In many ways, Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield is the next step in the company's formula for a single-player, open-world roleplaying game. From the technologically impressive yet empty vastness of Daggerfall, to the sleek sandbox of Skyrim, Bethesda's developers have always sought to push a certain kind of experience for fans of the company's mainline franchises, that games such as The Outer Worlds by Obsidian Studios have tried to emulate.
A recent addition to this experience has been the inclusion of companion characters, a long process whose foundations were laid with the Adoring Fan in Oblivion, and arguably saw the most growth going from Skyrim's followers into the more complex companions of Fallout 4. One of the most positively received aspects of Fallout 4 was its diverse cast of characters that could accompany the Sole Survivor on their journey across the post-apocalyptic remains of the Commonwealth.
Starfield seems to be interested in pushing the boundaries of that system further, as Bethesda showcased the companion character of Vasco in an unlisted YouTube video today. Narrated by Istvan Pely, the Lead Artist of Starfield, the video introduces Constellation's very own expeditionary robot in his dashing red-and-white color scheme.
Described as a retrofitted industrial robot, Vasco has a wide frame and bipedal mechanical limbs that make traversing rough terrain a task of relative ease. Fans of the game have already made jokes that Vasco would make an ideal companion to carry the burdens of the player, considering how often the problem of being encumbered in Skyrim or any other Bethesda game crops up.
Many players are also wondering if Vasco will be customizable in a similar way to the Automatron DLC robots in Fallout 4 – which, given the fact that Bethesda Game Studios is fond of testing new game mechanics through DLC, is a very reasonable thing to hope for. Coupled with concept art shown in the video featuring Vasco in different shapes and sizes, companion customization may very well be on the table for Starfield. It remains to be seen whether it will also extend to humanoid companions as well.
Considering that the game is merely several months away, players should hope to see more Starfield videos, extensive deep dives, and gameplay videos in the near future. After the recent cancellation of the E3 2022 online event, Bethesda will likely follow its own schedule for Starfield's marketing, and it's become apparent by now that the gears have started to turn.
Starfield will release on November 11 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.