I’ve always admired Starfield’s dedication to portraying exactly how utterly empty and devoid of life the majority of outer space is. You can travel to countless planets in the spacefaring RPG spread all the way across the solar system, but most of them are really boring. There’s no good reason to stick around, and its space exploration being defined by constant loading screens makes this experience feel far more isolating than freeing.
At best, you’ll stumble across a smattering of wildlife, outposts set up by pirates and settlers, and the usual array of minerals and resources to gather. Aside from that and a few different views, landmarks, and temples, most planets are exactly the same. I mean, I did say it was mostly authentic to the reality of space travel, but procedural generation and a distinct lack of curation is to blame for just how dull space exploration is.
Bethesda is trying to fix this problem by adding the REV-8, a dune buggy which can now be used to navigate every single planet Starfield has to offer. It was revealed and released at Gamescom Opening Night Live as a fun surprise with an update that adds a number of neat new changes to the game. I assume the plan is to pull lapsed players back into the fold just before Shattered Space launches in November, since they’re probably like me and haven’t played the game since they hit credits over a year ago.
The trains in Fallout 3 that were actually just human characters with automobiles on their heads walked so the REV-8 could run. Or something... you get the picture.
I’ll admit that the reveal trailer for REV-8 is pretty incredible, and more tongue-in-cheek than I ever expected. Its narration talks about the vehicle being a miracle despite existing in a world where faster than light travel has long been accomplished. Now we have an amazing buggy with jet boosters, turrets, and hydraulics that can hop across rocky dunes with ease.
The first thing it reminded me of was Mass Effect’s Mako, which was similarly charming with how you could use it to navigate planets that were also largely devoid of life. It didn’t care if you flipped it over, ran over a giant alien beast, or drove into an active volcano. You can just boost right out completely unscathed and do it all over again. This aspect of the REV-8 excites me, and I can’t wait to drag my companions along for the ride or take it along to some of the big cities and locations in Starfield to see how exploration is redefined by its presence.
Fans seem excited about what an official drivable vehicle in a Bethesda game means for future mod support, because previously you had to crowbar these sorts of features into the game instead of using an official vehicle as a foundation. Given how robotic most human characters and living creatures in Starfield tend to be, it’s wonderful to see a vehicle this dynamic suddenly springing about the place, though it’s a little bit jarring to come to terms with.
There is an inherent charm to the REV-8 that is already tempting me back to Starfield to see how much of a difference it makes to the overall package, and I have no doubt it will alter the pace at which I navigate new planets and how far I’m willing to go before returning home. But what I’m destined to find on those planets won’t be very different at all. I can go further and do more in a shorter space of time, but will I be doomed to just stumble across another repetitive stream of outposts, bases, and other forgettable places with the same boring bits and bobs to collect before I return to more important quests? It sure looks like it.
Who knows, maybe Shattered Space is going to shake things up more than anticipated and will suddenly make the base experience more appealing, but right now I find myself playing around with the REV-8 like it’s a shiny new toy, heartbreakingly aware that the appeal will wear off far sooner than I’d like it to.
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9 Images
Starfield
4.0/5
Starfield is the first new IP from Bethesda in a quarter of a century, launched for the next-gen Xbox Series X|S and PC. Taking place outside our own Solar System, you play a member of the Constellation, a collective of explorers set on discovering new worlds.
