I have consumed Starfield's universe and it tastes of whole milk and cinnamon
Bethesda literally fed us their space adventure at Gamescom
"What's better than gazing at the Milky Way?", asks Bethesda. The answer? "Savouring it as well." That's right folks, I may not have laid my hands on big Todd's mega RPG Starfield, but I've actually tasted its universe, in the form of a promotional drink handed out at Gamescom. It’s composed of cinnamon and stardust, with the boundless expanse of space taking on the form of a grey liquid goop. I’ve got to admit, I think it makes for an excellent beverage, and could perhaps have elicited more excitement from me than the game itself will on release.
I was handed space drink on the way into a 30-minute Starfield presentation, so I’ll get this out of the way now: yes, Starfield's opening was tremendously grey! To be honest, I didn't really see anything new in it, aside from some lady who barked orders at some folks mining rocks and then our character stumbling into one of magic slabs crucial to the story. Then we moved onto a bunch of activities we'd seen before spliced from past reveals: the character creator; matey who gives you a spaceshipp; landing at New Atlantis, the same vista, the same restaurant; a fight with some bandits.
Maybe the most enjoyable bit of the presentation was when the player sidled up to a guy and nicked a sandwich from his plate, with the guy responding with something along the lines of, “Hey I was going to eat that!”. But having bought the hype at their Summer Geoff Fest showcase and expecting to be wowed even further, I left the theatre a bit cold on Starfield, to be honest.
Then again, I dredged up the cinnamon stardust bottle of Starfield drink from the bottom of my backpack after a long day’s motoring around the Koelnmesse. Try and picture a day of bouncing between appointments where there’s little to no lumbar support. Just lots of square stools and curling your back towards screens and talking to lovely devs in humid conditions, emerging like a boiled shrimp. Now picture me cracking open a bottle that contained Starfield’s entire universe and taking a swig and thinking, “Cor this is a bit of me”, as my body uncurled itself on a generous Premier Inn sofa.
It turns out that space tastes like whole milk mixed with cinnamon. The Moon, Mars, the CEX opposite the Greggs, the fucking Wind In The Willows, all of the universe’s core components meld together into a grey syrup of surprisingly thin consistency. You’d think maybe Starfield’s array of rocks and pipes would blend into more of an Oreo milkshake that would travel down my gut like a million iron filings tumbling down a well. Nope, space is a rather delicious milk, and it rejuvenated my tired evening somewhat. I even mustered the energy to move from the sofa to my bed. What a treat.
I asked someone else what he made of the drink, excited to share in the revelation of space and its surprising taste. He said he “hated it”. Is there something deep here about Starfield’s universe taking to different palates? Yes, probably. Do I crave more of the space drink in specific? Definitely.
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to our Gamescom 2023 hub. You can also find everything announced at Opening Night Live right here.