May has been a rocky month for Microsoft and their flagship Xbox Series X console. The poorly-received release of Redfall stirred up feelings of dissatisfaction directed towards the console’s first party titles. With that in mind, all eyes have shifted to Xbox’s next big exclusive release: Bethesda’s Starfield. Now, the official Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating has shed light on previously unknown details about the hotly anticipated game.
Starfield director Todd Howard has previously described the game as “Skyrim in space”. It is Bethesda’s first new IP in more than 25 years and uses Creation Engine 2, the latest version of the engine behind Skyrim and Fallout 4.
Starfield takes place in the 24th century in an area of space called “The Settled Systems” that exists in a state of uncertain peace after a war between factions 20 years before the start of the game. You play as a space explorer who is a member of a group called Constellation. Like Skyrim and Fallout before it, Starfield is an action role-playing game with a heavy emphasis on exploration and narrative.
The ESRB provides age and content ratings for video games in North America. The official rating for Starfield is Mature 17+. It has received this rating because it includes blood, strong language, suggestive themes, use of drugs, and violence.
The ESRB’s rating summary explains that “players assume the role of a miner tasked with finding Artifacts across the galaxy.” It reveals that Starfield can be played either a first or third person perspective and that “players interact with various characters, complete quests, and search for supplies while battling enemies (e.g., humans, robots, alien creatures)”.
The combat is described as “fast-paced” with “frequent gunfire, cries of pain, and explosions.” Weapons include “futuristic guns, lasers, axes, and explosives”. Attacking certain types of enemies triggers blood-splatter effects and the ground around corpses can be stained with blood.
The ESRB’s description confirms that it is possible to sleep with characters in the game and makes reference to a few lines of suggestive dialogue. These include: “Life is a sexually transmitted disease that’s a hundred percent fatal”, and “I’m all for getting a little wild, but next time let’s try it without the jetpacks”.
Like Fallout‘s Jet, Starfield also has its own trademark illicit drug. The substance, called Aurora, is “prominent in the game, with a section involving players’ characters working in an illicit drug lab”. The drug can be bought or stolen from vendors and creates a visual “distortion effect” when taken.
More details about the game are expected to be revealed at the upcoming Starfield Direct event scheduled for 11 June 2023.
What do you think to these new details about Starfield? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
