Bethesda has revealed more about the retro aesthetics and world of the upcoming Starfield with the release of three stylish, animated videos following a number of citizens from the game. Each video is soundtracked with instrumentals, and features some form of sci-fi action, but little dialogue means these mini-adventures are up for interpretation.
The first of the ‘Settled Systems’ videos – Supra Et Ultra – follows a mail courier travelling through New Atlantis, the capital of the United Colonies. He stares up at a sign for the Vanguard faction, and fills out an enlistment form, before blasting off into space.
The second short, The Hand That Feeds, follows two thieves living in the streets of Neon on Volii Alpha, where Ryuijin Industries conducts business with an iron fist. The third follows an orphan living on Akila, and hoping for a better life in space.
Read: Starfield – All the new details we learned about the ambitious RPG
While these videos don’t reveal much about Starfield gameplay, they certainly give a sense of the tone and style of the adventure, with each hinting at a futuristic society where space represents freedom and power.
They also give a sense of the retrofuturism inspirations behind the game, with each video’s filter and animation style calling back to television broadcasts of the 1950s and 1960s.
Whether the characters depicted in the videos will appear in Starfield is currently unclear, but regardless, their individual stories work well to paint a picture of what to expect from the game, and its approach to deep narrative storytelling.
We’ll learn more about Starfield in the coming months, as Bethesda prepares for launch on Xbox Series X/S and PC on 6 September 2023.
