Starfield has changed a lot in just one year, and this comparison video proves it.
As demonstrated in a post on the Starfield subreddit, Bethesda has made a lot of progress on its upcoming space RPG in just a year. We first saw the elevator scene below in a Starfield gameplay trailer last year, but after Todd Howard's appearance at Opening Night Live last night, we've now got an updated version to compare it to.
In the 2022 version of the clip, we see two crew members preparing to venture outside the spacecraft (I'm guessing) since they're both in the process of suiting up to brace the space elements. In the new version, things are pretty much the same but the detail is much, much better. The lighting is much more lifelike and does a much better job of illuminating the room the two characters are in.
Perhaps the most compelling part of the new clip, though, is when the main character puts their helmet on and it lights up their face inside. It's a small detail but it just shows just how much more immersive Starfield has become since Bethesda allowed itself more time to work on the game.
The elevator scene / June 2022 (Official gameplay reveal) vs August 2023 (Gamescom) comparison from r/Starfield
It's not just us that's impressed by these new visuals either, in the comments of the Reddit post, several users have also praised similar aspects of the scene: "Anyone else love the insides of helmets? The way it lights up your face looks awesome," one user says. "Those suits and helmets have NO BUSINESS looking that cool," another adds.
"Game itself looks way too good for the scope. Reminds me of how shocked I was for Oblivion back in the day," another user explains. "Their art team have outdone themselves. I can't wait to get into photo mode and look at all this stuff up close. There's so much detail on everything," someone else says in the comments.
Others have also pointed out how much better the scene is from a technical standpoint: "That backpack hand-off from Heller (?) to what's-her-face is so hard to do in-game animation. I can guess why they cut around it back in 2022." Another fan also agreed with this, saying: "You can see the finger doesn't clip into the tank anymore in [the] 2023 version. Very nice."
Xbox and Starfield's presence at Gamescom 2023 has got everyone even more excited for the RPG's release in just a couple of weeks. If you were lucky enough to secure one of the deluxe or collector's editions, you'll be able to take part in the Starfield early access on September 1, if not, you'll have to wait to play the game on your Xbox Series X/S or PC on September 6.
While we wait for the fateful day, find out everything you need to know about the Starfield backgrounds and starting skills.
