon. Plus, I had this lingering notion that a live demonstration of our songs might feel somehow too earnest and cringeworthy.

Liam and Meredith were undeterred by my pessimism, however, and pushed forward. More surprisingly, to me, was that our publishers at Humble Games were also excited by the idea. This was going to happen. What’s more, we were going to use the event to reveal our new trailer as well as our August 3rd release date. Surely, I thought, this isn’t how games go about doing this sort of thing?

And it’s not. But, then, Stray Gods isn’t your usual kind of game. First and foremost, it’s about performance… and isn’t that exactly the sort of thing that would go over well in a live venue?

<...>

There is, after all, something magical about making something you love and then putting it out there. You’ve had years to see all the issues, all the compromises and the things that could have been better. You’ve heard every song a thousand times, from back when it had scratch track and vocals right up to the dozens of recording sessions with the actors and the point where a live orchestra played them for the first time. That’s not what everyone else sees and hears. To them, this is exactly the kind of joy I’d imagined way back when Liam and I first conjured this idea in the first place.

If anything, this event made me anticipate what it’ll be like in August."

OK, So I Was Wrong — Summerfall Studios

“Absolutely not.” That’s what I initially told Liam and Meredith, our Director of Marketing, when they proposed the idea of a live event at the beginning of this year, showcasing some of our cast singing songs from the game. The initial idea was to have it happen at GDC or shortly thereafter, and m

www.summerfallstudios.com

I recommend watching that 1 hour of performance and Q&A to get a better understanding of what the game will be like. They explained about red, green and blue choices affecting songs, similar to good and evil options in RPGs, but instead: red as aggressive, green as diplomatic, and blue as smart tones.

 

[Antimatter]

The Game Awards showed a few good games I'm looking forward to (Hades 2, Death Stranding 2, etc), but there is one smaller project that I'd like to highlight here:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden by DONTNOD Entertainment - an action RPG



"The trailer above doesn't show a lot of gameplay footage, but it confirms a third-person perspective, and a baddie that has a similar vibe to Dark Souls' Hollows. There are two playable protagonists in lovers Antea and Red: the former uses "spiritual powers" (note how she can spectrally teleport in the gameplay snippet), while the latter uses good ol' fashioned offensive weaponry.

These lovers were ghost-hunters, which means they once roamed the world protecting "the living from the threat of lingering ghosts and specters". But Antea has fallen afoul of some curse, which has turned her into a spirit. Thus, she and Red go on an adventure to try to reverse her plight."

Life is Strange studio announces action RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

It releases on Steam in 2023.

www.pcgamer.com

This game got a gameplay reveal trailer yesterday.



From Rock Paper Shotgun:

"Too many games are about a guy with a dead wife, but at least this time the dead wife is a playable magical ghost. The two lead characters of Banishers are Red Mac Raith and Antea Duarte, who have seemingly been on a mission to rid the world of ghosts for a while before the story begins. Things went awry on their previous mission, which is what led to Antea now being a ghost herself, and now you're setting out to find some way to get revenge and make Antea fleshy again. Although in the meantime you'll make use of Antea's new spirit powers, and Red's weapons, to continue fighting lots of specters.

There's plenty of combat in the trailer above, but Banishers is from Don't Nod, seemingly operating in their Vampyr mode, and so there are story-changing moral decisions to make as well in the "spare" or "sacrifice" vein. I'll place a bet now on, if you 'spare' too many other ghosts, then Ghost Wife can't ultimately be brought back to life. Or, oh, she can't be brought back without Red sacrificing himself, lest you spare the other ghosts. That'll be it."

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden shows more of its tragic supernatural romance

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden is about a guy and his dead wife, but hey, at least the dead wife is a playable magical g…

www.rockpapershotgun.com

I personally think the gameplay reminded me of The Witcher 3 a bit.

 

[Skatan]

I watched the whole vid released by Bethesda about Starfield and I gotta admit I got quite a lot more interested than I was previously. I does look gorgeous, though I doubt my comp can make it as pretty as the monsters they likely use for the showcase videos. I ain't normally into base building, basically skipped it completely in FO4, but here it look better integrated, more immersive in a way. The fights look better now too than those horrid ones they showcased previously. The enemies still look like static dolls waiting to die though, but perhaps that was more because of skill of the player. But overall it looks enjoyable, albeit very "safe" in a way that though it pushes the boundaries w.r.t. environments, it looks very standard for actual gameplay.

 

[Cahir]

I watched the whole vid released by Bethesda about Starfield and I gotta admit I got quite a lot more interested than I was previously. I does look gorgeous, though I doubt my comp can make it as pretty as the monsters they likely use for the showcase videos. I ain't normally into base building, basically skipped it completely in FO4, but here it look better integrated, more immersive in a way. The fights look better now too than those horrid ones they showcased previously. The enemies still look like static dolls waiting to die though, but perhaps that was more because of skill of the player. But overall it looks enjoyable, albeit very "safe" in a way that though it pushes the boundaries w.r.t. environments, it looks very standard for actual gameplay.

I rewatched Starfield Direct more closely and with the comprehensive deep dive into the gameplay, I can now safely assess how I feel about this game:

• Story, narrative and NPCs - Bethesda always lacked on this field comparing to other big studios, like Bioware, Rockstar or CD Projekt and I get the feeling this won't change in Starfield... Although there wasn't much told about the story and narrative to be 100% certain of that... it's precisely the reason why I think it won't be much of an improvement vs previous games. Developers present in this video talked about gameplay mechanic they like and are proud of, but none of them mentioned story or narrative. It's clear the team's focus was on exploration and all other mechanics that will boost the feeling of exploration. There is a slight chance it was only briefly mentioned to avoid spoilers, but I honestly don't think that's the reason. I think Todd and Bethesda team don't think the story is the most important aspect of crpg they create. Also, the NPCs were mentioned briefly and the ones we saw as potential companions were very conservative. There will be romance options, but from the single dialogue I've heard, I wish there would be none... Yeah, this point is my biggest concern about Starfield, that it would be just a gigantic sandbox without the main force to push you forward.
• Visuals - Bethesda always kind of fall behind other studios when it comes to the visuals. It was always good or very good, but never cutting edge. They stick to their Creation Engine like forever, and I basically came to terms that Starfield would fall into the same trap, especially after the last year trailer. BUT... I very much liked what I saw on this newest gameplay reveal! It looks sharp, consistent and the lighting really does a great job. The UI is minimalistic, but very clean, which fits the whole sci-fi punk vibe. Graphics are not super realistic as in RDR2 or CP2077, mostly because of specific art style, Bethesda is known for, but everything is super detailed, textures are sharp, design of locations or starships is great. I must say, this is looking much better than a year ago.
• Exploration - when I learned a year ago that Starfield comes with 1000 procedurally generated planets, I was very skeptical, that Bethesda will fall into a trap of 90% of them being dull and just time suckers. But, knowing that most of them will serve as a resource generator and from what I understood, you won't be able to walk around the whole planets, only the area nearby landing zones, I'm more comfortable that this wouldn't get boring too fast. And from what I saw, planets will differ substantially one from another, so there should always be a thrill of an unknown, while visiting those.
• Combat - although combat was always on a bit of a clunky side in Bethesda's games, especially Fallout games, and the combat showcase last year was also far from exciting, what Todd and the team have shown us during Starfield Direct was very good! Yes, the death animations are simple, and you don't feel the ecstatic joy of fun ragdoll deaths, but from what we saw you can kill enemies in countless different ways - classic gun blazing style, grenade maniac style, stealth assassin style, hell... you can even hit them from above from your jetpack or crush them bare handed if you pick the right feat. Really positively surprised with this showcase.
• Starships upgrade and base building - I was never a fan of base building in Fallout 4. The idea was super fun, but the execution was flawed. The way you had to clip the walls one to another was very tedious and took away the joy of building. Here, with the top-down camera and the "plug in" mechanic, this really look super easy and convenient. The fact that additional parts of the ship don't only change its statistics and the aesthetic look outside, but also give additional space to explore on the inside is fantastic. And the look of the ship interior is really detailed and feels like home. I had a big Mass Effect vibes (at least when it comes to ship exploration).
• Space travel - I never really played the true space simulator, as Elite Dangerous or the like (except a bit of No Man's Sky), because it always felt a bit intimidating. But it seems that you won't be able to fly freely (I think?) in real time, and you won't need to land manually each time on the new planet. There will be a lot of space to explore from your starship cockpit, but I don't think you will be able to fly in real time from one planet to another distant planet, because this would be a tedious journey. Instead, you would use your grav drive to quickly go there. What's great is you need to upgrade your drive to be able to fly to more distant planets, so it's not like the whole galaxy is opened to you from the beginning.

All in all, I think it would be a mix of previous Bethesda games, where I see also a heavy inspiration from No Man's Sky, Mass Effect, maybe Halo. I truly believe this will be another hit from Bethesda, that people will play as long as Skyrim, but... this will be hardly a game that will win players that didn't like their previous games. This is a big evolution, but Todd's core philosophy, giant playground to make everything you want, is preserved, and the narrative, story and NPCs are hidden in the second or even third plan. This will be 10/10 or 5/10 depending on who will play the game.